Why have planning and zoning?

Planning and zoning help to sets out the vision of the community. The Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use by-law are a set of documents that help to guide development in the Municipality. While it does regulate land use, it's not just about telling you what to do with your land. It also helps to ensure that your neighbors, both now and in the future, are developing their property in a way that suits the character of your community. Zoning is the tool that we can use to help ensure that development occurs in a manner that is respectful of the environment and helps to protect property values by preventing incompatible land uses.

The Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS)is a document that describes our goals for future growth and development, and what we should do to shape that growth and development.There are many benefits to having an MPS. The MPS:

• Lets the public know what the municipality's general land use planning policies are.
• Helps members of the community understand how their land can be used now and how it might be used in the future.
• Makes sure that growth is coordinated and meets the community’s needs.
• Helps to guide where roads, infrastructure, parks and other services should be built.
• Provides a policy framework for municipal zoning by-laws that set local regulations and standards, like the size of lots and height of buildings.
• Shows Council's commitment to the future growth of the community.

A Land Use By-law (LUB) is a document that sets the rules that will achieve the vision set out in the MPS. For example, the MPS may have a policy that says a certain area should have low density, residential development only. Based on that policy, the LUB creates a zone which would specify how many residential units can be built on a lot, what type of houses are permitted, and how far you have to set your house back from the property line.