City of Kingston Information Report to Planning Committee Report Number PC

Transcription

1 To: From: Resource Staff: Date of Meeting: September 3, 2015 Subject: Executive Summary: City of Kingston Information Report to Planning Committee Report Number PC Chair and Members of Planning Committee Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner, Community Services Paige Agnew, Director of Planning, Building & Licensing Services Status Update Five Year Official Plan Update and Comprehensive Zoning By-Law In early 2015, work began on the Five Year Update to the City s Official Plan, which is being undertaken concurrently with the development of the City s new Comprehensive Zoning By-Law. A final draft of the Official Plan Update is anticipated to be adopted by Council in late 2015 and submitted for approval by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing early in In accordance with the Planning Act, Official Plans are required to be updated every 5 years. In addition to the Planning Act requirements, the Official Plan Update is focused upon the integration of key recommendations from City led background studies, policy changes from the 2014 Provincial Policy Statement, and consideration of technical issues and policy refinements identified by staff, citizens and community stakeholders. There are three work phases for the Official Plan Update: background research, policy development and Official Plan amendment preparation. The first and second phases are complete. During the second phase, the Five Year Official Plan Update Background Report was presented to the Planning Committee through Report Number PC Now in the third phase, Dillon Consulting Ltd., who were hired to assist with this review, and staff have developed the first draft of the Update. Through in depth community consultation, several requests were raised for site specific re-designations, as well as requests to expand the Urban Growth Boundary. Site specific re-designations are not being addressed through this Five Year Update, and through work undertaken in 2014, Council confirmed that no new expansion areas would be added to the urban boundary. 298

2 On July 15, 2015, the first draft of the Official Plan Update was posted on the City of Kingston website on a web browser application called Crocodoc. This application allows multiple users to post comments and markups concurrently, creating a document which is edited by the public. The public consultation strategy for this project has extended beyond the statutory requirements mandated by the Planning Act. While a statutory Open House was held on August 5, 2015, staff have held five additional Official Plan Coffee Chats throughout the City, as well as attended many local events to promote the project, including individual consultations with several neighbourhood associations. Social media and Paige s Planning Blog have also been used extensively to generate interest. During work on the Official Plan Update, progress on the Comprehensive Zoning By-Law work has also been initiated. In April 2015, internal group start-up meetings began, with the new zoning by-law expected to be adopted in early Staff have received the proposed table of contents, including a new numbering system, text formatting and page layout. In addition, Dillon has been working on the background data collection and analysis phase. In early August, the Zoning Framework Report was received in draft version and once finalized with staff will be posted to for public review and comment. Recommendation: This report is provided for information purposes only. Authorizing Signatures: Lanie Hurdle, Commissioner, Community Services Gerard Hunt, Chief Administrative Officer Consultation with the following Members of the Corporate Management Team: Cynthia Beach, Corporate & Strategic Initiatives Denis Leger, Transportation, Facilities & Emergency Services Jim Keech, President and CEO, Utilities Kingston Desiree Kennedy, Chief Financial Officer & City Treasurer 299

