Project Update!

Public Engagement: Draft Planning Documents and HAF Amendments

The next phase of engagement begins Wednesday, October 29th and closes at the end of the day on Thursday, January 15th!
This phase included two separate but related opportunities to provide input:

1. Draft Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw (“Planning Documents”)

Open for feedback until January 15th*, 2026

The drafts of the updated Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw are now available for public review. These documents are a complete rewrite of the Town’s planning framework, setting out the long-term vision, land-use policies, and detailed rules that will guide how Yarmouth grows and develops over time.

*timeline extended to accommodate online engagement session on Tuesday, January 13th at 6:30pm (click here to register).

2. Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) Amendments

The HAF engagement is now closed. For more information about the HAF Amendments, and the upcoming Public Hearing on February 12th, 2026, visit our new dedicated project page.

Draft Documents

All drafts can be found in the 'documents section" on the right side of your screen. We want to hear your thoughts - What did we get right? What would you like to see changed?

We have also developed a series of Fact Sheets to provide a high level overview of the changes proposed.

There are multiple ways to share your feedback – including the Interactive Draft Zoning Map, or the feedback form, found below. Missed the in-person or online events? You can view recordings of the presentations in the "Videos" section (in the righthand sidebar). If you want to get in touch, send us an email at planningreview@townofyarmouth.ca

Stay tuned for more details on the second round of draft engagement!

New to the project? Scroll down to read more in the "About the Project" section below, or watch the video on the right sidebar to get an introduction to the project.

About the Project

The Town of Yarmouth Planning Review is a project to review the Municipal Planning Strategy, Land Use Bylaw and Subdivision Bylaw for the Town of Yarmouth. The Municipal Government Act, which governs how municipalities operate in Nova Scotia, requires planning documents to be reviewed at least once every 10 years. The Town of Yarmouth's planning documents were last reviewed in 2016.

The planning documents include:

1. The Municipal Planning Strategy is the primary planning document that guides growth and development in Yarmouth. It lays out the vision, goals, and policies that guide how growth and development are managed within the Town.
2. The Land Use Bylaw is the companion document to the Municipal Planning Strategy, and puts the vision, goals, and policies into action through specific regulations that have to do with development activities. This includes where certain types of buildings can be built and what kind of land uses (like commercial, residential or industrial) can happen where.
3. The Subdivision Bylaw is a planning document that guides how a parcel of land can be divided into two or more lots, or how multiple lots can be combined to create one parcel. It also guides the construction of new services in new subdivision developments, such as streets, sewers, water lines, parkland, and sidewalks.

Together, these documents guide the Town of Yarmouth by determining what types of development can happen, and where.

The Town of Yarmouth Planning Review presents an exciting opportunity to establish a vision for the Town and to ensure our planning and development processes better serve our residents and businesses.

Your input will help to inform future changes to the Town's planning bylaws and policies.