Zoning By-law Review (inZone)

inZoneThe inZone project is the preparation of town's new zoning by-law. inZone will implement the policies of the town's new official plan, the Livable Oakville Plan, into the town's zoning framework. The project is a key action for the 2012-2014 term of Council's Strategic Plan.

Background

The Livable Oakville Plan was unanimously adopted by Council on June 22, 2009, approved with modifications by Halton Region on November 30, 2009, and ultimately approved by the Ontario Municipal Board on May 10, 2011. The Planning Act requires a municipality's zoning by-law to conform to its official plan.

On October 11, 2011, Planning and Development Council received the terms of reference and work plan (pdf, 358 kB) for the inZone project. Council directed staff to begin work on phase two of the project.

Phase three: public consultation

Currently, the project is in phase three (consultation and adoption). Download the April 2013 version of the inZone work plan (pdf, 361 kB).

The main tasks of this phase revolve around public consultation on the draft 2014 Zoning By-law. The Planning Act establishes minimum requirements for public consultation. The inZone project exceeds this minimum by hosting two rounds of open houses, meeting dates with project team staff, online content, and on-demand workshops facilitated by project team staff.

May/June 2013 Open Houses 
The first round of open houses provide an opportunity for residents, business owners, and any other stakeholder to ask project team staff any questions about zoning and the draft regulations as they apply to your property. Feedback received at these events will inform the next draft of the 2014 Zoning By-law, to be released in fall 2013 for statutory public consultation.

Citizen and Stakeholder Issues Meetings
Project team members are continuing to facilitate meetings with stakeholder groups and interested citizens in summer 2013. Project team staff will be reserving three days for these meetings. Information on these meetings and their dates will be posted at a later date.

Fall 2013 Open Houses and Statutory Public Meeting
A second round of open houses [convened under section 34(12)(b) of the Planning Act] will be held in fall 2013. Project team staff will be available to answer any questions about zoning and the draft regulations as they apply to your property. A statutory public meeting of Planning and Development Council [convened under section 34(12)(a) of the Planning Act] will also be held in fall 2013. This is the formal meeting for residents, business owners, and any other stakeholder to make a deputation before Council. Information on these meetings and their dates will be posted at a later date.

First Draft (v1.0) of the 2014 Zoning By-law

Staff presented the first draft (numbered as version 1.0) of the 2014 Zoning By-law at the April 29, 2013 meeting of Planning and Development Council. Council received staff’s report on the first draft.

The draft has been prepared under the general study principles established in the Terms of Reference for the inZone project with the implementation of the Livable Oakville Plan being the primary objective. It is important to note that this version is an early, preliminary consolidation of the draft provisions as currently written. It is not a complete document, with its design and release intended for public consultation purposes at this time. Changes and refinements continue to be made to this document based on ongoing staff review, and the finalization of other content.

Complete text of the First Draft (version 1.0) 2014 Zoning By-law, dated April 17, 2013 (pdf, 6.4 MB) – includes May 17 Special Provisions – this file will be updated and reposted on or before June 14, 2013
Complete set of maps of the First Draft (v1.0) 2014 Zoning By-law, dated April 17, 2013 (pdf, 13.1 MB) – includes May 17 Special Provisions – this file will be updated and reposted on or before June 14, 2013

User's Guide (non-statutory) (pdf, 1 MB)
Part 1 – Administration (pdf, 220 kB)
Part 2 – Establishment of Zones (pdf, 365 kB)
Part 3 – Definitions (pdf, 1.1 MB)
Part 4 – General Provisions (pdf, 570 kB)
Part 5 – Parking, Loading, and Stacking Provisions (pdf, 944 kB)
Part 6 – Residential Zones (pdf, 537 kB)
Parts 7 and 8 – Reserved
Part 9 – Mixed Use Zones (pdf, 370 kB)
Part 10 – Commercial Zones (pdf, 299 kB)
Part 11 – Employment Zones (pdf, 315 kB)
Part 12 – Institutional and Community Use Zones (pdf, 266 kB)
Part 13 – Open Space Zones (pdf, 273 kB)
Part 14 – Environmental Zones (pdf, 418 kB)
Part 15 – Other Zones (pdf, 233 kB)
Part 16 – Special Provisions (pdf, 3.4 MB) – this file will be updated and reposted on or before June 14, 2013
Part 17 – Holding Provisions (pdf, 505 kB)
Part 18 – Temporary Use Permissions (pdf, 110 kB)
Part 19 – Interim Control By-laws (pdf, 135 kB)
Part 20 – Maps (pdf, 7.4 MB) – this file will be updated and reposted on or before June 14, 2013
Part 21 – Enactment (pdf, 117 kB)

Appendix A - Approximate Location of the Conservation Authority Regulation Limits (pdf, 6.3 MB)
Appendix B - Approximate Location of the Highway Corridor (pdf, 2.7 MB)

Previous Drafts of the 2014 Zoning By-law

Complete text of the First Draft (v0.5) 2014 Zoning By-law, dated February 14, 2013 (pdf, 10.5 MB)

inZone Subcommittee of Council

The inZone Subcommittee is an ad-hoc commenting body whose members provide input to staff on the deliverables of the inZone project.  The subcommittee met seven times during phase two of the project, and are tentatively scheduled to meet two times during phase three of the project: Monday, August 6, 2013 and Monday, December 2, 2013.

