Part 1: Planning Committee Reviews Rural Severances, Lakeside Estates Timeline & Countywide Zoning Changes — 09/16/2026
Prince Edward County’s Planning and Development Committee met at Shire Hall on September 16, 2026, for what Councillor Phil St-Jean, Picton Ward, described as the final planning meeting of the current term of Council. St-Jean chaired the meeting, which focused on several planning applications already far enough through the municipal process for the committee to consider recommendations.
No statutory public meetings were scheduled that evening, no presentations were made, and no members of the public came forward to comment on the applications before the committee.
View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes>
The meeting dealt with two rural consent and rezoning files, a request to extend the approval period for the Lakeside Estates subdivision, and a broader housekeeping update to the County’s relatively new Comprehensive Zoning By-law No. 140-2025. Committee decisions from the evening still require final Council approval where applicable.
Geothermal System Leads to South Marysburgh Lot Adjustment
The first application involved Donald and Deborah Hudson and property on County Road 13 in South Marysburgh. Planner Stuart Cade explained that the consent application was intended to deal with an existing geothermal loop. The loop was located on one property while serving a dwelling on another, so the proposed lot addition would place the geothermal equipment on the same property as the home it serves.
The related rezoning would recognize the adjusted lot configuration. Staff also proposed changes to two conditions of approval, including replacing a requirement for a consent agreement with an undertaking from the owner’s solicitor to complete the necessary land registration and consolidation work. The applicant’s representative confirmed agreement with the amended conditions. The committee approved the amendments and then carried the main application as amended.
Surplus Farm Dwelling Raises Questions About Future Barn Use
The next file involved a surplus dwelling severance at 661 County Road 10 in Bloomfield/Hallowell. The property had become part of a larger farming operation, leaving the existing dwelling surplus to the agricultural operation. The proposal would sever the residence while rezoning the retained farmland to prohibit future residential development.
Much of the discussion centred on a condition requiring an existing barn on the severed residential property to be converted to dry storage only. A committee member questioned whether permanently restricting a usable barn could limit future agricultural opportunities if the property configuration changed later.
Cade explained that the severed parcel would be rezoned rural residential, where keeping livestock would no longer be permitted. Requiring the barn to be converted to dry storage provided an additional way of ensuring it was not used for livestock. He also explained that restoring livestock use in the future would require at least a zoning change and a building permit, depending on the circumstances.
An amendment to remove the dry-storage condition was discussed but did not receive a seconder. The original application therefore moved forward with the condition intact and was approved by the committee.
Lakeside Estates Gets a Shorter Extension
The longest discussion of the evening concerned Lakeside Estates, a proposed 37-unit subdivision near Lowndes Parkway and Lakeside Drive in Ward 4, Ameliasburgh. Staff explained that the subdivision received draft approval in January 2024 with 45 conditions that must be addressed before final approval. Since that time, no detailed engineering plans had been submitted and none of those conditions had been cleared.
Staff brought the extension request to committee rather than handling it through delegated authority because Council had previously discussed the pace of development approvals and concerns about development approvals remaining inactive for long periods. Staff recommended extending the draft approval for three years, to January 24, 2030.
Greg King, agent for Lakeside Estates, told the committee the owner had hired Juul Engineering and intended to move the development forward. King said delays were connected to COVID, economic conditions and changes within the owner’s corporation. He also pointed to background work already completed, including environmental and technical studies.
Committee members questioned whether three additional years were necessary. Councillor Roy Pennell also asked about water capacity and whether granting an extension would reserve servicing capacity for the subdivision. Staff clarified that water allocation would not occur simply because the extension was granted. Allocation would come later, once subdivision conditions were satisfied and an agreement with the municipality was in place.
Councillor Janice Maynard proposed reducing the extension from three years to two, changing the expiry date to January 24, 2029. The amendment carried, followed by approval of the main motion as amended.
Countywide Zoning By-law Gets a Housekeeping Update
The final major item addressed corrections and clarifications to the County’s Comprehensive Zoning By-law, adopted in November 2025. Planning staff explained that implementation had revealed provisions from the previous zoning framework that had not carried over properly, along with areas needing better alignment with the Official Plan and other policies.
Discussion included rules for short-term accommodations in commercial zones, hydrogeological study requirements for second dwelling units on privately serviced properties, and setbacks and screening for shipping containers in commercial areas. Staff explained that shipping containers would still have to comply with general commercial-zone screening requirements and would be restricted to rear yards.
The committee supported the housekeeping amendment, which will proceed to Council through an amending by-law.
Three Key Takeaways for PEC Residents
Lakeside Estates received only a two-year extension, rather than the three years requested, giving the developer until January 24, 2029 to satisfy the requirements needed to keep the draft approval active.
Rural severances can affect future land use, including how barns, residential lots and agricultural lands may legally be used after properties are divided and rezoned.
The County is continuing to adjust its new zoning by-law as staff identify inconsistencies and practical issues during implementation, including rules affecting housing, commercial properties and rural development.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 3:39:24. 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.
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