PROJECT NEWS

Richmond Documents Adopted

2024.02.27

On February 26, Council for the Municipality of the County of Richmond gave Second Reading to (approved) the proposed Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-law. These documents have been submitted to the Province for review. If there are no issues with the documents, they will go into effect the day a notice is placed in a local newspaper. The final approved documents can be viewed on the Plan Richmond page.

Victoria Draft Documents Released

2024.02.13

The updated draft documents for Victoria County are now available. Please visit the Plan Victoria page to view them and for opportunities to provide feedback.

Antigonish Draft Documents Released

2023.10.31

The updated draft documents for Antigonish County are now available. Please visit the Plan Antigonish page to view them and for opportunities to provide feedback.

Inverness Draft Documents Released

2023.09.11

The updated draft documents for Inverness County are now available. Please visit the Plan Inverness page to view them and for opportunities to provide feedback.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Plan Eastern Nova is a project to create a Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB) for all areas of the Municipalities of Antigonish, Inverness, Richmond and Victoria that currently do not have planning documents in place. In 2018, the Provincial Government passed Bill 58, an amendment to the Municipal Government Act that requires every municipality to develop and adopt planning that meets the minimum planning standards. Currently, the Municipalities of Antigonish, Inverness, Richmond and Victoria have areas that do not meet this requirement. This project will develop an MPS and LUB for each Municipality to bring them into compliance with the provincial mandate.

The project, which includes Plan Antigonish County, Plan Inverness County, Plan Richmond County and Plan Victoria County, will ensure all of the planning documents administered by the Eastern District Planning Commission (the local administrative body that oversees all planning within the four counties) are consistent and complementary.

Project Timeline

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

How will this affect me and my property?

The new planning documents, once adopted, will apply to all future developments. Existing land uses and associated structures (that were legally constructed) are protected under the Municipal Government Act as a nonconforming use and are not required to comply with the new LUB.

How do I find out what zone my property is in?

You can access the online mapping platform that will allow you to search by civic address, or by the eight-digit Parcel Identification Number (PID). Simply enter your address or PID and you can view the proposed zoning for your property. To learn more about the permitted uses in that zone (or any other zone), you can consult the Zone Descriptions document or, for a more in-depth description, the Draft Land Use Bylaw itself. These will be available in the coming weeks as draft documents are released.

What if I want to change the zoning on my property in the future?

If you wish to have your property rezoned in the future, you can apply for a rezoning via the Eastern District Planning Commission. This is a public process involving a public hearing and is a decision made by your local Council. 

Will the introduction of zoning have any impact on my property taxes?

Property taxes are calculated based on the use taking place on the land, not by the zoning. For example, if your property is a residence that now has commercial zoning on the property, your taxes will be calculated based on the residential land use, not the commercial zoning.

Want to learn a bit more about the project and its goals? The video below gives an overview of the project, as well as some information about planning in Nova Scotia more generally.