Part 2: Votes, Priorities, and Environmental Input on Zoning — 07/04/2023

The committee approved the agenda with Councillor Kate MacNaughton noting she was having trouble seeing her copy, and Jane Lesslie moving the motion with John seconding. The agenda carried with no opposition voiced.

The previous meeting minutes were approved after Jane Lesslie moved them and Kath MacNaughton seconded. Thornton called the vote and the minutes carried.

© PEC Council (YouTube)

View the entire PEC Council Meeting; or view our recap>

Announcements and the West Lake public event

Paulina Szlachta gave the main announcement, sharing details about a West Lake Community Association public event planned for Saturday, August 12. Szlachta named confirmed speakers and topics, including invasive species, shoreline protection projects, and nature based climate solutions. She also noted the event would use preregistration, include food, and include question and answer after each speaker.

Albert Paschkowiak, Environmental Services and Sustainability Supervisor, offered County support for promotion. He said the event could be shared through his daily email list and could also be promoted through the County sustainability channels. Szlachta confirmed the organizing team expected to finalize promotional material soon and appreciated the support.

This section did not involve a formal vote, but it showed clear support and encouragement from both the committee and staff.

Zoning bylaw review and what members flagged early

The committee moved into the zoning bylaw review discussion after a motion was put on the floor by Jane Leslie and seconded by Councillor John Hirsch. The intent was to receive and discuss the zoning review materials and set up how the committee would provide input.

Albert Paschkowiak explained he had attended the public meetings and described the zoning bylaw rewrite as a move toward a clearer and more readable bylaw, with fewer special zones. He cautioned that not all zoning will stay the same, and said some properties may lose permissions if their current zoning conflicts with the Official Plan, while others may gain new permissions.

Councillor Kate MacNaughton said she was impressed with the plain language approach and the use of graphics, calling out the example of tandem parking as the kind of clarity residents actually need. She also referenced links shared by Kate and Angus Ross about what Guelph has been doing, and said it helped give extra context and ideas.

Angus Ross raised concerns that the early materials were not strong enough on environmental requirements. He said zoning is a chance to set expectations upfront, rather than leaving everything to later site level review. He also flagged concerns about parking lot design, including stormwater handling and shade.

Rachel Kuzmich said the materials were missing anything about urban agriculture in towns and villages, and she pointed out that the Official Plan already speaks to it. She also raised bicycle parking as a practical support for active transportation, and said that when infrastructure exists, people use it.

Ben Thornton supported the idea that active transportation planning needs to be seen as a system, and that missing links should not be used later as an excuse not to build more. He encouraged the group to start collecting specific comments now and submit written input through the Planning Working Group.

The discussion ended with agreement on a process. Members would send their written comments in, and staff would help route them through the Planning Working Group.

When it came time to vote on the zoning bylaw review item, the motion carried after Thornton called for all in favour. There was no opposition stated.

Home based business rules and flexibility

Councillor Kate MacNaughton raised questions about how the zoning review might treat home based businesses, especially limits on employee count and floor space. She questioned whether those limits still make sense when remote work has become normal.

Albert Paschkowiak said current rules like the 25 percent floor space limit can be unrealistic and hard to enforce, and he suggested these kinds of rules should likely be rationalized.

Angus Ross raised a concern about where the line is between a home business and something that should be taxed or treated like a commercial operation.

Rachel Kuzmich added a practical point that a laptop based job can move through an entire house, making a strict percentage feel detached from reality.

No formal vote happened specifically on this topic, but the discussion was captured as part of the zoning feedback that will be sent in later.

Parking, EV readiness, and future proofing

Parking came up repeatedly, with members pushing for the zoning review to better reflect climate and transportation realities.

Albert Paschkowiak described a recent public meeting where reduced parking minimums were discussed, and he framed parking reductions as a green initiative that reduces paved areas and supports better land use.

Angus Ross raised the idea of permeable parking to support drainage and reduce runoff. He also suggested shade tree requirements for parking areas.

Councillor Kate MacNaughton added the idea of solar covered parking that can also generate energy and create shade.

