FAQs
- The Official Plan ensures that growth is coordinated and meeting Port Colborne’s needs
- It makes the public aware of general land use planning policies
- Helps understand how land may be used now and in the future
- To make decisions about the location of services like parks, garbage dumps, and watermains
- The Official Plan provides a framework for establishing zoning bylaws, which set standards for things like the size of lots and the height of buildings
- To accommodate growth and support economic development! The City of Port Colborne’s population is estimated to be 23,230 by 2051. The new Official Plan will help to prepare for the anticipated new people and jobs.
- To reflect the needs of Port Colborne today and into the future - the current Official Plan is from 2013. A lot has changed since then!
- To align with current Provincial Planning policies, such as the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) 2020, the Provincial Planning Act, and A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, as well as with Regional policies, like the Niagara Region Official Plan.
- The online survey will specifically ask for public feedback on the mission, values, and priorities for the new Official Plan. Attendees at the Open House will also be asked about their priorities.
- A Consultation Summary recording the information shared by the public will be prepared after all of the engagement has taken place.
- The Consultation Summary, in tandem with the feedback received from Council, will form the finalized Directions for the Official Plan. This document will be used by the City team going forward in the Official Plan process.
- Public engagement is one of the key pieces that goes into creating an Official Plan, and feedback is considered alongside background studies that will help determine how we will accommodate growth.
- Preparing an Official Plan takes time, and we want to get it right. This is the first step in what will be a longer process of creating a new Official Plan that will continue in 2024 with more ways to engage.
Why do we have an Official Plan?
Why do we need a new Official Plan?
How will public input be incorporated into the Official Plan?