Committee of Adjustment

The Committee of Adjustment is a statutory tribunal with authority delegated to it by Township of Stone Mills Council, under the provisions of the Ontario Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990 c. P. 13, to hold public hearings to make decisions on applications submitted to Township of Stone Mills for minor variances, alterations to legal non-conforming uses, and consents. The Committee is comprised of five members of the public that are appointed by Council and obtains its authority from the Planning Act.

Minor Variances are often required by circumstances peculiar to a property which prevent the owner from developing it in a way which conforms to a Zoning By-Law. Examples of Minor Variance Applications include requests for relief from the building setback, building height, and lot coverage provisions of a Zoning By-law.

The Committee is authorized to grant a minor variance if all of the following criteria, commonly referred to as the "four tests" are met:

• The variance is minor;
• The variance is desirable for the appropriate development or use of the property;
• The general intent and purpose of the Zoning By-Law is maintained;
• The general intent and purpose of the Official Plan is maintained.

The Committee will refuse an application if, in its opinion, one or more of the above criteria have not been met.

The Committee cannot grant exemptions to the by-law which, in effect, would constitute a change of zoning. In such cases, property owners may wish to make an application for a Zoning By-Law Amendment.

The Committee operates independently from Council and its decision may be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Complete applications received by the Township up to the last day of any given month will be processed the following month and will be considered by the Committee in the second following month.  This schedule is due to time constraints imposed by the Planning Act and the necessity to review the applications against the policies of the Provincial Policy Statements, the County of Lennox and Addington Official Plan, the Township of Stone Mills Official Plan and the regulatory controls of the Township of Stone Mills Zoning Bylaw.

Meetings are scheduled for the first Wednesday of each month commencing at 5:00 p.m. at the Municipal Office in Centreville.  However, if no applications have been submitted for consideration for a particular meeting, that meeting could be canceled.  All Special meetings are held at the discretion of the Chairperson.  Committee meetings are conducted in accordance with the procedural Bylaw for the Committee of Adjustment.