The Town of Saugeen Shores is looking into using a new tool to speed up the approval process for new construction.
The town says its planning committee has approved exploring using a Community Planning Permit System (CPPS), a legislative tool approved by the province to help the approval process based on pre-selected criteria.
By using the system, the town would be able to determine which areas would benefit from the process, and any construction in those areas would only need a single application. It would combine zoning, site planning and minor variance decisions.
The town adds based on pre-selected criteria for the area in question, it would then approve or deny the application within a shorter timeline, opposed to the standard 45 days.
Mayor Luke Charbonneau says the tool would make it easier to add the types of housing they need in the community.
“We believe this planning system could help increase the town’s supply of more affordable homes and multi-person dwellings. The town retains control of what gets built, while residents and developers get more certainty and transparency in the process,” says Charbonneau.
The town says even though it is a commonly used tool across western Canada, it is rare in Ontario, and Saugeen Shores would be the first community in the province to use a CPPS to specifically target the creation of housing to meet the needs of residents.
The planning committee has directed staff to prepare a budget and schedule to implement the new program and present it to council in the first quarter of 2023.
