Official Plan Review

Please join us!

This page is your hub for all updates, proposed policy and opportunities to provide feedback about the Wellington County Official Plan Review.

 

NEW Proposed Provincial Planning Statement released for Consultation

On April 6, 2023, the Provincial government began consultations on a proposed Provincial Planning Statement (2023 PPS), which proposes to combine and replace the current Provincial Policy Statement, 2020, and A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2019. The full details of this consultation can be viewed on the Environmental Registry of Ontario website. Planning staff have reviewed the consultation material and will be reporting to the Wellington County Planning Committee on May 11, 2023 to provide a report that summarizes the government’s proposed changes.

The draft 2023 PPS, if approved, will make significant changes to the land use planning policy framework in the County of Wellington. Planning staff are currently assessing the full impact of the changes to County policy and our ongoing Official Plan Review, and will continue to provide updates as they become available.


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 in Wellington. The County is doing so through a process called a Municipal Comprehensive Review and also as part of a 5-year review.

How to stay up to date and get involved

We will regularly update this page throughout the Official Plan Review process. If you would like to receive updates, please subscribe to this page. You may also join our digital mailing list by sending us a request to planwell@wellington.ca 

Public Consultation
 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

If you wish to receive notification of future public consultation events and other matters related to the Official Plan Review, please send an e-mail to planwell@wellington.ca requesting to be added to the project mailing list.

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

If you wish to receive notification of future public consultation events and other matters related to the Official Plan Review, please send an email to planwell@wellington.ca requesting to be added to the project mailing list.

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

If you wish to receive notification of future public consultation events and other matters related to the Official Plan Review, please send an email to planwell@wellington.ca requesting to be added to the project mailing list.

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

If you wish to receive notification of future public consultation events and other matters related to the Official Plan Review, please send an email to planwell@wellington.ca requesting to be added to the project mailing list.

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.

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

If you wish to receive notification of future public consultation events and other matters related to the Official Plan Review, please send an email to planwell@wellington.ca requesting to be added to the project mailing list.

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

If you wish to receive notification of future public consultation events and other matters related to the Official Plan Review, please send an email to planwell@wellington.ca, requesting to be added to the project mailing list.

Notice of Public Meeting - Official Plan Amendment No. 120

OPA 120 Public Meeting Presentation - January 12, 2023

Growth Management

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 memeber 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)

Executive Summary Wellington County Phase 2 Municipal Comprehensive Review Draft Report (March 31, 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.

Growth Management Overview

Planning for Employment

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.

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:

Employment Area Conversion Submission Guide 

Agricultural System Mapping and Policy Review

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.

Map Legend

 

  

Official Plan Amendments

 

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.

Official Plan Amendment No. 120 - County Growth Forecast

Through Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 120, the County has proposed updates to Wellington County's growth forecast by revising the population, household and employment forecasts to extend to 2051. Please see links below for more detail.

On February 23, 2023, County Council adopted Official Plan Amendment No. 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. Additional information about the public consultation completed for Official Plan Amendment No. 120 is available under the Public Consultation tab.

Adopted Official Plan Amendment No. 120 - County Growth Forecast

Final Draft Official Plan Amendment No. 120 - County Growth Forecast

Draft Official Plan Amendment No. 120 - County Growth Forecast

Notice of Complete Application – Official Plan Amendment No. 120

Official Plan Amendment No. 119 – County Growth Structure

Through Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 119 the County has proposed changes to the Growth Structure and Settlement Hierarchy, that once implemented, will serve as the framework to guide growth in Wellington County. Please see links below for more detail.

On May 26, 2022, County Council adopted Official Plan Amendment No. 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. Additional information about the public consultation completed for Official Plan Amendment No. 119 is available under the Public Consultation tab.

On April 11, 2023, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) made a decision to approve the County of Wellington’s County Official Plan Amendment (OPA) No. 119 with modifications. The amendment is now in full force and effect. The full details of the decision and modifications can be viewed on the Environmental Registry of Ontario website. Planning staff are currently reviewing the modifications and will report on these changes to the Wellington County Planning Committee on May 11, 2023. OPA No. 119 is the first amendment to be approved under the County’s Plan Well Official Plan Review.

Adopted Official Plan Amendment No. 119 - County Growth Structure

Companion Document to Adopted Official Plan Amendment No. 119

Notice of Complete Application - Official Plan Amendment No. 119

Draft Official Plan Amendment No. 119 - County Growth Structure

Draft Official Plan Amendment No. 119 - Companion Document

  


Planning Committee Reports

© 2023 County of Wellington, 74 Woolwich St. Guelph, Ontario N1H 3T9, T 519.837.2600, TF 1.800.663.0750, F 519.837.1909