3 Options/Discussion: Five Year Update to the Official Plan The Planning Act requires local Official Plans (OP) to be reviewed every 5 years to ensure that they are consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS, 2014) and have regard to matters of Provincial Interest, under Section 2 of the Planning Act. As a result, in December 2014, Council authorized staff to commence a review of the City s Official Plan in accordance with Sections 26 and 27 of the Planning Act. In December 2014, the City retained Dillon Consulting Ltd. to undertake the Official Plan review in conjunction with the Comprehensive Zoning By-Law work. The consultant team is led by Rory Baksh of Dillon Consulting Ltd., with guidance from Planning Division staff and a Technical Steering Committee comprised of staff from City departments and local technical agencies. The work plan for the review of the Official Plan consists of many individual tasks and is organized into three main phases: Phase One: Background Research and Policy Review Phase Two: Policy Development Phase Three: Official Plan Preparation Work has proceeded in accordance with the project schedule and budget, and the updated Official Plan amendment is expected to be completed and submitted for adoption in early Report Number PC (5 Year Official Plan Update Background Report) which was presented at the May 21, 2015 Planning Committee meeting reported on the project progress to that point. The first two phases of the work plan have been completed and phase three is underway. A digital copy of the report is available on the City s website at: Phase three work commenced with a detailed review of the draft within the Planning Division. The draft was then circulated for review and comment by members of the Technical Steering Committee. Comments from all groups were consolidated and feedback on the first draft of the Official Plan Update was incorporated into the document. Throughout the project, City staff have been contacted by stakeholders that either had interest in the re-designation of a property, or were requesting consideration for adjustments to the Urban Growth Boundary to include their property. Site specific re-designations initiated by private property owners were generally not considered to be part of this review process, nor defined in the project scope. The background studies prepared (Urban Growth, Boundary Review, Employment, Kingston Transportation Master Plan, etc.) leading into the Five Year Update form the basis of the majority of the policy recommendations being considered at this time. 300

4 The 2014 Provincial Policy Statement provides direction for municipalities to determine when adjustments to an urban settlement area are appropriate. Urban boundary reviews may only be initiated at the time of a required Official Plan update requiring a comprehensive review and must demonstrate that sufficient opportunities for growth cannot be accommodated through intensification, redevelopment or through development within the current inventory of designated lands. In addition, there must be sufficient servicing capacity to accommodate the proposed land uses. Two landowners requested the City s consideration of a boundary expansion, one in the west end of the city near Westbrook Road, who wished to remain anonymous. The other landowner, King s Town Development Corporation (Martin Skolnick), requested that his property on Highway 2 East, which is adjacent to the existing Urban Growth Boundary, be given consideration for inclusion in the boundary. The 2014 Urban Growth Boundary Update undertook a detailed analysis of residential land supply (Report Number ) which has continued to be tracked throughout the Official Plan Update process. The City currently has a surplus of residential land based on the 20 year demand projections. Boundary adjustments which would result in additional residentially designated land do not uphold the direction in the 2014 Provincial Policy Statement, and principles of good land use planning as it relates to growth management. Based on the direction of the 2014 Provincial Policy Statement the information reviewed by staff does not support the areas of expansion to the urban growth boundary and therefore are not included in the Update. The first draft was submitted in July to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing to initiate the 90 day One Window review process. The One Window approach streamlines and coordinates the input of information among the eight provincial planning partner Ministries on planning applications where the province is the approval authority. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is expected to release comments regarding the draft in early October of this year which will then be considered for incorporation into the final draft version. On July 15, 2015 the first draft of the Five Year Update to the Official Plan was released to the public through the City of Kingston website. In an effort to have an open form of public engagement for this project and to provide transparency of this process, the City used an online application called Crocodocs which allows users to comment interactively on the Official Plan documents and maps. The public was able to comment on the first draft until August 16, Approximately 300 comments were received through Crocodocs and are being reviewed and given consideration for development of the second draft of the OP Update. Public consultation has been a valued and significant component of the Official Plan Update process. The Planning Act outlines the minimum requirements for public consultation when conducting an Official Plan review, which include: holding an open house, a public meeting and a special meeting of Council. Staff identified meaningful and expanded public consultation and engagement as a key performance indicator of the project s success. A comprehensive community consultation program and complementary communication strategy form key components of the project plan. These components allow metrics to be identified and provides a method to monitor progress. 301

