Community Planning Permit System
Community Planning Permit System (CPPS)
Saugeen Shores is exploring a Community Planning Permit System (CPPS). To learn more about the development of this project and how you can participate, please visit the Towns Engage Page.
The Town of Saugeen Shores has been awarded funding from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Housing Accelerator Fund. The funding will advance the Town’s ongoing efforts to expand housing opportunities. The Community Planning Permit System is one of eight initiatives tied to the Housing Accelerator Fund.
What is a CPPS?
Traditional planning can be a long and arduous process. The CPPS is a land use planning tool that can streamline development. It combines zoning, site plan and minor variances processes into one process with shorter approval timelines (45 days vs 90 days). It can improve transparency and certainty for community members, landowners and developers, and provide flexibility in defining land uses to support local priorities, such as getting housing to market quicker.
Frequently Asked Questions
| What is a Community Permit Planning System (CPPS)? |
| A CPPS is a legislative tool – provided to us by the provincial government – that allows a municipality to streamline the approval process for new construction in a designated area. |
| Why do we need a CPPS? |
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Saugeen Shores has felt the effects of the sharp increase in housing prices across the country. Decreasing the approval time for a construction permit removes one impediment to building homes faster, with more certainty. It also lessens the amount of time a developer must carry bridge financing before building a project, which means less risk. A shorter approval time without appeals also reduces uncertainty and potential legal costs. Above all, the CPPS allows the Town to designate certain areas as priority areas |
| How does a CPPS work? |
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The community determines which areas would benefit from the process, especially areas that should have more affordable housing. Any new construction in those areas would only require a single building application, combining zoning, site plan and minor variance decisions. Based on pre-selected criteria for that area (ex. frontage, height, occupancy etc.), the Town would then approve or deny the construction application within a shorter timeline (the standard is 45 days). No appeals are permitted after the process is complete. |
| Why don’t we just update our bylaws and/or zoning requirements? |
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By-Laws and zoning changes are general documents that affect the entire Town; a CPPS focuses on a specific area and reduces the uncertainty that comes with the process to change zoning. Example: A developer wants to build a four-plex in an area but needs a zoning amendment. That developer is now reluctant to start investing in the project because she is unsure if the amendment will get approval. The other concern is that zoning by-laws are general documents that leave room for interpretation. A CPPS would clearly define all requirements ahead of time so The Town can tell a developer exactly what it wants and needs. |
| Who determines the criteria for a CPPS? |
| The Town will develop the criteria in consultation with community members, Indigenous communities, and key stakeholders. |
| Will this solve our housing issues? |
| The CPPS is one tool of many that we can use to facilitate appropriate development. The idea is to shape the development before it happens. The Town will also consider the use of other tools, including Town-owned land, a Community Improvement Plan, new Design Guidelines etc. to try and improve the supply of housing in the community. |
| Where is the Town considering using the CPPS? |
| Based on what we’ve heard from both residents and experts, this tool would be most appropriate for built-up areas where more “gentle density” is needed. These would be less expensive homes that would have an easier walkability to amenities, such as those areas closer to the downtowns.
The CPPS can be used to maintain the “small town feel” of our downtown areas so new developments “fits” in the appropriate way. |
| What are the next steps? |
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With the recent support of Housing Accelerator Funding, the Town has hired consultants to support in the development of this initiative. Visit the Towns Engage Page for next steps. |
Community Planning Permit System Background
Read the recommendations report to see how a CPPS can help support local housing priorities.
Have a listen to the Shore Report podcast about CPPS.