Bylaw project gives residents a ‘hammer’ to fight clubs

By Dennis Hanagan —

A handful of residents and business representatives attended an informal meeting at city hall on Oct. 28 to hear how the city is working on a draft zoning bylaw to consolidate the 43 different ones it inherited from the six municipalities that existed before amalgamation.

City staff refers to the process as “harmonizing.”

“The new bylaw is being drafted to facilitate more efficient day-to-day management of licensing, building permit and planning applications,” said a notice from Trinity-Spadina councillor Adam Vaughan that invited his constituents to the meeting.

“It should also be easier for the public and other stakeholders to understand and work with just one zoning bylaw rather than 43,” the notice explained.

It added, “the impact of developing common definitions…may actually result in a change that could affect your neighbourhood. An example might be new limitations to where a daycare or long-term facility may locate.”

At the meeting Vaughan said the draft bylaw—which is scheduled to go to city council in the winter of 2010 for adoption—will offer “an extraordinary relief” to residents with the new parking requirements it’ll put on night clubs that try to move into residential areas.

“This is the hammer that has been desired by residents,” said Vaughan. “It gives them the ability to say ‘not now.’”