Land Use Planning Services
Effective February 7, 2022, the Building and Planning Counter located at 55 Ste. Marie Street, on the 3rd Floor of the Public Library, will be open for in-person service on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Support via email and phone, continues to be available Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Town of Collingwood has a development pause in place using an Interim Control By-law (ICBL):
please access this button for Up To Date Information
The Purpose of Land Use Planning
The planning department provides services regarding the Official Plan and Zoning By-law (including zoning compliance reports) documents for the Town of Collingwood, exercising control over the subdivision of land, and indirectly by providing municipal services and pursuing municipal policies which support and reinforce the land use planning objectives of the Municipality and County of Simcoe.
Below are links to our over-arching policy documents:
Public Portal/Online Application Submission Planning Application Forms
Collingwood Zoning By-law Official Plan Zoning and Official Plan Mapping
The planning department guides, regulates, and makes recommendations regarding community growth and development in a manner that protects the environment, enhances the quality of life, promotes a complete community, and involves the public in the decisions that affect them.
The planning department accepts, on behalf of the Council, proposed applications for changes to land use and coordinates the review and approval process within a prescribed time frame. Our planning application forms are located on this site. Please access our Public Portal service to prepare your proposal and upload the executed and commissioned planning application form(s) and associated documents.
Town of Collingwood Official Plan Consolidated January 2019 version
The Forward including Appeal Dispositions, Non-Decision disposition status, and Specific Amendments, are here.
The complete text including the interactive contents page is here.
Here is the Site Amendments yet to be Consolidated into the 2019 Version:
OPA #43 360 Raglan Feb 7, 2020, OPA#44 Balmoral Blocks 1 - 4 March 6 2020
The Town of Collingwood Zoning By-Law, and Development Documents (please scroll further down for more)
The planning department is located in The Municipal Offices located at 55 Ste. Marie Street. Please access the office via the rear doors of the building. We can be reached at planning@collingwood.ca or 705-445-1290
Contact Planning Services prior to the building department to discover how our Zoning By-law controls the use of land in our community. It states exactly: • how land may be used • where buildings and other structures can be located in relation to lot setbacks • the types of buildings that are permitted and how they may be used • the lot sizes and dimensions, parking requirements, building heights and setbacks from the street. Here is a link to A Citizens' Guide and Zoning By-Laws.
Comments: The comments above are made to the best of our knowledge using all of the information and resources available at the posting time. The information contained herein is believed to be correct, however, the Town assumes no liability for negligence, inaccuracies, or omissions. You are welcome to make a personal examination of the applicable information by request via Microsoft teams or requesting more information from planning@collingwood.ca
Planning Act: Individuals who make written submissions with respect to a Planning Act application should be aware that their submission and any personal information in their correspondence will become part of the public record and made available to the Applicant, Committee and Council.
- Site Plan Control By-Law
- Urban Design Submission Terms of Reference Oct 2020
- Urban Design Manual
- Committee of Adjustment
- Updated Planting Development Details in addition to Development Standards
- Related Bylaws
- Active Transportation
- Industrial Land Use Strategy
- Impact Analysis Retail Marketing
- Commercial Policy Review
Link to Planning Application Forms which must be completed, executed, and commissioned prior to uploading to the Public Portal
Application Fees:
Our flat fee is non-refundable and payable upon submission of the application. The contingency deposit fee is reconciled and the balance returned at the request of the payor. Consult the Treasury Departments landing page for the current Fees & Charges https://www.collingwood.ca/council-government/budget-taxes/fees-charges
Please use your printer dialogue settings to choose ledger sized paper.
Development Activity Maps
- 2013 Development Activity Map
- 2014 Development Activity Map
- 2016 Development Activity Map
- 2017 Development Activity Map
- 2018 Development Activity Map
- 2019 Development Activity Map
- 2020 Development Activity Map
- 2021 Development Activity Map
Subdivision Activity Maps
Development Review Documents
Urban Design
Official Plan Forward, Official Plan , Official Plan Schedules
Zoning By-Law
Pre-Consultation By-Law
Urban Design Manual
Updated Planting Details
A Place to Grow
Planning Services has a development team that meets every three weeks to process proposed development applications.
The Municipal Act authorized a municipality to adopt Site Plan Control .
Therefore The Town of Collingwood Site Plan Control By-Law No. 2010-082 pertains to certain lands within our municipal boundaries and The Official Plan designates all lands within the Town of Collingwood as a Site Plan Control area.
