Council approves 16 ICBL Exemptions to Permit Shovel Ready Development to Continue
Council has approved the second (and last) round of exemptions planned for 2022, from Interim Control By-law (ICBL) No. 2021-024 under the Short-Term Exemption Program, that was endorsed by Council in May 2022. This program will remain in place until the appeals to Town Zoning By-law Amendment No. 2022-07 are either withdrawn or resolved and the ICBL ceases to be in effect, or until December 2022, whichever is earlier.
The intention of this short-term exemption program is to further support shovel ready development projects to continue, particularly those that support local businesses and increase housing supply. During the period while the ICBL is in place, Council has expressed the desire to continue to support goals including employment, housing supply and predictability for the development industry within a complete community context.
Exemptions approved at the September 20th Council meeting, which account for 204 SDUs of water include:
• 77/79 Simcoe Street
• 350 First Street
• 64 Third Street
• 135 Hurontario Street
• 431 Ontario Street
• 307 Fourth Street West
• 79 Summerview Avenue
• 37 Callary Crescent
• 205 Long Point Road
• 648 Mountain Road
• 279 Robinson Street
• 6920 Poplar Sideroad/9745 Beachwood Road
• 11 Golfview Drive
• Unit 1 of the Vacant Land Condominium Plan located at 11403, 11453 &11461 Highway 26 (Residences of Silver Creek)
• 400 Maple Street (Victoria Annex)
In addition, an exemption was approved for the following lands for a total municipal servicing capacity commitment of an estimated 45 SDUs, which had previously been allocated:
• Summitview Subdivision - Plan 51M-1170, Lots 1-41 and Blocks 234, 235
The short-term ICBL exemption program brings the Servicing Capacity Allocation Policy (SCAP) into effect, which selects projects to proceed that demonstrate they are in line with our community’s values and help build a complete community. An overall annual capacity threshold is set, and projects that do not require planning approvals or are minor in nature as well as major applications such as plans of subdivision and vacant land condominiums that were submitted and deemed complete prior to May 17, 2022, are eligible. While the ICBL remains in effect, projects must be imminently ‘shovel-ready’ to receive water allocation. Overall, while this new complete community and value-based lens has been added, the pace and volume of construction proceeding is roughly on par with the past several years.
No further exemptions would be available in 2022, however staff will report to Council prior to the end of 2022 with recommendations on how to address further ICBL exemptions into 2023, if the ICBL remains in effect. Please stay tuned to the Town’s Engage Page for more information in the coming months.
Water Capacity Update
As noted in Staff Report PW2022-18, with the water commitments made under the Servicing Allocation Policy (SCAP) and ICBL exemptions approved prior to September 20th, the uncommitted hydraulic reserve capacity for the drinking water system is currently 1,830 m3 /d (1,376 SDUs).
The remaining water capacity will be managed through implementation of the SCAP. The Water Treatment Plant Expansion design is well under way and on schedule to go out for tender in early 2023 and this water must be used wisely until the expansion is commissioned in by early 2026, and a notional total of about 450 SDUs per year has been anticipated, pending future Council decisions.
Background
At the Council meeting held Monday, April 26, 2021, Collingwood Town Council approved a pause in development to address municipal servicing capacity limitations for future development, using an ICBL that could last up to a year while a Land Use Planning Policy Study (LUPPS) was completed. One of the key outcomes of the LUPPS was a recommended zoning by-law amendment that ensures adequate municipal servicing capacity is available prior to any building permit being issued.
While the Town has been willing to lift the ICBL since earlier this year, and to transition to the new Servicing Allocation Policy the Town received 3 Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) appeals to the zoning by-law amendment earlier this year causing the automatic continuation of the ICBL under the Planning Act, and this pause on development as two appeals remain active. One of the three appeals has been subsequently withdrawn.
The water supply is safe and available for current residents, industry, commercial uses, and temporary visitors. There is enough water for several years of growth, but not enough to continue at the same pace of development until the water treatment plant is expanded in 2025. As soon as becoming aware of this difficult situation, Council took a proactive and transparent approach to seek further capacity and responsibly manage that which remains.
The ICBL limits the issuance of building permits, however some construction that does not use more water and where no change of use is proposed, such as most residential renovations, can continue.
An initial ICBL exemption program was in effect in June of 2021, with 36 exemptions granted, which allowed construction of 333 Single Dwelling Equivalent Units, using some of the remaining water capacity in Collingwood. Prior to the May 2022 short-term exemption program, an additional 23 exemptions were granted for minor residential development and industrial/commercial/institutional changes of use allowing for the construction of 14 Single Dwelling Equivalent Units.
For more information, and to track the progress on increasing water capacity and planning activity associated with removing the need for the pause in development, please visit: https://engage.collingwood.ca/interim-control-by-law-icbl. Questions and comments are also encouraged using the Engage Collingwood page.
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For more information, contact:
Christa Carter
Manager, Public Relations & Communications
705-445-1030 Ext. 3274
ccarter@collingwood.ca
Peggy Slama
Director, Public Works, Engineering, and Environmental Services
705-445-1292 ext. 4201
pslama@collingwood.ca
Lindsay Ayers
Acting Director, Planning Services
705-445-1290 Ext. 3284
layers@collingwood.ca