City revising Official Plan

The city's community services committee meeting, slated for Jan. 23 at 6 p.m., has been cancelled to allow for the launch of the Official Plan.

The planning committee will be looking at revising the plan, and is looking for public input in reshaping it.

Shortly after amalgamation, the city endeavoured to replace the 1978 Official Plan for the Sudbury Planning Area and a dozen other land use planning policies with a single, consistent, efficient and effective policy framework in the form of a new Official Plan.

The plan was developed over a four-year period, involving several technical background studies, considerable consultation and extensive policy harmonization, according to the city. It establishes goals, objectives and policies to manage and direct physical change and its effects on the social, economic and natural environment for the next 20 years.

In doing so, it speaks directly to:
- where new housing, industry, offices and shops will be located;
- what infrastructure and services, like roads, water mains, sewers and parks will be needed;
- when, and in what order, parts of the community will grow; and,
- community improvement initiatives.

The Official Plan was adopted by council in 2006 and modified and approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in 2007.

The Ministry’s decision on the Plan was appealed in its entirety to the Ontario Municipal Board, which issued three decisions on the Ministry’s decision and the Plan between December 2007 and April 2008.

The majority of the Plan came “into effect” with the last of these three decisions.

Section 26 of the Planning Act (the Act) requires that municipalities revise their official plans at least every five years after it first comes into effect.

The city is legally required to review and revise its Plan by April 2013 to meet the above requirements. The review also provides an important opportunity to review and adjust the plan from a local perspective, to ensure that it continues to reflect local interests.

The community services committee is part of the city's new committee structure, adopted to make the most effective and efficient use of meeting time.
 
Council meetings are usually held Tuesdays each month, with some exceptions due to holidays. Citizens are invited to attend meetings or to watch council on its new day, Tuesday, on EastLink TV. Finance and administration committee meetings are also held on Tuesdays and televised.

For more information, visit http://agendasonline.greatersudbury.ca.

Posted by Arron Pickard