Open Space Zone and Institutional Uses (MPS and LUB amendments)

The Town of Yarmouth is considering staff-initiated amendments to the Town’s Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB) to permit existing institutional uses located within the Open Space (O-1) zone, regardless of whether they are located within an existing building. The application also proposes to amend the definition of “existing” within the LUB to exclude institutional uses.

How will this affect me?

The existing MPS and LUB limit Institutional uses that are located within the Open Space (O-1) zone to existing buildings. The proposed changes would allow any existing institutional uses which are in the Open Space zone to expand beyond the footprint of those existing buildings. The current LUB defines existing uses as any use existing as of the date the LUB was adopted in 2016. The proposed amendments would also amend the definition of “existing” so that institutional uses which were established after the date of the bylaw adoption are considered as “existing”. This would allow Institutional uses that were established after 2016, and which are also located within the Open Space zone, to expand beyond the limits of any existing buildings.