Amendments to the Official Plan and Zoning bylaw (OPA-34, Z-22-01)

The City of Waterloo’s Planning Division is advancing housekeeping amendments to the both the 2012 Official Plan and Zoning By-law 2018-050. The objective of the amendments is to clarify, update, and/or add provisions that respond to strategic initiatives, minor issues, and/or new planning legislation.

NOTE: this is not the Official Plan Review. For information about that project, visit Engage Waterloo.

Official plan changes requested include:

• allowing more flexibility within the Business Employment Designation in response to industry needs
• allowing more flexibility for ancillary uses in the Residential, Commercial and Employment land use designations
• expand and clarify permissions around additional residential units pursuant to Bill 108, More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019
• clarifying the definition and spelling of VisitAble Housing
• establishing criteria for development applications proposing to increase height and density of residential uses in Commercial designations.
• clarifying the parking provisions in the Two Zone Policy Areas (Floodplain)
• corrections to Specific Provision Area 3 (SPA 3), Erbsville South Block Plan
• clarifying height permissions in Specific Provision Area 62 (SPA 62), Beaver Creek Meadows District Plan Area.
• delegation of minor planning decisions to the Director of Planning, pursuant to Bill 13, Supporting People and Businesses Act, 2021
• adding and clarifying private schools as part of Community Uses
• clarifying submission requirements for deeming an application complete for Site Plan Control, pursuant to Bill 109, More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022
• add Specific Provision Area 76 (475 and 485 King Street North) to transfer permitted residential density from municipally acquired lands to retained lands

Zoning bylaw 2018-050 changes requested include:

• adding Triplex Buildings as a permitted use in the RMU-20 zone.
• increasing flexibility for Business Employment lands.
• additions and amendments to Section 3 Definitions to increase clarity, correct errors, and better align with Official Plan policy.
• additions and amendments to Section 4 Interpretations pertaining to freehold townhouse developments; widths of driveways, private roads, and common element roads; and open space and environmentally sensitive landscape zone boundaries.
• reducing the required minimum height of the first storey from 4.5m to 4.0m in various zones.
• amending Section 3.R.1 – RAILWAYS to permit development of Accessory Buildings and Structures and additions to existing Buildings in proximity to railway right-of-ways.
• general and housekeeping amendments to correct errors, improve clarity, and to address issues that have been identified by Planning staff.
• amendments to Section 6 Parking, Driveways, Loading to clarify: maximum driveways widths to/from a Regional road; when minimum driveway width regulations should be applied; accessible parking requirements to align with AODA; and electric vehicle parking requirements for visitor spaces.
• site specific exception C53 on 700-706, 720 & 726 New Hampshire Street, 858-888 Atlantic Boulevard to correct errors and add relevant addresses.
• site specific exception C117 on 580 Weber Street North to correct text errors.
• site specific exception C191 on 443 & 446 Wismer Street to clarify the extent of a 100 metre buffer from an emission source.
• new site specific exception C250 on 40 Albert Street to maintain the approved zoning relief from Committee of Adjustment Decision A-55/18.
• zone change for 333 Westpark Crescent (Lot 76 on Plan 58M-483) to rezone the lands from ‘Parks & Recreation (OS1)’ to ‘Residential Four (R4)’.

View the staff reports under Supporting documents on this page for more details.