You better show your love of planning policy at this February planning meeting of city council because it’s going to be a very busy one. There are a couple of new heritage designations on the docket, plus a new development plan for consideration, but mostly this meeting is about approving another heritage conservation district and an update to the Official Plan. Pack your pajamas? Maybe, here’s the preview…
NOTE #1: Delegates will be able to appear at this meeting in-person or via tele-presense but you do have to register with the clerks office before 10 am on Friday February 5. You can also submit written delegations and correspondences for agenda items.
NOTE #2: In addition to meeting in-person, this meeting will also be live-streamed on the City of Guelph’s website here.
CLOSED MEETING:
Comprehensive Zoning By-law Appeals: Ontario Land Tribunal Update – As you can infer from the subject line, the new comprehensive zoning bylaw passed in 2023 is still being appealed to the OLT. Council will be updated but because this is a matter “regarding litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board and advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose”, we will not.
38 Clinton Street: Notice of Intention to Designate – This is a 2.5-storey, front gable
roof building form with a large wood clad tympanum on the attic wall designed by popular architect and builder George R. Bruce for machinist Archibald Gillies in the 19th century. Over the decades, it’s held on to enough of its original attributes to meet four of the nine prescribed criteria for determining cultural heritage value or interest, according to Ontario Regulation 9/06, and it was one of the voluntary designations to come forward from the property owner and then approved at January’s Heritage Advisory Committee meeting.
44 Edinburgh Road North: Notice of Intention to Designate – This single-storey, L-plan cottage in the Gothic Revival style was apparently built for David Young, principal of Central School, which was also built thanks to the work of the George Stevens & Son company who also built many of the stores on Upper Wyndham. This one also meets four of the nine prescribed criteria, was a voluntary designation, and was approved at January’s committee meeting.
Public Meeting and Decision Report 266-280 Clair Rd. W. Proposed Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment File OZS25-018 – This property, which is just west of Bishop Mac high school and the South End Community Centre, is currently labelled in the Official Plan as ‘Industrial’ and ‘Significant Natural Area and Natural Areas’, but a developer wants to build two apartment buildings and 31 stacked townhouse blocks totaling 960 dwelling units instead. This is both the statutory planning meeting for this development, and the decision meeting, which means that council will make a final decision on this project at this meeting, but everyone will get their 10 minutes to delegate.
Update: This application is being deferred at the requested of the applicant.
Official Plan Update: Phase 1 Official Plan Amendment Decision Report – OPA 110 is designed to incorporate the latest Provincial Planning Statement, recently approved City of Guelph master plans and legislative changes out of Queen’s Park, and it last came back to council in October. Since then the changes made have been “limited and generally minor” according to the staff report, but they include clearer heritage definitions, a new policy objective supporting adaptive reuse, strengthened language on settlement boundary expansions, and technical corrections to transportation mapping. Upon approval, staff will move on to phase two which will focus on Transportation and Employment.
Site-specific Land Use Planning Considerations – In addition to the Official Plan decision, Mayor Cam Guthrie is bringing forward this additional motion to “report back with process considerations regarding a potential site-specific, council-initiated land use amendments” around one very specific area: The old Niska Waterfowl Park property. There’s been a grassroots campaign to enhance the protection of this property, but what the mayor has in mind is unknown because there’s no report in this agenda.
Designation of Ontario Reformatory Heritage Conservation District – Back in November 2024, there were a lot of concerns about the things that the plans and guidelines, as well as the tepid endorsement of a national urban park for the area. Since that meeting, the updated documents now say “shall” instead of “should”, better recognized the value of greenspace and recreation, and tried to make it sound a little less development-friendly in terms of adaptive re-use potential. It also has more plan language in order to make the document more accessible. If council passes the designation by-law there will be a 30-day appeal period and if there are no appeals received, the City of Guelph will welcome it’s third Heritage Conservation District into the fold.
Guelph Politico 