Changing provincial…

Changing provincial legislation and regulations to mandate that municipalities allow Semi-detached, Townhouse/Rowhouse and low rise apartments in existing Single Detached Housing neighbourhoods would provide more opportunities for missing middle housing and address current issues around housing choice. If the province makes any changes to zoning powers to mandate allowing more housing, please put a regulation out that mandates adoption of the changes by a certain date. As we've seen with Additional Residential Units, some cities adopted them right away, while others took years to adopt, and some have only partially adopted them.

Consider looking at how Alberta controls development through their Development Permit system that delegates minor variance power to city planners (local administrators referred to as development authority in the legislation). See Part 17 of the Municipal Government Act, Section 640 and 642. Another change to look at from Alberta would be how they deal with appeals. There is a local development appeals board at the city level, which can only be appealed on jurisdiction or interpretation issues to a higher court. It operates as a Committee of Adjustment does in Ontario, with locally appointed experts. Changing the administration of planning approvals without addressing problems with the Ontario Land Tribunal is only a half measure.

Add the ability for municipalities to regulate landscaping and lighting through zoning, without having to go through site plan control. Provincial standards for these matters would be helpful to ensure consistency across jurisdictions, especially in regards to outdoor lighting and dark sky compliance.