Have your say! Richmond Hill reviews rules about home-based businesses, sheds, accessory structures

Zoning bylaw review is part of council’s priority to balance growth and green

Yorkregion.com
March 25, 2021

Richmond Hill residents are invited to provide input on how the city regulates land use.

The city is launching a series of surveys to collect feedback from the community on a number of land use rules, including home-based businesses, sheds and accessory structures.

The surveys are part of an ongoing comprehensive review with a goal to establish one zoning bylaw for the whole city and provide a predictable zoning approach for all properties across the community.

Zoning bylaws affect everyone and all properties in the city. They regulate land use, including where buildings such as houses and offices as well as other structures like sheds and garages can be located, what size they can be and how they may be used.

The zoning bylaw review is part of council’s priority to balance growth and green.

The critical balance between economic development and environmental protection has been identified as the top priority for Richmond Hill for the remainder of this council, according to a November survey.

The first survey, running from March 18 to April 6, seeks input on the regulation of residential accessory structures, such as sheds, play structures, pergolas, cabanas.

Additional surveys that are expected to launched throughout the spring will cover home-based business uses and regulations, community planning permit system, automotive commercial-related businesses, the location of cannabis cultivation and processing facilities, options for aging in place and redevelopment in neighbourhoods.

Residents are encouraged to participate and can subscribe to RichmondHill.ca/ZoneRH to receive notifications as the surveys become available.

This project is being undertaken concurrently with other related city initiatives, such as the official plan update and the transportation master plan update to ensure that these plans and their implementation are aligned with each other.