3 min read
Written by Marc Xuereb
Residents of Waterloo Region’s three cities have an opportunity to give input into draft Official Plans which will set land use policy affecting — among other things — urban food access. The three draft Official Plans, which are available for review online, contain policies governing the placement of community gardens, temporary farmers’ markets, and even food stores. The comment period is slightly different depending on the city, but all three are requesting formal comments by the end of September, with formal public meetings to be held in September or later in the Fall.
Members of the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable have already spent several hours reviewing the draft policies and speaking to Planning staff at the three municipalities. The Roundtable will be making formal written submissions and sending representatives to make presentations at the formal public meetings.
All three cities have included new food policies in their draft Official Plans, possibly because of the growing trend among urban planners to include food systems in their land use planning, but also likely because of requirements in the Regional Official Plan that the area municipalities must follow.
What follows is a brief overview of the three Cities’ draft food policies and public input processes. A longer document detailing all the draft food policies can be viewed here. If you are planning to provide input on the draft policies, please contact a member of the Roundtable to let them know.
City of Waterloo
http://www.city.waterloo.on.ca/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=1457
[email protected]
2nd draft released June 27, 2011
Written comments due by August 26, 2011
Public Meeting September 19, 2011
- proposing to give preference to small to mid-size food stores that are well distributed throughout the community over fewer, large format food stores, with the goal of having one small to mid-size food store for every 10,000 residents, and a food store within two kilometres of every residence
- recognizes community gardening as a “valuable community resource”, promises to offer City land as community garden sites “where appropriate”, and designates them as permitted uses in all residential and “institutional” areas
City of Kitchener
http://kitchener.ca/en/insidecityhall/Official_Plan_Review.asp
First draft presented to Council June 20, 2011
Written comments due by September 28, 2011 by mail, fax, email to [email protected] or delivered in person
Formal Public Meeting to be scheduled in November
- strong support for the creation of community gardens, and designates them as permitted uses in all residential areas
- lists temporary farmers’ markets as a permitted use in “appropriate” locations in all residential areas
- recognizes food stores as “integral” to the vitality of communities and encourages enhancement of existing food stores in mixed use areas and supports the development of new “appropriately scaled” food stores within lands designated for mixed use
Cambridge
http://www.cambridge.ca/planning_services/policy_planning/official_plan_official_plan_review
draft presented to Council June 23, 2011
Open Houses held in June
comments due by September 30 to [email protected]
- expresses “support for a strong local food system” through its Farmers’ Market, temporary farmers’ markets, and community gardens
- recognizes that community gardens contribute to the overall parks and open space system and access to locally grown food, and permits them in all land use designations
- permits termporary farmers’ markets in all but residential areas