NEW Urban Boundary Expansion Review
The County and member municipalities are currently in the process of reviewing urban boundary expansion requests that were submitted by our deadline for municipalities that were determined to have a need for more land through our Land Needs Assessment (LNA). The County’s urban boundary expansion review process is detailed in Planning Committee Report PD2024-08 County Official Plan Review - Urban Boundary Expansion Review and PD2024-08 Urban Boundary Expansion Review Framework. We anticipate the technical reviews needed to complete the evaluations will take several months. Once the reviews are complete, planning staff will be able to share more information about the County’s process and timing for moving forward. This information will be made available through our PlanWell email subscriber’s list, and updates to the Official Plan Review webpage.
We will regularly update this page throughout the Official Plan Review process. If you would like to receive updates, join our mailing list by sending a request to our email
Official Plan Review
Over the next 30 years, Wellington County is expected to grow to approximately 160,000 people and 70,000 jobs. The County is reviewing and updating Official Plan policies to prepare for this added growth and to ensure that the Plan is supporting healthy, compact and complete communities. The County is doing so through a process called a Municipal Comprehensive Review and also as part of a 5-year review.
Public Information Centre (PIC) - June 23, 2021
On June 23, 2021, County planning staff and their consultants hosted a virtual Public Information Centre to provide information to the public about recent growth management work completed by the County. This included information related to draft municipal growth allocations to 2051 and a preliminary urban structure contained in the Draft Phase 1 MCR Report: Urban Structure and Growth Allocations.
Members of the public were invited to listen to a presentation and engage with County staff to ask questions and provide feedback on the Draft Phase 1 Report. A summary of this Public Information Centre, including questions and staff responses is provided below under Additional Information.
Additional Information
- Notice of Public Information Centre - June 23, 2021
- Public Information Centre Presentation - June 23, 2021
- Public Information Centre Meeting Summary - June 23, 2021
Special Meeting of Council - June 29, 2021
On June 29, 2021, County Council held a virtual Special Meeting of Council to broadly introduce the Official Plan Review to the public and receive feedback about the type of changes that may be needed to the Official Plan.
Members of the public were invited to listen to a presentation and engage with County staff to ask questions and provide feedback. A summary of this Special Meeting of Council, including questions and staff responses is provided below under Additional Information.
Additional Information
- June 29, 2021 - Special Meeting of Council Presentation
- June 29, 2021 - Special Meeting of Council Notice
- PD2021-19 County Official Plan Review - Information Overview for Special Meeting of Council
- Special Meeting of Council Meeting Summary - June 29, 2021
Public Information Centre (PIC) - December 13, 2021
On December 13, 2021, County planning staff and their consultants hosted a virtual Public Information Centre to provide information to the public about the preliminary results of the Countywide Land Needs Assessment (LNA). The presentation reviewed the key inputs into the LNA and provided land need results at the municipal level.
Members of the public were invited to listen to a presentation and engage with County staff, ask questions, and provide feedback on the preliminary LNA results. A summary of this Public Information Centre, including questions and staff responses will be provided in the near future.
Additional Information
- Notice of Public Information Centre - December 13, 2021
- Public Information Centre Presentation - December 13, 2021
- Public Information Centre Presentation Recording - December 13, 2021
- Public Information Centre Meeting Summary - December 13, 2021
Official Plan Amendment No. 119 - Open House - January 31, 2022
The County of Wellington hosted a virtual Open House on January 31, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. to provide the public with an informal opportunity to discuss Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 119, to ask questions and identify additional planning issues that can be considered.
Additional Information
- Notice of Public Open House and Public Meeting - Official Plan Amendment No. 119
- Public Open House Presentation - January 31, 2022
Official Plan Amendment No. 119 - Public Meeting - February 10, 2022
County of Wellington Planning Committee hosted a virtual Public Meeting on February 10, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. to provide the public with an opportunity to make formal submissions to the Planning Committee on Official Plan Amendment No. 119.
