• Stouffville is launching a multi-year update of its Comprehensive Zoning By-law and Urban Design Guidelines.
  • The review will run through early 2027 and include several rounds of public engagement.
  • The zoning update will align the Town’s regulations with its new Official Plan and current planning policies.
  • New design guidelines will consolidate more than eight separate documents into one consistent framework.
  • A parking study will consider opportunities to reduce requirements for medium- and high-density projects.
  • A missing middle study will explore where multi-unit, house-scale buildings could be added in existing neighbourhoods.
  • The two studies will be introduced during a Dec. 2 open house at Nineteen on the Park, taking place from 6 – 8 p.m.

 

Stouffville is preparing to overhaul two of its most important planning policies, launching a review of the town-wide Zoning By-law and Urban Design Guidelines that will shape how neighbourhoods evolve.

The project will roll out over four phases through early 2027. It will include several opportunities for residents to weigh in, with an upcoming public meeting focused on the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) initiatives tied to the zoning review. An online survey is also open for residents interested in sharing early input.

Staff say both documents need comprehensive updates to reflect the Town’s recently approved Official Plan and conform to current Provincial policies. Draft versions of the revised zoning by-law and consolidated design guidelines are expected next year, followed by further public consultation and refinement before final adoption.

At the centre of the review is the Town’s 2010 Comprehensive Zoning By-law. The document regulates multiple development parameters within a given area, from permitted uses to building heights, setbacks, and parking requirements. Municipalities are required under the Planning Act to bring their zoning into conformity with a new Official Plan within three years, making this update obligatory as well as timely.

“This update will ensure alignment with both Provincial and local policies, modernize the zoning based on current industry trends, streamline development processes, reduce red tape, and address community needs and priorities,” states a Staff report introducing the reviews.

Urban design guidelines, which sit alongside zoning rules, help shape the appearance and character of buildings and neighbourhoods as applicants and the Town move through the development process. According to the report, Stouffville currently relies on more than eight separate guideline documents created at different times. With many now out-of-date, Staff intend to merge them into a unified set of standards.

The update will ensure the two policies are aligned and complementary, providing residents with insights into how future planning decisions are shaped. Two HAF initiatives, approved through the Town’s Housing Action Plan and funded as part of an $8-million federal grant, will be embedded into the review.

The first involves a study of parking requirements for medium- and high-density developments. Staff will assess where reductions could be justified, with particular attention paid to areas served by transit. Targeted lowering of the Comprehensive Zoning By-Law’s parking minimums could encourage improved housing affordability by removing the need to construct expensive underground parking.

While increasing the risk of future residents parking vehicles elsewhere in the community, there is a growing push for a more laissez-faire, “let the market decide” approach to parking requirements. Reducing minimums may also help to make some projects more financially viable, a critical factor in renewing housing starts as the sector continues to struggle throughout Ontario.

A second initiative, the Expanding Missing Middle Housing Study, will examine how a broader mix of multi-unit, house-scale buildings could be introduced in existing neighbourhoods. The study will identify suitable areas and recommend zoning changes and design standards to support the transition, aiming to address middle-income housing gaps by creating options between single-detached homes and mid- to high-rise apartments.

Both HAF initiatives will be introduced at an in-person open house on Dec. 2 at Nineteen on the Park from 6 to 8 p.m. The drop-in session will give residents an early look at the goals of each study and provide an opportunity to ask questions about the overall project.

Once complete, the updated zoning by-law and design guidelines will set the rules that determine what can be built, where it can be built, and how it should look. Public consultation planned throughout the process will offer critical opportunities to comment on the updates as the Town works to ensure future development aligns with its planning vision and growth expectations.

According to Commissioner of Development Services Dwayne Tapp, resident input provides important insights to his team and to Council throughout that process. “Participation from the community contributes to better decisions, because decision makers have more complete information,” he said. “The more perspectives the better!”