
At last night's Council meeting, Council discussed the Town's Site Plan approval process and which documents submitted during the process are available online.
The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is committed to maintaining open and transparent planning processes that align with provincial legislation and best practices. The Town's Site Plan approval process is guided by the Ontario Planning Act and is implemented as prescribed by the Act.
For clarity, planning application documents are publicly posted to the Town's website during the Official Plan Amendment (OPA) and Zoning By-law Amendment (ZBA) stages, as these steps involve public engagement under the Planning Act.
Once projects progress to the Site Plan approval stage, the Planning Act delegates this highly technical part of the process to authorized staff with input from various Town departments, agencies and other professionals with technical expertise, and it does not require public input/engagement. While the documents from this stage are not posted online, they are readily available for review in person at Town Hall (1593 Four Mile Creek Road, Virgil). Residents and stakeholders are welcome to schedule an appointment to review these documents, meet with staff, and share any specific comments or concerns to be considered as part of the staff’s review process.
Staff remain committed to ensuring openness and accountability in all aspects of our planning processes and encourage anyone with questions to reach out via email (planning.development@notl.com) or set up a meeting with staff to learn more.
The Corporation of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
communications@notl.com | 905-468-3266