St. George Interim Control Bylaw Study

Thank you for your feedback!

The St. George Interim Control Bylaw Study has concluded. By-Law 81-23 was passed by Council on July 18, 2023 to lift interim control and publish the final studies and reports for this project.

Thank you for participating in this important project to help manage the growth of St. George over the long term.

About the Project

The County of Brant Council passed an Interim Control Bylaw to temporarily freeze the development of certain lands in St. George between July 2022 and July 2023. This Bylaw provides the County of Brant time to study and review its land use policies and coordinate servicing for future growth. As part of this project, the County of Brant is studying:

• Drinking water supply, storage, and distribution
• Wastewater treatment and sanitary sewage collection
• Stormwater management facilities, and
• A conceptual road network to address future traffic.

The preliminary phases of this study have been completed and we’re sharing the results with the community!

More information about the Interim Control Bylaw Study:

On July 26, 2022, staff presented a Report to Council (RPT-0247-22) to recommend an Interim Control Bylaw for St. George.

The County had received many large-scale development proposals prior to completing the Class Environmental Assessment for water and wastewater servicing, a servicing allocation policy, and an update to the Transportation Master Plan. This freeze on land use changes in St. George gives the County of Brant time to complete a comprehensive study that coordinates servicing for future growth.

An Interim Control Bylaw is a tool available to Ontario municipalities pursuant to section 38 of the Planning Act. An Interim Control Bylaw places a temporary “freeze” on land use changes in certain areas while a municipality is studying or reviewing its policies. The restrictions can be imposed initially for up to one (1) year, with an extension such that the total period of time does not exceed two (2) years.

An Interim Control Bylaw may be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal by the Minister, but not others, when it is first passed. The initial Interim Control Bylaw can be challenged before the Courts pursuant to section 273 of the Municipal Act, 2001. That challenge can be made within one (1) year of the passing of the by-law. To date, no appeals of the County’s Interim Control Bylaw have been brought before the Courts and the Minister did not appeal the By-Law to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

The current Interim Control Bylaw is in effect for one (1) year and will expire on July 25, 2023 if not extended by Council.

Comprehensive Masterplan Study:

The Comprehensive Masterplan Study for St. George was initiated with the passing of By-Law 088-22 under Section 38 of the Planning Act, being an Interim Control By-law for the settlement area of St. George. The study is being coordinated internally with the Development Services and Operations Departments. The Policy Planning Division is responsible for coordinating the overall Comprehensive Masterplan Study, and Operations is leading the technical components and studies undertaken by external consultants related to servicing and transportation.

As part of the Comprehensive Masterplan Study, we’ve been looking at various factors the will influence development in St. George, including:

• The past, present and future land use characterization;
• The Natural Heritage System, including trail networks, linkages, and green spaces;
• Integrated transportation and traffic analysis, including active transportation opportunities;
• Servicing capacity, allocation, and phasing of growth; View the St. George Water and Wastewater Masterplan Study
• The policy changes of Official Plan Amendment #8 based on the recommendations of the St. George Area Study and various Ontario Land Tribunal Decisions; and
• Implementing land use changes through updated zoning bylaw standards.

This project will provide three main deliverables, summarized as follows:

1. Technical Memoranda and Summary Report

This will provide a consolidation and summary of technical components of the study. This is the technical background information that informs the direction of the masterplan.

2. Comprehensive Masterplan Study Report

This study report incorporates the background information, policies, and technical studies to provide direction on conceptual designs (proposed road network, servicing infrastructure etc.) and recommended performance standards (Zoning By-Law Amendment).

3. Zoning By-Law Amendment

The recommendations from the findings of the study will include proposed amendments to the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw. Under the Planning Act, interim control focuses on implementation through zoning (land use), which is the key outcome of the study. A zoning by-law amendment would be presented for approval sometime before July 26, 2023. If this Zoning By-Law Amendment is passed by Council and is subsequently appealed, the Interim Control Bylaw would remain in place until the Tribunal has dealt with the appeal. It is important to note that Council is not permitted to pass another Interim Control Bylaw applicable to any lands to which the original Interim Control Bylaw applied for a period of three (3) years.

Previous Public Engagement on May 24, 2023:

We hosted an in-person, drop-in, open house to those interested to learn more about the study. Residents were able to speak one-on-one with staff, provide feedback, and learn about next steps. Thank you to everyone who participated!

View the presentation slides from the Open House

A short survey was open late April to June 9, 2023. Thank you for your response!

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