Collingwood’s planning department is clearing out old applications, and if your development has been dormant for a while, you may be getting a call about it.
At their committee of the whole meeting on Sept. 23, council got a look at the outcomes from enacting their new dormant file process since it went into effect in March of this year.
Since March 2024, six applications have been closed by staff, and two files are being monitored by staff, pending closure.
Three of the files withdrawn by the applicant were for 276 Ste. Marie St. (inactive for five years), 410 Raglan St. (inactive for 4.5 years) and 200 Mountain Road (inactive for 1.5 years).
Three files closed by staff were for 135 Sandford Fleming Drive (Medibudz, inactive for five years), First and Maple St. (Di Poce, inactive for 2.5 years and 160 Balsam St. (Hampton Inn Hotel, inactive for 2.5 years).
“As you can see, all of the files that were either voluntarily withdrawn by the applicant or closed by staff had been dormant for a number of years,” the town’s planning services manager Lindsay Ayers told councillors.
On Dec. 4, 2023, Collingwood council approved a new process for closing developer application files that have been inactive for six months as a way for the town to mitigate risk over new provincial planning rules that require the town to refund application fees for applications that take too long.
A dormant file is defined through the policy as one with six consecutive months of inactivity on the applicant’s end. Staff would also send a warning to the applicant after three months of inactivity warning them of the closure policy and their application status. A file would not be considered inactive if an applicant was waiting on information or comments from the town.
Being able to close dormant files and require reapplication from the developer also helps make sure applications are reviewed against current planning policies and standards.
A development application that takes a long time may also come with reviews that are no longer appropriate based on the community values and priorities, as well as municipal planning bylaws, of the day.
According to Ontario legislation that took effect Jul 1, 2023, municipalities have 60 days to make a decision on a plan of subdivision application, 90 days for a zoning bylaw amendment, and 120 days for an official plan amendment. After those deadlines, the applicant is eligible for a refund of the application fees ranging from 50 to 100 per cent depending on how many days pass without a decision.
During councillor questions, Deputy Mayor Tim Fryer asked if there had been any push-back from the development community on the change.
“I think it has gone pretty smoothly. A number of these files have been sitting dormant for years. With three of the files, even just after the first courtesy email ... they closed the files voluntarily. I think it’s gone as expected,” said Ayers.
Chief administrative officer Sonya Skinner noted the policy marks a shift to a more proactive stance on the town’s part when it comes to development applications.
“It seems like we’re approaching a whole new level of efficiency in the planning department,” said Coun. Deb Doherty.
On Monday, Ayers said there will be a further update on the dormant file closure procedure in another six months.
“Staff will be looking at ways to expand the dormant file closure process to other planning application types and/or the possible imposition of file reactivation fees,” she said.