Additional Information
- Notice of Public Open House and Meeting - Official Plan Amendment No. 119
- OPA 119 Public Meeting Presentation - February 10, 2022
Official Plan Amendment No. 120 - Open House - December 15, 2022
The County of Wellington hosted a virtual Open House on December 15, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. to provide the public with an informal opportunity to discuss Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 120, to ask questions and identify additional planning issues that can be considered.
Additional Information
- Notice of Public Open House - Official Plan Amendment No. 120
- OPA 120 Open House Presentation - December 15, 2022
- OPA 120 Open House Recording - December 15, 2022
- OPA 120 Public Open House Meeting Summary - December 15, 2022
Official Plan Amendment No. 120 - Public Meeting - January 12, 2023
The County of Wellington has scheduled an in person public meeting to provide the public with an opportunity to discuss Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 120, to ask questions and identify additional planning issues that can be considered. County Staff will provide a presentation and be available to respond to questions.
Time and Location
The public meeting is scheduled for January 12, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. in County Council Chambers, located in the County Administration Centre, 74 Woolwich Street, Guelph, ON, N1H 3T9.
Provide Written Comments
If you are unable to attend the meeting and would like to provide written comments, please do so by January 11, 2023. Comments can be sent to the attention of: Sarah Wilhelm, Manager of Policy Planning, by email to planwell@wellington.ca, or by regular mail to 74 Woolwich Street, Guelph, ON, N1H 3T9.
Additional Information
- Notice of Public Meeting - Official Plan Amendment No. 120
- OPA 120 Public Meeting Presentation - January 12, 2023
Official Plan Amendment No. 123 - Open House - May 23, 2024
The County of Wellington has scheduled a virtual open house on May 23, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. to provide the public with an informal opportunity to discuss Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 123, to ask questions and identify additional planning issues that can be addressed. If you wish to participate in the virtual Open House, please register for the meeting through the following link:
https://lura-ca.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_8rFZFssNQECcnqLxWBidFg#/registration
If you experience any issues, please email planwell@wellington.ca or call 519.837.2600 x2300 for assistance.
Additional Information
- Notice of Open House – Official Plan Amendment No. 123
- OPA 123 Open House Presentation – May 23, 2024
Official Plan Amendment No. 123 - Public Meeting - June 13, 2024
The County of Wellington has scheduled an in person public meeting to provide the public with an opportunity to discuss Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 123, to ask questions and identify additional planning issues that can be considered. County Staff will provide a presentation and be available to respond to questions.
Time and Location
The public meeting is scheduled for June 13, 2024 at 11 a.m. located in the County Administration Centre, 74 Woolwich Street, Guelph, ON, N1H 3T9.
Provide Written Comments
If you are unable to attend the meeting and would like to provide written comments, please do so by June 20, 2024.
Comments can be sent to the attention of: Jameson Pickard, Senior Policy Planner, by email to planwell@wellington.ca, or by regular mail to 74 Woolwich Street, Guelph, ON, N1H 3T9.
Additional Information
Land Needs Assessment
The County of Wellington has prepared a draft of the County-wide Land Needs Assessment. The assessment was completed in accordance with the Provincial Land Needs Assessment Methodology issued under the Growth Plan, 2019.
The purpose of the Land Needs Assessment is to determine if the County of Wellington and its member municipalities have an adequate supply of designated land to accommodate forecasted population and employment growth to 2051. The draft Land Needs Assessment identifies which communities need to:
- identify excess lands;
- re-designate future development lands; and/or
- expand urban areas
Please note that this report does not make recommendations on which specific lands may be added to urban areas identified as having a need. The location options for urban boundary expansions and re-designation requests will be evaluated during Phase 3.
Phase 2 Municipal Comprehensive Review Report: Land Needs Report - Final (August 29, 2022)
Phase 2 Municipal Comprehensive Review Report: Land Needs Draft Report (March 31, 2022)
Final Phase 1 MCR Report: Urban Structure and Growth Allocations
The Final Phase 1 Report provides detailed background and rationale for a County urban structure and proposed growth allocations to our member municipalities to 2051.