Site plan control is administered by Planning Services
Site plan control gives our municipality detailed control of how a particular property is developed and allows municipalities to regulate the various features on the site. Council can designate areas of site plan control, in which case developers must submit plans and drawings for approval before undertaking development. Site plan control can regulate certain external building, site and boulevard design matters (for example, character, scale, appearance, streetscape design). Further, we require a site plan agreement with a developer which will be registered on title of the subject property. The agreement will set out details, but not limited to, such as parking areas, elevations and grades, landscaping, building plans and services. The agreement will be registered on title and must be complied with by the owner and all subsequent owners.
Your development may or may not be subject to Development Charges for sanitary sewers and water servicing, may apply as per By-law No. 2014-032 which is administered by the Treasury Department.
Please contact the Building Department to understand if your development is subject to Town Development Charges By-law, Simcoe County Development Charges, Education Levy, or the Black Ash Creek Special Policy Charges. Building Services has an e-Permit Service which allows you to submit your building permit electronically . The Building Department will also administers the Street Naming Policy and Civic Addressng By-Law 2014-028 which in on the website. Please contact Building Department at building@collingwood.ca
Short Term Accomodation is allowed within home occupation when the provisions for a Bed and Breakfast are met. The Collingwood Zoning By-Law speaks to the provisions (regulations) required to offer temporary lodging for less than 30 consecutive calendar days or less, throughout all or any part of a calendar day.
The attached pertinent pages are from The Collingwood Zoning By-Law. These pages are the definition of a legal Bed and Breakfast and short-term accommodation within Collingwood.
Also included are the provisions (regulations) which shall be followed to create a legal Bed and Breakfast (Section 4.25) and Home Occupation (Section 4.39).
If the home-owner fufills these provisions you will need to receive a Change of Use from the Building Department. Here is a bulletin created by the Chief Building Official.
The location of private property lines, survey stakes, and dealing with related matters is not the Town of Collingwood's responsibility. Property owners are responsible for their property lines, including when building fences or additions. Property owners may wish to consult with a lawyer or surveyor or the Land Registry Office in Barrie.
The County of Simcoe has a tool that lets you look up your address, use measurement tools, and locate property lines. https://maps.simcoe.ca/public
https://www.collingwood.ca/property-inquiry-form
- The County of Simcoe has a tool that lets you look up your address, use measurement tools, and locate property “lines. https://maps.simcoe.ca/public
During the COVID-19 pandemic the Planning Division offices are not physically open, but the Town continues to provide remote services subject to delays, suspensions, or disruption to service associated with the current COVID-19 crisis. Virtual Meeting are available through Microsoft Teams. Please note Emergency Orders of the Province of Ontario impacting the processing of appeals and Planning Act applications – see links at bottom of the page.
The Town of Collingwood Planning Services division is here to help support the community through the current crisis, to plan for and advance recovery of important community functions, and work toward stabilizing services as the crisis lifts. The intent of the measures set out below is to ensure that the work of the Town continues and residents, stakeholders, and the development industry continue to be well-served under these unique circumstances. Staff will keep the lines of communication open and work with you to advance matters as best as possible.
Staff Availability
Staff are working remotely and will be available via:
e-mail (preferred method) at planning@collingwood.ca
by way of the Planning division’s central contact phone number 705-445-1290
Microsoft Teams Meeting
Meetings
Meetings involving more than two (2) parties:
Meetings involving more than two parties to discuss planning-related matters including scheduling pre-consultation or preliminary inquiry meetings can be arranged by Microsoft Teams teleconference or telephone conference calls. Please advise if you are able to use Microsoft Teams for this purpose.
Receiving and Processing Documentation
Prior to shipping or delivering you must contact planning@collingwood.ca for explicite instructions.
During the closure of our offices, resubmissions for current applications and submissions of new Planning Act applications will continue to be accepted digitally via your electronic link or our electronic share file link. We are not collecting paper copies at this time but may in the future.
In an effort to ensure proper receipt of these proposals you must contact our general email planning@collingwood.ca . For electronic submission we have a Public Portal service and credit card payment up to $5,000.00
Prior to shipping or delivering you must contact planning@collingwood.ca for explicite instructions.
1 set of unbound paper documents for Planning Services paper is not required at the present time but may in the future, and
1 set of paper report documents for Engineering Services.
Re-submissions and new applications will be evaluated and circulated as appropriate.
Council and Committees:
Any matters requiring a decision of Council or Committee are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Please call for more information as required.
Questions
If you have any questions about specific applications or our process during this period, please continue to reach out directly to the Project Planner assigned to manage your file or our Planning Manager. Staff from other Town departments can also be reached via the preferred method of e-mail or phone if you have any technical questions.
Provincial Government Legislative changes:
Please be advised of the following Provincial Government Legislative changes related to the Covid 19 crisis that impact process of the appeals and Planning Act Applications
The Town of Collingwood is updating its Official Plan.
The Official Plan is the overall policy framework for how land is used in Collingwood and sets out the vision for our community over the next 20 years.