Subcommittee meeting dates and planned content are subject to change. Planned subcommittee meeting times are 1 to 3:30 p.m.. Agendas and minutes for subcommittee meetings can be found online using the town's searchable database (select "Statutory and Advisory Committees" and use "inZone" as the keyword search term).

Phase two research: Technical Papers and the inZone Subcommittee

The main products of the completed phase two were a series of ten Technical Papers, each informing a different component of the Zoning By-law. Feedback received by staff at previous meetings of the inZone Subcommittee was used to inform and refine content for the first draft Zoning By-law (which is anticipated to be presented to Council in spring 2013). Each paper will be updated prior to presenting a first draft Zoning By-law to Council.

  1. Scope and applicability (pdf, 405 kB)
    – Presentation from May 22, 2012 subcommittee meeting (pdf, 228 kB)
  2. Layout, structure, and display (pdf, 938 kB) 
    – Presentation from August 7, 2012 subcommittee meeting (pdf, 261 kB)
  3. Definitions (pdf, 575 kB)
    – Presentation from August 7, 2012 subcommittee meeting (pdf, 259 kB)
  4. General provisions (pdf, 502 kB)
    – Presentation from February 4, 2013 subcommittee meeting (pdf, 103 kB)
  5. Parking and loading standards (pdf, 1.6 MB) 
    – Presentation from February 4, 2013 subcommittee meeting (pdf, 303 kB)
  6. Residential use permissions and zone standards (pdf, 1.3 MB) 
    – Presentation slides from November 2012 low density residential zoning and design open houses (pdf, 1.1 MB) 
    – Discussion panels for design guidelines from November 2012 low density residential zoning and design open houses (pdf, 1.9 MB)
    – Discussion panels for zoning issues from November 2012 low density residential zoning and design open houses (pdf, 3.6 MB)
    – Presentation from February 4, 2013 subcommittee meeting (pdf, 257 kB)
  7. Commercial and employment use permissions and zone standards (pdf, 1.1 MB) 
    – Presentation from May 22, 2012 subcommittee meeting (pdf,  170 kB)
    – Automobile Related Uses Review (pdf, 1.1 MB)
    – Presentation from October 22, 2012 subcommittee meeting on Automobile Related Uses Review (pdf, 809 kB)
  8. Growth area and mixed use permissions and zone standards (pdf, 704 kB) 
    – Presentation from October 22, 2012 subcommittee meeting (pdf, 651 kB)
  9. Use permissions and zone standards for all other zones (pdf, 595 kB) 
    – Presentation from August 7, 2012 subcommittee meeting (pdf, 368 kB)
  10. Special provisions and Minor Variance (pdf, 135 kB)

Communications plan

Council and staff together have created a communications plan to inform and engage key audiences throughout the inZone process to its completion in 2014.

Currently, staff is arranging workshops for interested residents associations and other community groups. The All About Zoning presentation is a primer on the purpose of zoning by-laws and how they work in regulating new development. Email inZone@oakville.ca if you are interested in coordinating one of these workshops. Staff have also prepared a brochure about the project (pdf, 2.6 MB) that you can print at home or request from Planning Services.

Public open houses and the statutory public meeting under the Planning Act are currently planned for 2013. More information on locations, dates, and times will be posted here once it becomes available.

You can also watch access the online version of the All About Zoning presentation on TownTV.

Goals of inZone

  • To adopt a new zoning by-law for the town by early 2014, that will help achieve the town's vision to be the most livable town in Canada.
  • To create a zoning by-law that provides a framework which reflects Oakville's vision for growth, and guides what, where, and how buildings can be constructed in Oakville.

What is the existing zoning on my property?

Until a new zoning by-law is approved by Council, existing zoning continues to apply to all properties in the town. The current zoning by-laws are:

If you have any questions regarding the zoning applying to your property, please contact ServiceOakville and ask to speak with a Zoning Officer in the Building Services Department.

Associated inZone projects

Get involved and be heard!

As the inZone project moves forward, visit this webpage for upcoming events, meetings and draft project content. You can also sign up for our project mailing list by emailing inZone@oakville.ca.

The Town is collecting comments for the inZone project and we’d like to hear from you. If you are interested, please email us at inZone@oakville.ca with your feedback about zoning in Oakville. Here are some sample questions that may assist in framing your submission:

  1. What current zoning regulations do you feel are working? (i.e minimum parking requirements, maximum lot coverage)
  2. What current zoning regulations do you feel are not working? Why?
  3. What improvements can the town make?

When submitting your comments, please provide us with your name, address, and affiliation/company in your email so we can provide you with a proper response. The purpose of the information being gathered is to ensure that further information, when it becomes available, can be forwarded to those parties who have expressed an interest in this project. The information collected becomes part of the public record and a copy of comments submitted may be attached to future reports that are submitted to Council.

For more information contact

Joe Nethery
Manager, Zoning By-law Project
Planning Services
905-845-6601 ext. 3428
joenethery@oakville.ca

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