Official Plan FAQ  

What does the Official Plan Review mean to me?
How can Windsor’s Official Plan Review make me healthy?
How can the Windsor’s Official Plan Review make me money?
How can the Windsor’s Official Plan Review make me green?
How can the Official Plan make my city attractive?
Where can I read Windsor’s Official Plan?
Why is the City of Windsor Conducting an Official Plan Review?
What is involved in Windsor’s Official Plan Review?
Who is involved in the review?

 
What is an Official Plan?

There are many plans that work together to develop and shape a city. The Official Plan tells how land will be used in the City. An Official Plan is extremely important because it:

Outlines the future vision of the city
Establishes policies that help to achieve orderly growth and development
Shows where sewers, water mains, parks, roads, sidewalks and other services will go in the City
Gives a framework for other policies and regulations, such as zoning by-laws
Helps people know what they can do with their property

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What does the Official Plan Review mean to me?

The Official Plan Review can directly impact you. From your health, to your employment, to your overall quality of life, the Official Plan Review is something that you should be involved in!

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How can Windsor’s Official Plan Review make me healthy?

Official plans determine many things within a city that can affect your health. This includes things such as:

Ensuring there are parks and green space within walking distance of your home to enjoy
Determining the creation and placement of sidewalks
Identifying the need to include bike lanes and trails
Creating neighbourhoods that have various services and facilities within walking distance
In fact, according to Dr. Andrew Pipe of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the biggest health problem facing Canadian cities is the lack of sidewalks.

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How can the Windsor’s Official Plan Review make me money?

The Official Plan considers the development and creation of jobs and includes things such as:
Providing a wide range of employment opportunities at appropriate locations throughout Windsor
Encouraging new industries and development to employ new workers
Determining how the land can be used and what places would be attractive to different industries
Determining where transit routes will be placed so that residents can reach businesses

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How can the Windsor’s Official Plan Review make me green?

Official plans determine how the city will use its land. The Official Plan has an impact on the environment as it determines things such as:

Maintaining a healthy and flourishing natural environment
Protecting nature including the environment and various endangered species
Increasing the quantity and quality of our green spaces
Improving the water quality through our streams and rivers
Improving the overall air quality by always considering the impact of development on the surrounding area

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How can the Official Plan make my city attractive?

Official Plans set out what the city should look like so that it can be a magnet for visitors, new residents, and more investment. The Official Plan considers matters like:

Making a great first impression at key entrances to the city
Focusing attention on beautifying major roads and city facilities
Preserving the best of our past
Setting minimum standards for how we build for the future

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Where can I read Windsor’s Official Plan?

The Official Plan for the City of Windsor consists of three volumes and can be found here:

Volume I: The Primary Plan
Volume II: Secondary Plans and Special Policy Areas

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Why is the City of Windsor Conducting an Official Plan Review?

The Planning Act of Ontario requires a municipality to determine, every five years, whether the local Official Plan needs to be reviewed. On October 17, 2005 Windsor’s Council decided the existing Official Plan required a review. Windsor’s current Official Plan was adopted by City Council in 2000 and approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in 2002.

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What is involved in Windsor’s Official Plan Review?

The review will include the following tasks:

Review of Official Plans from other municipalities
Review requirements of the Provincial Policy Statement
Demographic and economic trends analysis
Evaluation of policies in the existing Official Plan
Discussions with the people of Windsor (e.g. residents, business owners, agencies, staff etc.)
Identification of issues and topics
Discussion paper
Updating maps
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Who is involved in the review?

The Official Plan Review will be managed by City of Windsor staff members who will be working with Dillon Consulting. The City of Windsor Official Plan Review requires the involvement of its community including:

Residents
Property owners
Employees
Business owners
Various committees
Groups
Associations
Agencies
All City of Windsor departments will be involved and consulted including departments that deal with:

Buildings
Transportation
Trails
Culture
Heritage
Environment
All other municipal services provided to the community

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