Committee of Adjustment
The Committee is made up of five members, appointed by Council, to review and make decisions on applications pertaining to the severance of land (Provisional Consent) and minor variances to the regulations of the Zoning By-law.
A minor variance is relief from the requirements of the Town’s Zoning By-law. Under Section 45(1) of the Planning Act there are four tests that a minor variance must meet:
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- Is the application minor in nature?
- Is the application desirable for the appropriate development of the lands in question?
- Does the application conform to the general intent of the Zoning By-law?
- Does the application conform to the general intent of the Official Plan?
It is important to note that for the Committee of Adjustment to consider the approval any application a minor variance it must meet all four tests.
Provisional Consent (Land Severance)
Where land division is minor and a plan of subdivision is unnecessary for development, or where a boundary is being adjusted, the Planning Act allows the granting of a provisional consent for various types of land severance. The Town of Midland’s Committee of Adjustment has authority to grant consents.
The Committee of Adjustment has the authority to approve consent applications and impose conditions, such as the imposition of development charges, installation of services, and so on.
Section 51(24) of the Planning Act sets out a list of criteria that the Committee of Adjustment shall have regard to when considering a consent application, including:
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- Are the dimensions and shape of the proposed lot appropriate?
- Are there adequate schools in the area for the proposed lot?
- Are there adequate utilities and municipal services for the proposed lot?
- Does the application conform to the Town’s Official Plan and the Town’s Zoning By-law?
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For more information about Land Severances, refer to the Citizen's Guide to Land Use Planning.
Application Forms
Meetings
The Committee holds hearings generally the second Thursday of each month at 4:30 PM. The Committee considers a Report from Town Staff on each application prepared by the Department of Planning and Development together with the public input in response to the Notice of Public Hearing distributed either 10 or 14 days in advance of the hearing.
Members
Ruth Hackney - Chair
Chris Millington - Vice Chair
Glen Canning - Council Representative
Stephan Kramp - Council Representative
Andrea Betty – Staff Resource
Wes Crown – Staff Resource
Contact
For more information you may contact the Secretary-Treasurer to the Committee of Adjustment, Andrea Betty at (705) 526-4275, extension 2214.
