The province is moving to block attempts by Sudbury city council to loosen restrictions on building homes on land not zoned for residential development.
There are strict limits in place for how many times land zoned for rural or agricultural development can be split into new lots and sold, allowing the new owner to build a residence there.
Under city council's direction, planning staff made looser restrictions part of the amendments to the city's Official Plan, the main planning document the city must follow when making land use decisions. It would allow landowners to split their lots into six from the original parcel, rather than three, reduce the minimum size from five hectares to two, and reduce the minimum frontage required.
In 2017, councillors approved two such requests – one on Sandy Beach Road near Main Street in Val Caron, the other on Deschene Road in Hanmer.
The goal of the provincial rules and those in the Official Plan is to prevent urban sprawl, where development spread out across a large area, which places a larger burden on taxpayers. By having more people living closer together, the cost of maintaining water, sewer and other infrastructure is shared by more people, and transit, snowplowing and other services are more affordable, as well.
However, the policy has meant families with large properties zoned rural or agricultural can't sell their land, or create new lots to build homes.
Last year, council tried to find a compromise by approving the two proposals, with the rationale that both properties are close to commercial centres, so allowing development there arguably wouldn't contribute to urban sprawl.
However, the province is appealing both approvals, taking issue with the proposed Official Plan amendment city councillors passed loosening the rules.
A hearing is set in Sudbury next month for one of the cases, while a hearing is set for September in the other.
