Aurora Grows Up: New zoning by-law proposed

NRU
March 19, 2014
By Edward LaRusic

The Town of Aurora’s mayor said it’s time to move into the 21st century with a proposed new zoning by-law that aims to give clarity to residents and developers.

Geoffrey Dawe told NRU there are too many definitions in the current zoning bylaw that dates to 1978.

“Goodness gracious, we have one side of the street with one zoning definition and the houses on the other side with a different one,” said the mayor. “It just doesn’t make any sense. So doing this brings some sanity to our zoning process.”

“I know a couple of folks that have had a [holding provision] on their property for a quite a while, [and are] asking ‘when is this going to go away?’” said Dawe.

In an e-mail to NRU, Aurora director of planning and development services Marco Ramunno wrote that, since 1978, “the zoning by-law has since gone through numerous amendments and office consolidations adding new exception zones, definitions and general provisions, however a comprehensive review has never been completed.”

The new by-law, he added, would “streamline and consolidate zones, update performance standards and clarify language to produce a more user-friendly document.”

Aurora has grown significantly over the past 35 years. In 1981, three years after approval of the current zoning by-law, the town had 16,000 residents according to Canada census data. By the 2011 census, Aurora’s population has more than tripled to 53,000 and now is forecast to grow to more than 62,000 people by 2015.

The new by-law is particularly relevant for the future development of the “Aurora Promenade” located at the intersection of Yonge Street and Wellington Street East, the town’s historical main streets.

“As the town runs out of greenfield lands, Aurora will focus its future growth as infill and redevelopment along the [Aurora Promenade Planning Area],” Ramunno wrote. “Major changes to the zoning by-law will include the introduction of progressive zoning standards, parking rates and permitted uses for the Aurora Promenade.”

A challenge for city officials, he added, is to strike a balance between updating an implementation document to conform to the town’s new Official Plan and maintaining consistency so as not to negatively affect property owner rights.

Officials are currently finalizing the first draft of the new zoning by-law, with a public meeting slated for late spring. A series of technical papers regarding the proposed zoning by-law are available on the Town of Aurora’s website.