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Best Practices Tools Case Studies & Examples Resources & Guidance Documents

To encourage the redevelopment of former service station sites, Municipalities should consult with property owners and developers to clearly communicate their Community Vision and to develop their Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy and identify the interests of property owners and developers. The Community Vision and Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy should identify and prioritize typical service stations as key Brownfield redevelopment opportunities within the Municipality. In addition, municipalities should consider promoting their brownfield strategies and financial incentives and in particular, clearly show the Municipality's interest in working with developers and property owners. Municipalities may develop a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) as a tool to encourage redevelopment.

Prospective developers and property owners often indicate that the municipal planning approval process (e.g. Official Plan (OP); Sub-division of Land; Zoning Bylaws; Site Plan Approval; and Building Permits) can be a significant barrier to redevelopment. The main issue is the length of time required to obtain specific approvals and the delays due to inconsistent municipal approaches. Municipalities should consider streamlining their planning approval processes to better align with the timelines under which developers operate. Actions to consider that could streamline the municipal planning approval process may include:

• Official Plan and current Zoning Bylaws
  The Official Plan and Zoning Bylaws should be examined and revised to encourage redevelopment of former service station sites. It is important to note that it typically takes 1.5 to 2 years to approve OP amendments.
• Community Improvement Plan
  To encourage the redevelopment of typical service station sites, municipalities may consult with property owners and developers regarding their Community vision and to develop their Community Improvement Plan (CIP) based on feedback from these stakeholders. It is important that the Community Vision and CIP identifies and prioritizes typical service stations as key Brownfield redevelopment opportunities within the Municipality. In addition, Municipalities should consider promoting their Brownfield strategies and financial incentives and in particular, clearly show the Municipality's interest in working with developers and property owners.
• Flexible Zoning
  In cases where the zoning is overly limiting, municipalities can take the initiative to change the zoning in a manner that will encourage development but does not trigger a Record of Site Condition (RSC) (i.e. change the zoning from "service station" to "industrial/commercial"). Flexible zoning with a wide range of uses should be encouraged.
• Development Permit System
  The Development Permit System (DPS) is a flexible planning tool that is led by the Municipality and provides amendments to the Official Plan, Zoning By-Laws and Site Plan before a development project is proposed. While the DPS is limited to geographical areas, it can specify flexible land uses that may include a service station. Once implemented, approvals using a DPS can take between 1.5 to 4 months. The DPS offers the opportunity to reduce the time required for review and approval which then provides certainty of process for developers. As an example, the DPS may be completed within 45 days compared to 120 days for zoning by-law amendment.
• Pre-zoning
  Municipalities often wait until an application is submitted prior to zoning revisions. Municipalities can pre-zone areas based on their Community Vision and CIP. Pre-zoning that has been initiated by the municipality prior to a request from the development community, such as changing the zoning from "service station" to "industrial/commercial", may encourage redevelopment but does not trigger an RSC. Holding Provisions can help ensure that the applicant first deals with the potential impact of surrounding industry, transportation corridors and site contamination prior to realizing the potential pre-zoned residential use.

Best Practices

Consult with the community, property owners, and developers on the Community Vision, Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy, CIP, and redevelopment priorities Identify and prioritize the redevelopment of service stations as part of the municipal Brownfield Redevelopment Strategy Promote brownfield strategies and financial incentives that are targeted to the redevelopment of typical service stations Examine and revise Official Plans and current Zoning Bylaws to encourage the redevelopment of service stations through clear, upfront, and predictable planning policies Create and implement flexible planning tools that will streamline the approvals for service station redevelopment and provide certainty to developers

Tools

Brownfields Toolbox

Case Studies & Examples

Example Holding Zone (PDF) Kitchener - Example of Holding Provisions (PDF) Hamilton ERASE Community Improvement Plan (PDF) City of Ottawa Brownfields Redevelopment Community Improvement Plan (PDF) Chatham-Kent Brownfield & Bluefield Community Improvement Plan (PDF) City of Oshawa Brownfields Renaissance Community Improvement Plan (PDF) City of Sarnia Brownfields Community Improvement Plan (PDF)

Resources & Guidance Documents

Community Improvement Plans Development Permit Systems Citizen's Guide to Land-use Planning Brownfield Redevelopment in Small Urban and Rural Municipalities (PDF)

View Framework Diagram