HomeMy Public PortalAbout2019-11-06_MR_Plan Review Update
MEDIA RELEASE
MUNICIPALITY OF CHESTER – Efforts to deliver residents of the Municipality of Chester a
revised Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use By-Law (LUB) are drawing to a close.
Municipal Council moved the planning documents to Second Reading to initiate a Public Hearing
so that the final drafts can go through one last public examination before proposing that they be
adopted.
The Municipality’s review of its 2004 MPS and LUB was not a quick process. Over the course of
five years, municipal staff held three rounds of public engagement: seven community vision
meetings to hear what residents felt were issues, priorities and how they wanted their
community to develop, five visioning sessions for targeted topics such as housing, economic
development, and recreation, seven sessions to review the vision and resulting goals, and
fourteen follow-up open houses and public meetings to thoroughly discuss the revised contents.
Based on that feedback, research of best practices from other rural municipalities, and staff
expertise and knowledge, a final draft of planning documents was proposed for adoption at a
Special Meeting of Council on October 24, 2019.
What has changed from 2004?
While parts of the existing MPS remain the same, residents asked for tighter controls on
environmental and nuisance protections and future large-scale and industrial developments.
These overall controls were implemented through area zoning, such as Single Unit Residential or
Mixed-Use, property line setbacks, and different approval processes that increase the amount of
control as the size or intensity of the land uses increase. Much of the Municipality remains in the
General Basic Zone or the new Mixed-Use zone, both of which attempt to retain the rural
character of the Municipality while introducing regulations over some more intensive land uses
and developments. Other, more localized, issues were addressed through smaller, specific zones,
such as Single Unit Residential that can stipulate items like the extended use of RVs as a
residence, for example.
The biggest challenge for the Municipality has been communicating the nuances of the draft plan
and reassuring residents that the intent of the plan is to maintain the existing character and
beauty of the Municipality. The draft plan does introduce some new regulations, which have been
DATE: November 6, 2019
SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING SET FOR MUNICIPAL-
WIDE PLANNING DOCUMENTS
STATUS: PUBLIC – For immediate release
2 Media Release/Plan Review
carefully considered and will apply to land uses that are known to create conflicts with nearby
residents. In most zones, the plan allows many types of development and only applies a higher
level of regulation to developments that are more likely to impact neighbouring property owners.
“Because different controls are applied in different areas of the Municipality acco rding to
residential preference, environmental needs, and traditional use, it is often a challenge to speak
in broad terms,” says Warden Allen Webber. “What we can say is that existing uses will not be
affected, and that we are not proposing to tell people they cannot have a yard sale or paint their
house blue.”
In fact, in response to some of the concerns heard recently, the Municipality has developed a
Frequently Asked Questions page on their dedicated website for Plan Review. Access to the FAQ
is at www.voicesandchoices.ca/plan-review.
Garth Sturtevant, Senior Planner for the Municipality of Chester, adds that municipal staff are
available to speak to residents about their concerns and to help interpret the documents so they
can be comfortable with what is being proposed.
The Public Hearing will be at Forest Heights Community School, 847 Route 12 in Chester Grant,
on November 25 from 7:00 pm. Written submissions will be accepted until November 18, 2019.
Visit www.voicesandchoices.ca/plan-review to view the draft plan, recent reports, and a link to
proposed zone map. Information can be accessed in person during regular office hours by visiting
the Community Development Department at 186 Central Street in Chester or discussed over the
phone by calling 902-275-2559.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Our spokespersons for this release are:
Allen Webber, Warden
Desk 902-275-4145
Cell 902-275-8373
awebber@chester.ca
Garth Sturtevant, Senior Planner
Desk 902-275-4135
Cell 902-277-1631
gsturtevant@chester.ca
Tara Maguire, Director of Community Development
Desk 902-275-4132
Cell 902-277-2273
tmaguire@chester.ca