City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the May 9 Meeting?

May’s planning meeting was all set to be a contentious affair, 23-storey contentious. But you know what? Never mind. See more details about that below, and also see details about the next building in the heritage planners’ list of buildings to save, the effects of Bill 23 on the Building Code, and, at last, a full discussion about the impacts of the provincial changes to the City’s primary planning document. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the May 9 Meeting?”

RECAP: Committee of Adjustment Dispatches 12 Applications in Marathon Meeting

Like one of those old episodes of Night Court where they have to get through 100 cases before midnight, Guelph’s Committee of Adjustment had to parcel through a dozen different applications over the course of a meeting that took nearly three hours to complete. Some of the applications were more difficult to parse than others, but there was an eclectic mix of projects and requests, to let’s dig into the recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Committee of Adjustment Dispatches 12 Applications in Marathon Meeting”

MEETING PREVIEW: Committee of Adjustment Meeting for April 13, 2023

It’s quite the laundry list of requested variances at this month’s Committee of Adjustment meeting from accessory apartments to extra space to land severances and finally, good good old fashioned clerical oversight. About a dozen different matters will be before the committee this month so let’s not waste any more time and dive into the slate coming soon at a city council chambers near you. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Committee of Adjustment Meeting for April 13, 2023”

RECAP: Committee of Adjustment Split on Turning One Property into Three

Everything at this month’s Committee of Adjustment meeting was proceeding relatively smoothly until we landed at the matter of 26 Forest Street. This project would see one house torn down and the lot it sits on split into three portions for three new homes, but that was easier said that done. How did it all turn out? Well, you will have to scroll down and consult the recap to find out… Continue reading “RECAP: Committee of Adjustment Split on Turning One Property into Three”

MEETING PREVIEW: Committee of Adjustment Meeting for March 9, 2023

There’s nothing terribly controversial at March’s Committee of Adjustment this month, but, as ever, controversy is in the eye of the beholder. Some plans will see current properties break off like amoebas and become two properties, some plans include demolitions, and there’s at least one case of a property that the owner feels is not zoned right. This is what’s on the agenda for March… Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Committee of Adjustment Meeting for March 9, 2023”

This Week at Council: New Tower Downtown and the Integrity Commissioner

The first planning meeting of the year was a big one, and size did matter. Council discussed the merits and demerits of a redevelopment that could see a 23-storey mixed-use residential building constructed at the corner of Wellington and Wyndham, but a decision on that will come later. In the meantime, the Integrity Commissioner came to town to give council the lowdown on how to avoid conflicts of interest. Continue reading “This Week at Council: New Tower Downtown and the Integrity Commissioner”

LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for February 14, 2023

Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s a planning meeting. You can click here for the amended agenda from City Hall, and you can click here for the Politico preview. For the complete blow-by-blow of today’s council meeting, you can follow along on Twitter, or follow the tweets below. You can also watch the City’s own live-stream of the meeting here. Continue reading “LIVE BLOG: City Council Meeting for February 14, 2023”

RECAP: Committee of Adjustment Approves Garage Conversion Over Staff Objection

This month’s Committee of Adjustment saw a number of variances handed out in the name of creating more units in the city, but only one caused any real dilemma. When one man wanted to turn the garage on his rental property into an additional accessory unit, City staff and his neighbour both said no, and then it was up to the committee to unravel the moral conundrum: Could they find a way to get to yes to get one more until in stock? Continue reading “RECAP: Committee of Adjustment Approves Garage Conversion Over Staff Objection”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the February 14 Meeting?

Happy Valentine’s Day, it’s a planning meeting! If you have a love for zoning, than this will be a holiday worth remembering as city council tackles a couple of decision reports, a sign bylaw variance request, and a brand new planning application that it almost definitely going to bring with it some controversy. Let’s dig into the reports from this first planning meeting of what will surely be a very busy 2023! Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the February 14 Meeting?”

MEETING PREVIEW: Committee of Adjustment Meeting for February 9, 2023

Though it’s still cold outside, things are heating up for the Committee of Adjustment at this February meeting. The theme of the meeting seems to be new apartments with a couple of variants for accessory units and the transformation of a current commercial space. In other news, a family is looking to make some changes to their front area, and a new affordable housing project needs some changes approved. Continue reading “MEETING PREVIEW: Committee of Adjustment Meeting for February 9, 2023”