The municipality is inching closer to a new Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw (CZB).

The bylaw serves as a planning tool, regulating land use by dividing the county into zones. A CZB specifies permitted uses and sets standards for building heights, setbacks, lot sizes, etc. The original CZB was instituted in 2006 and has undergone numerous revisions, the last coming in 2021.

Guided by parameters laid out in Ontario’s last Provincial Policy Statement and the Planning Act, the CZB implements policies in the County’s Official Plan.

At Wednesday’s Statutory Public Meeting Nadia De Santi provided Council with an overview on the CZB development process to date and how previous consultations, public meetings and comment intake from the County’s Have Your Say portal had formed the update’s direction. The final draft is available for viewing that the County’s website and includes a track version to check against proposed changes. The public can still offer comments on this draft until May 2.

New Zone

In order to conform with the County’s Official Plan, a new Agricultural Zone (AG) is being proposed. The new AG Zone implements the policies of the Agricultural Area designation in the Plan and includes Prime Agriculture areas zoned RU1, RU2, RU3 among others. Under the update, there will no longer be distinction between RU1, 2 and 3. As required by Official Plan policy, a minimum lot size on Prime Agriculture land must be 40 hectares, RU severances can be as small as 10 hectares. On-Farm Diversified Uses and Agriculture Related Uses are new permitted uses.

Ms. De Santi explained the creation of the new Agricultural Zone was informed through consultation with stakeholders and public open houses as well as the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Farm and Rural Affairs guidelines on permitted uses in Agricultural areas.

“A range of new agricultural and Ag-related uses and On-Farm Diversified Use are proposed for the new Agriciultural Zone and the consolidated RU zone. This recognizes the importance of agriculture in Prince Edward County and understands the adapting needs of farm practices to ensure their longevity,” Ms. De Santi said.

While new definitions and expanded permitted uses are intended to better protect and enhance the practice of agriculture in Prince Edward County, comments from the audience indicate revisions to the CZB revision are still needed.

Restrictive

Prince Edward County Winegrowers Association Chair Erin MacInnis expressed her group’s concerns regarding the “restrictive nature” of the proposed CZB. She pointed to excessive restrictions on retail, tasting rooms, and tied houses that included capped retail space (75 sq. M). These ratios don’t reflect the operational demands or meet consumer needs for wineries of all sizes. The update also features tied house limitations for wineries to sell beverages produced on-site. Ontario’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission has instituted provincial licensing that allows tied house sales.

Both Ms. MacInnis and Rosehall Run’s Dan Sullivan shared concerns about the new 40 hectare minimum lot sizes on Prime Agricultural land. Mr. Sullivan explained this will favour the pursuit of potential winegrowers to seek smaller RU lots in outlying rural areas.

“The fact is wine producers don’t need 100 acres to perform wine growing, there’s plenty of economically dynamic operations at 25 acres,” Mr. Sullivan said. Currently, Prince Edward County wineries are mostly set up in clusters. Mr. Sullivan said if the municipality wants to have these winery-based economic clusters, the new AZ policy will work against that and push new winegrowers into areas where none currently exist, creating tourism traffic headaches and the like.

“What I suggest is that we examine some of the provisions and see if we can get there in a creative way with perhaps specialized farm areas. The province has been doing this with orchards, vineyards and high value cash crops in different places,” Mr. Sullivan said.

The final draft of the CZB is expected to be in front of the planning committee in early June with ratification scheduled for that month’s final council meeting.