Final Phase 1 MCR Report: Urban Structure and Growth Allocations
Final Phase 1 MCR Report: Guelph-Eramosa - Settlement Area Table A-3 Table 3 - UPDATE
Municipal Servicing Analysis
Wellington County has undertaken a Municipal Servicing Analysis of municipal servicing capacity for each local municipality in support of the County's ongoing Municipal Comprehensive Review Process. The analysis evaluates the existing water and wastewater capacities of the area municipalities.
As required under the provincial land use planning framework, growth should be directed to existing 'settlement areas' that have available or planned servicing capacity to accommodate future development. The findings of this memorandum are intended to inform the County's ongoing growth management work regarding where future growth should be allocated.
It should be noted that the information contained in the Municipal Servicing Analysis is reflective of a specific point in time. Interested parties should contact their local municipality for the most current servicing capacity information.
Final Municipal Servicing Analysis
Growth Management Overview
Growth management is an integrated process to determine where and how population and employment growth will occur to promote healthy, compact and complete communities, while incorporating planning, servicing and financing considerations.
Below is a growth management overview that has been prepared to provide a review of the growth management framework set out in the provincial Growth Plan as it applies to Wellington County.
The County of Wellington is anticipated to experience significant employment growth over the next 30 years and is projected to reach at least 70,000 jobs by 2051. As part of the of the Official Plan Review, the County will be updating employment policies in the Official Plan in accordance with Provincial Policy requirements.
The County’s Employment Areas include lands designated Industrial and Rural Employment Area. These areas accommodate primarily 'export based' employment sectors which typically reach markets well beyond the trade area of the County population base. This includes a wide range of industrial uses (manufacturing, distribution/logistics, transportation services), specific multi-tenant commercial and institutional uses, which generally support the industrial/business function of the County’s Employment Areas.
Employment areas are a vital component of the County of Wellington's land-use structure and are an integral part of the local economic development potential of the County and its achievement of complete communities.
Puslinch by Design - Employment Land Study
The County and the Township of Puslinch are partnering to carry out the Puslinch by Design - Employment Land Study to identify additional employment lands in the Township to service long-term growth needs. Click the following link to visit the project webpage and learn more.
Puslinch By Design - Employment Land Study
What is an Employment Area conversion?
An Employment Area conversion is a process to consider re-designating lands within an Employment Area to accommodate a non-employment use such as residential or major retail. Through the Land Needs Assessment, the County is required to consider potential employment area conversion requests.
The submission window for Employment Area conversion requests is now closed. The County will review the submissions received and report to Planning Committee with planning staff recommendations and next steps.
Resources:
Over the next 30 years, the County of Wellington is expected to reach a population of 160,000 people requiring approximately 57,940 households by 2051. To make sure our communities are prepared for this growth and offer a range and mix of different housing options to our residents, the County will be reviewing it's housing policy framework through the Official Plan Review. This review will align the County Official Plan with Provincial policies and modernize the housing policy framework in Wellington County.
Housing Focused: A Housing Policy Review in Wellington County
The County has prepared “Housing Focused: A Housing Policy Review in Wellington County” with the intent of applying a housing-focused lens to the development policies in the Official Plan. Housing Focused provides a summary of the land use planning policy framework that applies to housing development in Wellington County and provides a series of policy options that the County could pursue to update the Official Plan.
The County wants to hear from the public about the options discussed in the report, as well as other policy options and ideas that could be pursued to help support housing development in Wellington County. Comments on this document are to be submitted no later than May 31, 2024.
Housing Focused: A Housing Policy Review in Wellington County
As part of the Official Plan Review, the County will be reviewing and refining the Agricultural Land Base mapping issued under the Growth Plan and updating the County Official Plan to align with current provincial land use planning policy. The County has retained a qualified consultant to assist with this work.
For more information about this work, please review this page. It will be updated regularly with new information related to this project.
