During the regular meeting of Collingwood Town Council July 19, 36 Interim Control By-law (ICBL) exemptions were granted to allow construction of 316 Single Dwelling Equivalent Units, using some of the remaining water capacity in Collingwood.
To view the full list of exemptions, view Appendix C of Staff Report: CAO2021-10 Interim Control By-law No. 2021-024 – Evaluation of Exemption Requests
At its April 26 meeting, the town’s council approved a pause in development to address drinking water capacity for future development, using an ICBL that could last up to a year while a Land Use Policy Study is completed.
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,” Collingwood officials said in a statement. The ICBL limits the issuance of building permits; however construction that does not use more water, such as most residential renovations, can continue.
A special meeting of Council was held June 3, where Staff Report CAO2021-07 Interim Control By-law No. 2021-024 – Exemptions and Procedure for Receipt and Evaluation of Exemption Requests was approved. The deadline for exemption applications was June 18.
Over the following weeks, staff evaluated the exemption requests based on criteria including but not limited to:  water used per dwelling unit; building permit application and compliance with town and Ontario Building Code requirements; readiness to construct; the extent to which the request can be accommodated within available servicing capacity; the extent to which the proposal reflects an appropriate balance of land use types including, but not limited to: greenfield, infill/intensification, and non-residential development; the extent to which the proposal reflects the objectives of a complete community including but not limited to  public health, safety and well-being, affordable housing, heritage protection, environmental protection and any other matters deemed to be of an overriding municipal interest; non-residential projects generally including, but not limited to, those with a significant economic impact in terms of investment, job generation, tax base growth and/or those that fulfill or are aligned with municipal economic development objectives; lands that already carry water servicing capacity; and, matters of broad community interest.
“This decision supports proceeding in a well-considered complete community context, and the number of building permits in Collingwood in 2021 is expected to trend above 2020, and below 2019, fulfilling council’s intention to support goals including employment, housing supply and predictability for the development industry,” the statement says.
Next steps
- For those developments and individuals who have been granted exemptions from the ICBL, the application can continue through the planning process and building permits may be issued. Contractors and owners can contact the Planning Department with any questions.
- Â For those developments and individuals who have not been granted exemptions from the ICBL, the planning application will continue to be processed and reviewed, however planning decisions from council will not be made unless a future exemption is granted or until the completion of ICBL or the completion of the planning study.
- 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: engage.collingwood.ca.