Please see the attached…

Please see the attached staff report presented to Middlesex Centre Council on June 4, 2025 with preliminary comments on the proposals.

Generally, we are supportive of the concept of an "as-of-right" variation from setback requirements, should they be within 10% of the existing zoning regulations. One concern we identify is that the intent of this provision would be that the "extra 10%" would then become the standard, versus a deviation from the standard.

While setbacks are one of the most common minor variance application we receive, this concept may be expanded to other zoning regulations such as coverage. While there is always concern about the cumulative impact of these type of variances to drainage and stormwater management, provided they are limited to 5-10% of existing, impacts can generally be mitigated.

I would also like to direct you to comments we submitted under ERO 025-0461 regarding amendments to the O. Regs. governing the complete application requirements for different planning applications. This is very much "low hanging fruit" that could improve the efficiency of the submission of planning applications.