What is a Land Use Bylaw and Municipal Planning Strategy?
Land use planning is a set of policies and regulations that guide how and where development of all types should occur. Land Use Regulations for Cumberland are organized into three documents;
Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) represents an overarching vision for Cumberland County. The MPS provides the intent behind the policies in the Land Use Bylaw and the Subdivision Bylaw. It also establishes any additional resources needed to achieve the future that the MPS envisions.
Land Use Bylaw (LUB) is a large document that lays out the specific requirements for development in Cumberland. The LUB contains everything from setback distances to permitted uses and carries out the goals and visions of the Municipal Planning Strategy.
Subdivision Bylaw provides all the requirements surrounding the process of subdividing or consolidating land.
Zones VS Designations
Zones and designations are two different ways we create and control the way land is used in Cumberland County.
Zones regulate the specific uses and requirements for development.
Designations define and regulate the general nature of the intended use of land.
Rezoning is a process where the zone of a specific property zone is changed to better suit the intended use.
Land can only be rezoned to zones within the zoning designation. To rezone lands to a zone with a different designation, a change in the MPS map is needed.
| Changing Zones | Changing Designation | |
| Amending Document | Land Use Bylaw | Municipal Planning Strategy |
| Approval Agency | Municipal Council of Cumberland | Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing |
| Approval Time | 4-6 months | 6-8 months |
The Zones of Cumberland County
| Zones | Designation |
|---|---|
| Lower Density Residential | Residential Designation |
| Multi-Unit Residential | |
| Downtown Commercial | Commercial Designation |
| General Commercial | |
| Mixed Use | |
| Urban Industrial | Industrial Designation |
| Agricultural | Resource |
| Commercial Recreation | |
| Country Commercial | |
| Country Residential | |
| Recreation Residential | |
| Rural Industrial | |
| Rural Resource | |
| Public Water Supply | Common Zones ** These are Zones that are permitted in every designation |
| Wellfield | |
| Parks and Open Space | |
| Institutional |
Non-Conforming Structures and Uses
When there are changes made to specific zones in the LUB, some properties can end up becoming non-conforming in use or in structure.
A non-conforming structure or use is a structure or use that is not permitted, according to the current Land Use Bylaw; however, if the structure or use predates the policy preventing it, then it is “grandfathered in” and can continue to exist.
Tips for reading planning documents
1. Know what you are looking for
Planning documents are typically very large documents, with a lot of information, some of which will not be applicable to your land. Before you start looking at planning documents, you should have the following information on hand
- Area and dimensions of your land
- The zone your property is located in
- Your intention for the land
2. Skip Straight to the Relevant Sections
While reading Planning Documents cover to cover can give you a lot of knowledge, the LUB and MPS have so much information, much of which may not apply to your specific lands. The Table of Contents can help you quickly find the sections that are relevant to your land.
3. Definition Section is in the back
Planning policy is extremely jargon-heavy, and it's hard to understand a policy when it uses words you are unfamiliar with. A handy tip for when you come across an ambiguous or new term, check the back of the document (before the Appendix) for a Definitions Section. If you don't find a definitions section, some planning documents might have a Glossary at the beginning of the document instead.