Public Hearing - Housekeeping Amendments

A Public Hearing will be held on Tuesday, July 7th at 6:30pm in Council Chambers for Council to receive feedback from residents concerning proposed draft amendments to the Town’s Land Use Bylaw and Municipal Planning Strategy.

A Public Hearing is only to receive feedback, Council/staff cannot answer questions. If you have questions about proposed amendments or would like clarification about any of the amendments, please contact staff ahead of the hearing.

Key changes to the Land Use Bylaw that make building and development in Mahone Bay a little easier:

Minor Accessory Structures – With amendments to the Land Use Bylaw you now don’t need a Development Permit for many small structures including children’s play structures, pet houses, and retaining walls less than 2m in height.

Flag lots – Flag lots are exactly as you’d imagine, a lot shaped like a flag on a flagpole, with the pole section being the access point. The amendment would update language in our Site Plan Process to permit development of these types of lots when they meet the minimum frontage for a lot, in that zone. A Site Plan Approval is a process through which an applicant must meet standards established in other sections of the Land Use Bylaw.

Tree identification – All tree identification requirements have been removed from the Land Use Bylaw. Council will consider developing a separate bylaw to protect trees in Mahone Bay.

Other amendments are minor in nature, which include added definitions and language updates.

Planning documents are described as living documents, which means from time-to-time amendments may be required as we work through using the documents in everyday scenarios. This is the intended 1-year review/check in on our planning documents.
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