Middleton Completes a Two Year Plan Review

23 August 2018 - Middleton Town Council met on Monday, August 20 to hold a Public Hearing and Special Council Meeting to approve a new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-Law for the Town. The new Plan will now go the Provincial Government for review, with the hope that it will become law early in the Fall of this year. The Monday evening meeting was the culmination of several years of work by the Town’s Planning Services Public Advisory Panel, town staff and consultants.

Chris Millier, who has served as Planner for the Town for a number of years, explained that the new Plan maintains the protections for residential areas and the Downtown that have been in place for some years, but important changes have been made to encourage more business opportunities along the main roads through the town and in the industrial park.

In addition to re-naming the former Industrial areas as Industrial and Commercial Enterprise zones, there are provisions to allow these parts of town to include more “business park” uses. “Modern industrial parks are not simply for fabrication and manufacturing activities anymore, , they include commercial activities that take advantage of these active areas, re-purpose older buildings. These changes will take advantage of Middleton’s role as a hub for serving the surrounding communities” says Millier. The new Plan will also provide improved availability for developers wanting to establish new residential developments, seniors housing and similar multiple family units at the North end of the town. Middleton has the location and municipal services to support new development activity, and the new MPS and LUB will encourage and facilitate this.

Mayor Sylvester Atkinson commented on the new plan and the participation of the community in completing it, “We have had lots of people attend the various public consultation meetings for the new Plan, and now Council will have a much better tool to respond to new development opportunities within the Town.”

Over the coming weeks, the Town will forward the new planning documents to the Minister of Municipal Affairs, who then has a number of weeks set aside for his staff to review them in terms of compliance with provincial planning policies and legislation. If everything is acceptable, the new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-Law will come into effect shortly after that review is completed.

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For More Information: Mayor Sylvester Atkinson 902-825-4758