Agricultural Land Use Policy
Since the last comprehensive update of the County of Wellington Official Plan, there have been several provincial planning documents released or updated which provide important provincial direction related to agricultural land use policy. Some of these documents include:
- Provincial Policy Statement, 2020;
- Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Ontario's Prime Agricultural Area;
- The Greenbelt Plan, 2017;
- The Growth Plan, 2019;
- The Minimum Distance Separation Document (MDS) - Formulae and Guidelines for Livestock Facility and Anaerobic Digester Odour Setbacks
The County will update the Official Plan to comprehensively apply the policies and guidance contained in these documents. The County will engage with the public and agricultural community through the policy development process.
Agricultural Land Base Mapping
In 2018, the province released the Agricultural Land Base Mapping issued under the Growth Plan, which identified prime agricultural lands for protection.
The Agricultural Land Base Mapping was created through a Land Evaluation and Area Review (LEAR) analysis completed by the Ontario Ministry of Agricultural Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). The LEAR methodology identified high scoring lands which would be appropriate to include within the prime agricultural area. The LEAR findings were then augmented by incorporating all prime agricultural lands currently identified in the County Official Plan, resulting in a final provincially mapped prime agricultural area.
The LEAR analysis also identified candidate areas which are medium scoring areas. The County will need to review these areas and determine if they should be added to the prime agricultural area or mapped as rural lands.
The focus of the County's work will be to review and refine the provincial mapping, and incorporate a final agricultural land base into the County Official Plan. The County will engage with the public and agricultural community through this mapping refinement process.
Please use the interactive map below to see how the Provincial Agricultural Land Base Mapping applies to your property.
This section will host the various official plan amendments that are prepared under the Official Plan Review.
The County Official Plan Review will be completed through a series of phased official plan amendments that will bring the County Official Plan into conformity with recent changes to Provincial land use plans, consistency with the Provincial Policy Statement and address other legislative changes.
Amendment No. 123 - Future Development Lands
The purpose of OPA 123 is to further implement recommendations of the County’s Land Need Assessment (LNA) and growth management work to ensure suitable lands are available to accommodate forecasted growth in the County.
OPA 123 was first circulated on October 6, 2023, and was then subsequently paused on December 4, 2024, due to various provincial modifications related to Official Plan Amendment 119 and proposed provincial policy changes. OPA 123 has been revised to reflect changes to OPA 119 and evolving provincial policy. OPA 123 will:
- Redesignate certain Future Development lands that address community area land needs and align with approved Township Growth Management Strategies and policies.
- Implement specific recommendations from the Township of Wellington North’s approved Growth Management Strategy for Arthur.
- Implement supported employment area conversion requests in Elora, Fergus, and Mount Forest.
- Make housing focused updates to the Central Business District, Residential Transition Area and Highway Commercial designations.
- Add new policies to the Industrial and Rural Employment Area sections of the Official Plan to address the definition change of “area of employment” under the Planning Act.
- Update Additional Residential Unit policies to reflect recent Planning Act changes.
- Redesignate certain lands in Clifford that are to be modified by the Province through OPA 120 to an appropriate land use designation.
A list of the changes to the amendment and a rationale for the change are contained within the revised amendment located below. We are requesting that public comments be submitted no later than May 30, 2024. A public open house and public meeting will be scheduled in the future for this amendment.
Revised Draft - Official Plan Amendment No. 123 - Future Development Lands
Notice of Revised Application - Official Plan Amendment 123 - Future Development Lands
Draft - Official Plan Amendment No. 123 - Future Development Lands
Notice of Complete Application - OPA No. 123 - Future Development Lands
Amendment No. 120 - County Growth Forecast
Official Plan Amendment 120 (OPA 120) updates Wellington County’s growth forecast by revising the population, household and employment forecasts to extend to 2051.
