Our Community

The Town of Prescott has adopted its new Official Plan!

An Official Plan is a policy document that establishes a vision and goals for the Town’s future growth and development over the next 20 years. The Town’s current Official Plan was approved in 2006, and was last amended in May 2018.

The Official Plan guides how lands in the Town may be used, and how and where the Town’s future growth should occur. It establishes the important natural, cultural, and recreational features and resources that should be protected and enhanced, and how community services will be planned for the future, such as roads, infrastructure, housing, and parks. The Official Plan also addresses how to support and encourage economic development and investment in the community, through industry, commerce, and tourism.

Project Status
Official Plan Review Project Details
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Available Project Documents
Meetings
Official Plan Review Process
Helpful Links
Project Contact

Project Status

Phase 4 - Final Official Plan Notice of Adoption

Official Plan Review Project Details

The Town of Prescott is conducting an Official Plan Review. An Official Plan is a policy document that:

Describes a vision for growth and development;
Details strategic objectives to implement the vision;
Guides where land uses (e.g. residential, retail, office, industrial, parks) should be located;
Directs what natural and cultural heritage features should be protected and/or enhanced;
Identifies future roads and new infrastructure; and
Reflects Provincial and local interests and values.

The Planning Act is the legislation that governs land use planning Ontario. The Town is updating its Official Plan, as required by the Act. The Town’s current Official Plan was approved in 2006, and was last amended in May 2018. A copy of the current Official Plan can be found here. The new Official Plan would be presented to Town Council for adoption, and then submitted to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for approval.

Throughout the Official Plan Review process, there will be many opportunities to provide input, and participate in online and face-to-face engagement events, in keeping with provincial and local COVID-19 protocols.

Sign up for updates

The Official Plan Review is a public process. There will be many opportunities to share your ideas with Town Council and Staff, and to participate in face-to-face engagement events to provide your input into the Official Plan Review process.

Please check this webpage often for upcoming engagement opportunities, and to review draft documents as they become available.

You can also sign up to receive notices of upcoming meetings at: opreview@prescott.ca

Available Project Documents

The following documents have been prepared in support of the Official Plan Review and are available for information:

Phase 4

Final Official Plan Adoption
Final Official Plan Notice of Council Adoption
By-Law 37-2022 - Adoption of Final Official Plan and Submission to MMAH

Prescott Final Official Plan & Supporting Documents - August 2022
Presented to and adopted by Town Council August 22, 2022

Draft Official Plan Adoption
Prescott Final Draft Official Plan & Supporting Documents - June 2022
Presented for public review/comment June 27, 2022

Special Meeting of Council - April 19, 2021
Meeting Notice
Monday, April 19, 2021 – 6:00 pm
Public viewing available via livestream on Prescott's YouTube channel (FortTownTV)

Official Plan Review Process

In 2019 the Town retained WSP, a professional consulting firm, to assist with undertaking community engagement and the Official Plan Review.

The Official Plan Review will be conducted in four phases with frequent opportunities for community engagement and input. Town Council and Staff encourage community members to follow updates, review materials as they become available, and provide input during this process.

Phase 1 – Initial Consultation, Visioning and Issues Identification
Phase 2 – Official Plan Background Research and Report
Phase 3 – Draft Official Plan
Phase 4 – Recommended Official Plan

Phase 1: Consultation, Visioning and Issues Identification – Complete

The Official Plan Review project will kick off with community and stakeholder engagement activities to gather the community's ideas on a vision for the Town of Prescott over the next 20 years. Activities will include:

A Visioning Survey – one survey will be open to all members of the community, and one survey will be focused on Economic Development with specific stakeholders in the Town. The surveys will be used to identify and discuss key land use policy issues in the Town, and confirm if the existing vision for the Town in the current Official Plan is still relevant or needs to be updated. The existing vision for the Town is found in Section 1.2 of the current Official Plan here.
A video presentation which accompanies the online Visioning survey will be made available on this webpage.
Input received from residents and stakeholders will be used to review and refresh the vision for the Town, and to set the foundation for the objectives, and policies in the Official Plan.

During this Phase, the Town will also consult with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Partner Ministries (e.g. Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks) to determine required updates to the Official Plan to reflect provincial interests and legislation.

Phase 2: Background Information Collection, Review and Analysis - Complete

This Phase will involve a review of the Phase 1 visioning results and background information from the Town, to help inform the changes and policy direction that are needed.

A Growth Management Analysis has been undertaken by Hemson Consulting, to provide updated population, employment, and housing projections for the Town, and to confirm if there is sufficient vacant employment and residential land available to accommodate expected growth to the year 2041.

A Background Report has been prepared and provides an overview of policy issues and recommendations which will be addressed in the new Official Plan.

Discussion Papers will be prepared on key land use policy areas: Economic Development; Housing and Neighbourhood Design; Cultural Heritage; and Recreation / Tourism and Wayfinding / Active Transportation.

Key findings from the Background Report and Discussion Papers will be presented at a Special Meeting of Council, open to the public, in accordance with Section 26(3) of the Planning Act. At this meeting, Council will provide directions as to how to proceed with the preparation of the new Draft Official Plan.

The Background Report and Discussion Papers will be posted on this webpage for public review. We will want the public to provide input on the Discussion Papers.

Phase 3: Draft Official Plan - Complete

A Draft Official Plan along with Draft Schedules (maps) will be prepared based on the background information and comments received in the previous phases. The Draft Official Plan will be circulated to Town Council, Staff, and commenting agencies, and posted on this webpage for public review and feedback.

A Revised Draft Official Plan will be prepared to address any comments received, and will be submitted to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for a statutory 90-day review.

A Statutory Public Open House, under the Planning Act, will be held to present the Revised Draft Official Plan to the community. The Revised Draft Official Plan will be posted on this webpage for public review.

Phase 4: Recommended Official Plan - In Progress

A Final Draft Official Plan will be prepared, based on feedback received in Phase 3 and comments received from the Ministry. The Final Draft Official Plan will be presented at a Statutory Public Meeting under the Planning Act to obtain final community input.

A Final Official Plan will then be prepared and presented to Town Council for adoption, then submitted to the Ministry for approval. The Ministry will have 120 days to review and approve the Official Plan. Following approval, there will be a 20-day appeal period. If no appeals are received, the Final Official Plan will be considered in full force and effect.

Helpful Links

Planning Act - https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90p13#BK31

Provincial Policy Statement - http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page215.aspx

Citizen’s Guide to Official Plans - https://www.ontario.ca/document/citizens-guide-land-use-planning/official-plans

Project Contact

If you have questions or comments on the Official Plan Review, please contact:

Matthew Armstrong

CAO / Treasurer

opreview@prescott.ca

613-925-2812 ext. 6220

Town of Prescott
Official Plan Review
360 Dibble Street West
Prescott, ON
K0E 1T0
Phone: 613-925-2812 Ext: 6221
Fax: 613-925-4381
Email