Learn how the County will grow over the next 30 years at upcoming Open House at Paris High School

By Casandra Turnbull

If you’re interested in how the county will grow over the next 30 years, you should attend an upcoming open house where county staff will present the New Official Plan.

An in-person open house will take place on Thursday, April 20th from 6 pm to 8 pm at the Paris District High School gymnasium. The drop-in session will give residents the chance to speak with staff, view a running video presentation and share information and concerns. Another virtual session is offered on Monday, April 24th from 6 pm to 8 pm via Zoom – the link will be posted the County’s EngageBrant portal at www.EngageBrant.ca/OfficialPlan

After a year and a half on the province’s desk, the they received notice at the end of December 2022 that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing would not provide official comments on the draft plan and that the County should proceed with plans to adopt a new Official Plan (OP) for the Minister’s approval. Updates to the draft OP would centre around the growth plan, participially how the county will align with Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act. It will also incorporate updates connected to the Master Transportation Plan (and policies), include the master plan study for St. George, include new research and analysis related to specific county challenges, namely on street parking (particularly in newer subdivisions in Paris) and collaborate with county staff on planning projects such as the Burford and Cainsville Water and Wastewater class EAs, and the Parks Master Plans. Topics of discussion will include:

-Growth management

-Building healthy and complete communities

-How we Green

-Planning for infrastructure

-Transportation and Mobility

-Economic Development and Prosperity

In a press release issued this week, county staff refer to the New Official Plan as ‘the toolbox for managing growth in the coming years ’ Following the open houses, the final draft of the official plan will proceed to council for adoption and is then submitted to the province for final approval. County staff, councillors and the mayor have long waited for provincial comments on the draft official plan they submitted to the province in August 2021

The County spent a substantial amount of time and resources and gathered community input during the pandemic to prepare this new and innovative Official Plan, according to staff reports