On February 23, 2023, County Council adopted OPA 120. Comments that were received through the public consultation for this amendment, and their impact on the amendment, can be found in Planning Committee Report PD2023-03 County Official Plan Review – OPA 120 Recommendation Report.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued a decision on July 11, 2024 subject to modifications. The decision is final and came into effect July 12, 2024.
OPA 120 is the second amendment to be approved under the County’s “Plan Well” Official Plan Review. Please see links below for more information.
Amendment No. 119 – County Growth Structure
Official Plan Amendment 119 (OPA 119) serves as the framework to guide growth in Wellington County.
On May 26, 2022, County Council adopted OPA 119. Comments that were received through the public consultation for this amendment, and their impact on the amendment, can be found in Planning Committee Report PD2022-14 County Official Plan Review – OPA 119 Recommendation Report.
OPA 119 was subject to three separate approvals by the Province:
- April 11, 2023 decision of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) to approve OPA 119 with modifications.
- December 6, 2023 Royal Assent to Bill 150 (2023) to deem certain modifications to have never been made and to make additional modifications.
- May 6, 2024 Royal Assent to Bill 162 (2024) subject to modifications, effective April 11, 2023.
OPA 119 is the first amendment to be approved under the County’s “Plan Well” Official Plan Review. Please see links below for more information.
Provincial Approval #1 OPA 119
Planning Committee Reports
- PD2024-05 Bill 150 - Planning Statute Law Amendment Act, 2023
- PD2024-08 County Official Plan Review - Urban Boundary Expansion Review
- PD2024-08 Urban Boundary Expansion Review Framework
- PD2024-10 Bill 162 Get it Done Act, 2024
- PD2024-15 County Official Plan Review - Housing Focused - A Housing Policy Review in Wellington County
- PD2024-19 Bill 185 - Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, 2024
- PD2024-20 Proposed Provincial Planning Statement, 2024
- PD2024-23 Progress Report 11
- PD2023-01 County Official Plan Review - Progress Report 8
- PD2023-03 County Official Plan Review - OPA 120 Recommendation Report
- PD2023-05 County Official Plan Review - Agricultural System Mapping and Policy Review
- PD2023-09 County Official Plan Review - Urban Expansion Requests
- PD2023-16 County Official Plan Review - Provincial Approval of OPA 119
- PD2023-17 Proposed Provincial Planning Statement
- PD2023-22 County Official Plan Review - Progress Report 9
- PD2023-24 County Official Plan Review - OPA 123 Future Development Lands
- PD2023-34 County Official Plan Review - Provincial Reversal of OPA 119 Modifications
- PD2023-35 County Official Plan Review - Progress Report 10
- PD2022-01 County Official Plan Review - OPA 119 Statutory Public Consultation
- PD2022-02 County Official Plan Review - Progress Report 5
- PD2022-07 County Official Plan Review - Growth Forecasts Allocations
- PD2022-11 County Official Plan Review - Draft Land Needs Assessment
- PD2022-14 County Official Plan Review - OPA 119 Recommendation Report
- PD2022-16 County Official Plan Review - Progress Report 6
- PD2022-17 County Official Plan Review - Public Consultation and Engagement Overview 2
- PD2022-19 County Official Plan Review - Growth Forecast OPA 120
- PD2022-20 County Official Plan Review - Land Needs Assessment
- PD2022-23 County Official Plan Review - Progress Report 7
- PD2021-01 County Official Plan Review - Progress Report 3
- PD2021-06 Employment Area Conversions
- PD2021-12 County Official Plan Review - Special Meeting of Council
- PD2021-15 County Official Plan Review - Progress Report 4
- PD2021-16 County Official Plan Review - Alternative Intensification Target
- PD2021-17 Regionally Significant Economic Development Area
- PD2021-19 County Official Plan Review - Information Overview for Special Meeting of Council
- PD2021-21 County Official Plan Review - Consultation and Engagement Overview
- PD2021-25 County Official Plan Review - Official Plan Amendment 119 County Growth Structure
- PD2021-30 County Official Plan Review - Municipal Feedback