Final draft of Belleville’s OP now available online

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Ontario Construction News staff writer

The final draft of the City of Belleville’s proposed Official Plan has been approved by the planning advisory committee and is now available for review online.

An OP update is required by the planning act is a four-phase process: review and analysis of land requirements, policy recommendations, policy development, and implementation through an OP amendment.

The final draft was presented and approved by committee on Nov. 1 and will go to council on Nov. 22.

“The final draft of the proposed new Official Plan remedies numerous consistency issues with the PPS,” Stephen Ashton, director of engineering, wrote in a report to the committee. “It also includes enabling policies to support local priorities, which include encouraging the provision and supply of more diverse and affordable housing across the city, as well as updated policies to support the city’s open spaces, downtown, agricultural lands and natural heritage features.

“It is staff’s opinion that the proposed new Official Plan be adopted by Council, as it represents good planning.”

The adoption of the new Official Plan by Council is critical step to ensuring the timely completion of the Loyalist Secondary Plan Update and comprehensive zoning by-law update and consolidation, currently underway.

A draft document was introduced in September 2020. The proposed plan was then updated to address ministerial comments, and other feedback received as part of the public consultation process for the project. The final draft is now available online.

Staff will be preparing a recommendation report for consideration at the Planning Advisory Committee meeting on Nov. 1 with the recommendation that Council adopt the proposed new Official Plan for the City of Belleville, and that it be forwarded to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for final approval.

Comments can be provided by filling out a comment form and submitting it by email to planning@belleville.ca or by mail to 169 Front St., Belleville, Ont. K8N 2Y8 (Attention: Policy Planning Division).

Those interested in learning more about the Official Plan update or being included on the Interested Parties List to be notified of upcoming meetings, are asked to complete the Notification Form and email it to planning@belleville.ca or mail to 169 Front St., Belleville, Ont. K8N 2Y8 (Attention: Policy Planning Division).

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