Sault Ste. Marie North Official Plan Consolidation June, 2014 Ministry Modifications Included Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 APPLICATION ........................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 THE PLANNING ACT ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 VISION FOR SAULT STE. MARIE NORTH .................................................................................... 2 1.4 GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................... 6 2.0 Natural Heritage, Environmental Protection and Hazard Policies ....................................... 7 2.1 WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY ............................................................................................... 7 2.2 NATURAL HERITAGE FEATURES AND AREAS ..................................................................... 12 2.3 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT POLICY AREA .............................................................. 16 2.4 MINING AND OTHER HAZARDS ................................................................................................. 21 3.0 Economic, Community Development and Infrastructure ..................................................... 24 3.1 SOCIAL AND HUMAN SERVICES ................................................................................................. 24 3.2 PUBLIC STREETS AND FACILITIES ........................................................................................... 29 3.3 ECONOMIC BASE .............................................................................................................................. 29 3.4 EFFICIENT USE OF LAND, INFRASTRUCTURE AND PUBLIC FACILITIES .................. 32 3.5 TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS...................................................................................................... 34 3.6 PLANNING FOR SEWAGE AND WATER SERVICES .............................................................. 41 3.7 GROWTH AND SETTLEMENT ...................................................................................................... 45 3.8 ACCESS TO PUBLIC LAND AND WATERBODIES .................................................................. 75 3.9 LANDSCAPES, VISTAS AND RIDGE-LINES .............................................................................. 76 3.10 CULTURAL HERITAGE, LANDSCAPES, BUILT HERITAGE RESOURCES AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................................. 78 3.11 TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE CORRIDORS ......................................... 81 3.12 LAND USE COMPATIBILITY ..................................................................................................... 83 4.0 Housing Policies .................................................................................................................................... 89 4.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 89 5.0 Agricultural Land Policies ................................................................................................................. 93 5.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 93 6.0 Conservation Policies .......................................................................................................................... 95 6.1 CONSERVATION OF ENERGY, WATER AND BUILDING MATERIALS ........................... 95 6.2 TRANSPORTATION MODES .......................................................................................................... 96 6.3 WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ............................................................................................. 97 7.0 Mineral Aggregate and Mineral Policies .................................................................................... 100 7.1 MINERAL AGGREGATE RESOURCES ....................................................................................... 100 SAULT STE. MARIE NORTH PLANNING AREA OFFICIAL PLAN P-1875 - i - November 2013 7.2 MINERAL RESOURCES.................................................................................................................. 104 ................................................................................................................................................................................. 109 8.0 Implementation and Interpretation ............................................................................................ 109 8.1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 109 SAULT STE. MARIE NORTH PLANNING AREA OFFICIAL PLAN P-1875 - ii - November 2013 SAULT STE. MARIE NORTH PLANNING AREA OFFICIAL PLAN 1.0 Introduction The Sault Ste. Marie North Planning Area was established in 1976 and a Planning Board appointed in April of that year. The first Official Plan for the Planning Area was prepared in 1978 and approved on January 16, 1979. Subsequent to this the Planning Board received consent granting authority in October 1978. The Plan was approved with modifications on November 1, 1999. The review of the Official Plan in 2009 was undertaken to be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, 2005. This review was completed and the Ministry approved the Official Plan with modification on April 28, 2014 The preparation of the Official Plan is geared to an incremental approach since the mapping component will be based on a geographic information system (GIS) in which layers of information may be added or existing information modified as better information becomes available. Additions to the Geographic Information Base that will result in changes to land use characteristics, policies or the Land Use Schedules will, however, require an amendment to this Plan. 1.1 APPLICATION This Official Plan applies to all lands within the limits of the Planning Area as identified on Map 1. 1.2 THE PLANNING ACT Section 14 of the Planning Act gives responsibility to The Planning Board of a territory without municipal organization to prepare a plan suitable for adoption as the Official Plan of the Planning Area. Section 14(1) of the Planning Act also requires that The Planning Board shall provide advice and assistance in respect of such planning matters affecting the planning area as are referred to the Board. The Planning Board, as a body corporate, is obliged to appoint a secretary-treasurer and such employees and consultants as are considered appropriate. SAULT STE. MARIE NORTH PLANNING AREA OFFICIAL PLAN P-1875 - 1 - November 2013 1.3 VISION FOR SAULT STE. MARIE NORTH The Sault Ste. Marie North Planning Area is made up of a diverse mix of communities and landscapes. Each community has a unique identity given its location, the scope of community services it provides, the size and make-up of its population and its seasonality. Some communities are clusters of development (built-up communities) while others may be described as linear shoreline development. Most communities however share common characteristics such as low density residential development, shoreline frontage, dependence on tourism or outside sources for economic or employment base and a strong sense of self- reliance. The Planning Area consists of the most dynamic scenery in Ontario as well as a rich endowment of natural resources (forests, mineral resources, mineral aggregate resources, wetlands, water and wildlife). Vast areas of the Planning Area are also Crown land and are uninhabited. Settlement patterns have been confined for the most part to the Lake Superior shoreline and Highway 17 corridor, to inland lakes in the southern part of the Planning Area and along secondary provincial highways and rail lines. SAULT STE. MARIE NORTH PLANNING AREA OFFICIAL PLAN P-1875 - 2 - November 2013 SAULT STE. MARIE NORTH PLANNING AREA OFFICIAL PLAN P-1875 - 3 - November 2013 The population of the Planning Area has remained relatively constant over the past 20 30 years but its composition has changed significantly as a result of the out- migration of youth and the in-migration of a pre-retirement and retirement population. This has created notable trends such as cottage conversions, a decline in school enrolments and an increase in the commuter population dependent upon employment in Sault Ste. Marie particularly within the southern townships. Improvements to community services and facilities have been very gradual, most notably in the provision of recreational and fire protection services. The infrastructure and community facilities expected to service the population over the next two decades is in place. Major services provided in adjacent municipalities are not expected to be duplicated in the Planning Area. The settlement pattern is largely established and the supply of available building lots or vacant lands within built-up communities and shoreline communities is largely sufficient for the foreseeable future. In formulating a vision for the Sault Ste. Marie North Planning Area, there are several challenges, most notably: • protecting