With reference to the…

With reference to the following excerpts from this Proposal #019-6813, properties do exist that would assist to achieve the goal of this Proposal, but these properties have been isolated over the years by the Official Plan in situations that fall between the current guidelines.

• Generate an appropriate housing supply:

• Provide flexibility for municipalities to allow for more residential development in rural settlements and multi-lot residential development on rural lands, including more servicing flexibility (e.g., leveraging capacity in the private sector servicing)
• Require municipalities to permit more housing on farms, including residential lot creation subject to criteria, additional residential units, and housing for farm workers.
With decades of allowed zoning changes and severances, this has created the isolation of properties with Agricultural zone property is totally detached from the purpose of agriculture when established or at any time in the future due to the guidelines of the Official Plan.

In the example in the attached image file, this is a truly a given residential street with four oversized, zoned Agriculture lots with single family homes on each. These lots are already serviced with a named road, town water, and electricity. With an average lot size of 350 x 200 each in this case, if allowed severance there is the potential of another four lots 175 x 200 or eight lots 85 x 200 for single family residences. Average lot width on this street is 85 feet.

However, these four zoned Agricultural lots are presently not able to be severed due to the existing Official Planning requirement to have a minimum of nineteen hectares to be allowed by an updated Official Plan to sever.

There is always an exception to every rule, and this is an area of definite exception. This is just one example that truly exists, and many additional exceptions could exist as well.

Simply, updated provisions added to the current Official Plan to allow property zoned Agriculture not directly connected to Agricultural land or Agricultural operations and located on an existing residential service street be exempted from the 19-hectare ruling, zoning change from agricultural to residential or any other current restrictive guidelines.