5 The expanded approach to public engagement has included a social media program using Facebook, Twitter and a Director s Blog as more informal and convenient ways for the community to get up to date information on the project status and direct input into the process. In addition to the minimum legislated public consultation requirements, staff have been making informal presentations with various community organizations (i.e. neighbourhood associations in the City) and have staffed information booths at several events. Paige s Planning Blog has been regularly posting content and updates on the project, and a poll feature on the blog has increased readership and activity. Social media updates are released several times a week and metrics have shown an increasing amount of views and sharing activity each month. On August 5, 2015 the City hosted the Open House for the Official Plan Update. It was held from 5-8 pm at the Tett Centre. The event highlighted the suggested changes to the OP related topics that were identified through public feedback. The evening was structured as an open house with a brief presentation and discussion from 5:30-6:30 pm, with an opportunity to use the Crocodoc application with staff assistance at a commenting station following the presentation. Forty-four participants signed in to the event at the door. A copy of the presentation from the Open House is available at the City of Kingston Official Plan website and summarizes the key policy changes contained in the first draft, which are categorized into 17 theme areas. Official Plan Coffee Chats have been hosted in five locations around the City (Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, Gore Road Fire Station, Glenburnie Fire Station, Holy Name Elementary School and the Isabel Turner Library). These informal events are intended to be a more approachable form of meeting for individuals to discuss local issues and items that relate to the Official Plan with staff. Morning, weekend and weeknight Coffee Chats have been held to facilitate an accessible visiting time for all citizens. Following the August 5, 2015 Open House, staff and consultants are working to consolidate feedback and incorporate it into the second draft, where possible. The second draft will be prepared for the statutory public consultation period in October, building toward the statutory public meeting to be held with the Planning Committee in November. Comprehensive Zoning By-Law Work on the new comprehensive zoning by-law was initiated with an internal working group meeting on April 22, Staff from several departments met to discuss the work plan and schedule, communication and leadership roles, involvement of legal counsel, status of any ongoing internal work by staff, and suggestions on usability, naming, etc. for the zoning. Staff received the proposed table of contents for the comprehensive zoning by-law in June. This included a proposed numbering system, text formatting and page layout for the text for staff review and comment. In addition, Dillon Consulting Ltd. has been working closely with staff on the data collection and analysis phase. This includes the technological aspect of establishing a GIS framework, database structure and base mapping. The background work focusing on comparison recommendations for general provisions, definitions and matching old zones has also been started to initiate the difficult process of harmonizing and consolidating five zoning by-laws. 302

6 In August, a draft of the Zoning Framework Report was received. This report is the first of the technical background reporting documents for the new comprehensive zoning by-law. This report focuses on the analysis and recommendations for the structure, definitions and general provisions of the new zoning. It also presents examples of the proposed formatting of the new zoning by-laws text and mapping. The next technical brief, focusing on the recommended zoning and standards, is expected to be completed by late fall. An initial public consultation event is scheduled in early 2016 for the zoning consolidation project. To help inform the public of the status of the new comprehensive zoning by-law project, Paige s Planning Blog posts regular content and updates. As well, a new City webpage has been developed at A comprehensive zoning by-law information card has been developed and is available at many City locations. Existing Policy/By-Law: City of Kingston Official Plan There are five principal zoning by-laws and a further five site specific older remnant zoning bylaws in effect in the City of Kingston. The five principal zoning by-laws include: 1. By-Law Number 8499, City of Kingston, adopted in 1975; 2. By-Law Number , Downtown and Harbour Zoning By-Law (City of Kingston), adopted in 1996; 3. By-Law Number 76-26, Kingston Township, adopted in 1976; 4. By-Law Number , Cataraqui North Zoning By-Law (Kingston Township), adopted in 1997; and 5. By-Law Number 32-74, Pittsburgh Township, adopted in Notice Provisions: Accessibility Considerations: Financial Considerations: The funds for this project were allocated and approved in the 2015 capital budget. Contacts: Paige Agnew, Director, Planning, Building & Licensing Services extension 3252 Cherie Mills, Manager, Policy Planning extension 3289 Rachel Quittkat, Manager, Projects extension

7 Other City of Kingston Staff Consulted: Exhibits Attached: 304