Rachel pointed out that tourism can drive EV demand quickly. She said rental fleets are shifting toward electric, so visitors may increasingly arrive needing charging access, not just residents.

This section did not involve a stand alone vote, but these points were included in the list of feedback the committee plans to submit.

Setbacks and gentle density

Councillor Kate MacNaughton questioned why multiple residential zones would have different setbacks and asked whether setbacks could discourage added units and walkable community patterns.

Albert Paschkowiak said planners are interested in reducing road setbacks because it can make it easier to add units on a lot. He referenced a past situation where a resident fought a long setback battle and eventually won.

Ben Thornton explained that in earlier discussions, smaller setbacks were tied to a newer zone concept, and he suggested it may be better to modernize the main residential zone instead of requiring expensive rezoning steps just to enable a more flexible built form.

This was discussed as part of zoning feedback, with no separate vote.

Committee meeting schedule change

The committee supported a change to aim for 12 meetings a year to keep up with workload.

Members discussed the importance of showing Council the full work plan so the workload is visible. Albert Paschkowiak directly supported attaching the latest work plan to help Council see why monthly meetings are needed.

A motion was moved by Jane and seconded by Paulina Szlachta. The motion carried after Thornton called the vote and no opposition was stated.

Climate action plan working group

The committee then dealt with a procedural reconsideration and a decision about how to handle climate planning work.

A reconsideration motion was moved by MacNaughton and seconded by Jane Lesslie. After initial confusion, it was clarified that the vote was only to allow reconsideration. The reconsideration carried.

On the substantive direction, Albert Paschkowiak emphasized that staff work underway focuses heavily on emissions, and he wanted the committee work to clearly include adaptation as well, especially in the context of potential funding opportunities and real local risks.

Rachel supported a working group model, saying a smaller focused group can move faster, as long as there are clear updates at each full committee meeting.

Councillor Kate MacNaughton supported keeping climate work tracked monthly, and she also stressed that the committee should complement staff work rather than duplicate it, while expanding the scope beyond emissions alone.

Staff support through Jen, the staff lead in the meeting, focused on ensuring the motion language clearly explained how the committee working group would differ from staff programs and how the pieces fit together.

The final motion was moved by MacNaughton and seconded by Angus, requesting terms of reference for a Climate Action Plan Working Group, with climate planning framed as broader than emissions work alone. The motion carried with no opposition stated.

Climate event planning and delegation

The committee discussed planning a fall climate event and noted money still sitting from last year that could help fund early steps.

The committee agreed that the Communications Working Group should lead the event planning work. There was also discussion about clarifying whether an earlier assignment existed and ensuring the new direction was captured clearly.

The motion was amended to reflect the delegation to the communications group, with agreement from those who moved and seconded. The motion carried when Thornton called for all in favour.

Work plan discussion and next steps

The committee reviewed the work plan and how items can be parked rather than deleted, so they can return later if needed.

Albert Paschkowiak shared that the Natural Cover group had met and had not been fully aware of all action items previously assigned, so he brought the work plan forward to them. Paulina Szlachta added that the working group asked for as much notice as possible on the climate symposium date, and that they are motivated to add resources to the County website on issues like emerald ash borer and invasive plants.

A motion to receive the work plan discussion was moved by Rachel and seconded by Albert Paschkowiak. It carried with no opposition stated.

How this affects locals, by area

The zoning bylaw review touches different parts of the County in different ways. In villages and built up areas, the concerns raised by Rachel and Councillor Kate MacNaughton about urban agriculture, bike parking, and setbacks connect directly to whether places feel walkable, whether added units are realistic, and whether daily errands can happen without a car.

The event described by Paulina Szlachta and the climate adaptation focus supported by Albert Paschkowiak point toward more public attention on invasive species, shoreline protection, and local resilience planning.

The repeated push from Angus, Councillor Kate MacNaughton, and others for EV readiness and smarter parking design matters for residents and tourists alike, because it influences what new developments must build in from the start and how quickly the County can adapt to changing transportation patterns.

---

Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 1:41:09. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.