After 19 years, a new County-wide Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw was approved at Planning last week.

Zoning Bylaws determine land-use for every corner of a municipality, and regulate all activity, from building to bottling. The last Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw was approved in 2006.

The Planning Act stipulates that municipalities must update their Zoning Bylaws within three years of implementing a new Official Plan (OP). That was in 2021.

The County retained WSP Consultants to work with Planning staff on the new zoning bylaw to reflect land use designations in the 2021 Official Plan, the 2024 Provincial Planning Statement, and Publication 851: Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Ontario’s Prime Agricultural Areas. 

The document, four years in the making, is “more accessible, contemporary, and straightforward,” said Nadia De Santi, WSP’s Practice Lead. Updated for clarity, it includes more images and diagrams, and features a more user-friendly format. 

One of the biggest changes is to permit 
small farm businesses “as of right,” 
meaning farms 
and wineries no longer need a zoning change for
a small cheese factory or retail shop.

A new Agriculture Zone (AG) captures all zones designated agricultural in the OP. It also consolidates three rural zones into one Rural Zone, and two Rural Residential zones into one.

One of the biggest changes is to permit agriculture-related uses and on-farm diversification “as of right,” meaning farms and wineries don’t need a bylaw amendment to create new business opportunities within certain parameters. 

Agriculture-related uses are directly linked to farm operations and may include packaging, processing, or preserving products grown on the land. The new Zoning Bylaw allows agriculture-related operations on up to 10 percent of the lot, to a maximum of 2,600 square metres.

“I really am excited about the new zoning bylaws,” said Laurie Anne Toman, owner of County Thyme Farm, in a comment from the audience. 

Years ago, Ms. Toman looked into setting up a small-scale cheese plant on her dairy farm, but  the bylaws did not allow it. 

“Setting up a small-scale cheese plant would not have made me rich, but it would have enabled me to make a living on my land,” she said. The new provisions allow this kind of operation without a bylaw amendment.

On-farm diversified uses refer to businesses that are secondary to the agricultural use of the land and take up 2 percent or less of the total area. They include retail spaces, event venues, and ground-mounted solar panels. 

“A farm cafe and shop, or farm produce outlet, may sell any products produced in Canada,” said Ms. De Santi. “It speaks to what’s happening in our country, our economic diversity, and breaking down barriers.”

Larger Operations

But some farmers and wine growers were concerned that the restrictions would still make on-farm diversification difficult. 

Dan Sullivan, co-founder of Rosehall Run, suggested that investors might be deterred by land-use limitations. 

“If they’re faced with the inability to do the kind of developments or improvements to make it a profitable enterprise, then what it may do is discourage or curtail the sale of these properties,” he said.

“If you’ve got a 40 acre farm, two percent of that is .8 acres. There’s not a lot you can do, especially if you’re including parking.”

Brittany DenOuden, co-owner of the ostrich farm Struisvogel Ranch, asked for changes to limit the need for site plan control for all on-farm diversified use.

“Starting an agri-tourism business is hard and this draft zoning bylaw has an underlying theme that every farm innovation needs supervision and strict government oversight. It makes it even harder,” she said. 

She called for removing the maximum 25 metre separation requirement between OFDU buildings and removing the 2 percent restriction for land use. 

Policy Coordinator Scott Pordham said that staff have some discretion when it comes to site plan control requirements, including a reduced fee, scoped studies, or waiving a site plan altogether for minor alterations. 

He also noted that the limit on OFDUs to two percent of the property falls in line with provincial guidelines. 

“If they needed more they could certainly come forward with a specific application,” said Mr. Pordham. 

Council carried a motion to direct staff to explore the provisions related to wineries and on-farm diversified uses. 

“I think everybody’s on the same page,” said Councillor Chris Braney.

Council carried two other motions to amend the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw as written.

Councillor Kate MacNaughton moved to revise the Residential 1 (R1) zone to allow triplexes, semi-detached homes, and rowhouses to enable infill development in residential neighborhoods. 

“We need to be encouraging anything that can foster the creation of housing,” she said.

Councillors also moved to include supports for enhanced environmental protections around setback allotments.

This came in response to public comments that not all of the environmental protections in the County’s Official Plan, including buffers between development and significant woodlands and wetlands, were reflected in the Zoning Bylaw. 

“It’s been 19 years since this has been redone, so we’ve tried to do our best collectively as a team,” said Ms. De Santi. “Staff may come forward in the next few weeks to correct things.”

A final Zoning Bylaw Amendment should come to Council early in 2026.