Ajax Council Reviews Final Zoning Bylaw Amendments

Ajax councillors reviewed final amendments to the town's comprehensive zoning bylaw, including rules for building height, short-term rentals, home-based businesses, parking, and several site-specific changes. The committee also heard a public request for a social impact assessment as part of the zoning review, discussed an air-quality-related holding provision affecting 33 Hunt St., advanced an inclusionary zoning framework for the Ajax GO PMTSA, and received background reports on employment lands, commercial land needs, and climate resilience.

Topics Discussed

COMPREHENSIVE ZONING BYLAW REVIEW: Phase 2 final amendments

Staff outlined Phase 2 final amendments to Ajax's comprehensive zoning bylaw review, describing the package as the culmination of a long-running project. Mr. Sachuk said, "the successful implementation of these amendments will close a decades long process to ensure that the zoning bylaw conforms to the town's official plan and other provincial planning requirements." Staff also said they had received "510 unique requests for revisions to the zoning bylaw."

Changes discussed included: - measuring building height to the highest point of the building - revised rules for accessory dwelling units - updated standards for parking, bicycle parking, shared parking, and transportation demand management - a pedestrian street classification system - revised definitions and zoning provisions

Councillor Bower said the new height definition would have practical effects in residential areas: "buildings in the past that could have the peaks could have been at, you know, 12 1/2 meters, 13 meters, they will have to come down to 11 meters or less."

SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REQUEST: Public delegation on downtown zoning

Ajax resident Tamika Marcus asked council to add a social impact assessment to the zoning review. She said, "Staff have produced eight excellent technical reports for this review covering parking trees strong neighborhoods. Yet there is no report evaluating the social or people related impacts social services as well as other services have on the area."

Marcus said the gap was especially important given expected recommendations affecting the downtown and Commercial Avenue area. Staff replied that they had not prepared a standalone social impact report and said the zoning work before council was updating definitions and implementing earlier policy direction. Councillor Bower said a separate amendment would be brought forward later.

HARWOOD PLAZA / 33 HUNT STREET: Air quality and holding provision

Council discussed a proposed holding provision tied to 33 Hunt St. and the Harwood Plaza redevelopment lands. Joshua Butcher, speaking for the applicant, asked that the lands be excluded from the hold. He told council: "Our request today is a simple one that our lands be excluded from this holding provision because part of the review of our official plan amendment and rezoning application, we included a compatibility and mitigation study ... as well as noise and vibration and it was peer-reviewed for the town."

The proposed hold related to proximity to an industrial use and would require an air quality study and mitigation through site plan approval. Staff said zoning schedule map 19 would be amended later to remove Holding Provision 31 from 33 Hunt St., tied to zoning bylaw amendment application Z 20/24 approved through bylaw 86205.

SHORT-TERM RENTALS, HOME-BASED BUSINESSES AND PARKING

Councillors reviewed proposed rules for short-term rentals and home-based businesses.

For short-term rentals: - permitted in urban residential zones - not permitted in countryside areas north of Totten Road - limited to 180 days per calendar year

Councillor Collier said, "the intention with the 180 days is to ensure that it's less than half the year that it's being used for this purpose, because obviously the remainder of the year it should be being used as that person's primary residence."

For home-based businesses: - takeout restaurants limited to live-work units - patios prohibited - no outdoor business activity - customer occupancy capped at three people on site at one time - one additional parking space required

Councillor Collier said the intent was to allow flexibility without changing neighbourhood character: "these are small businesses that allow for some flexibility in people working from home but they do not sort of overtake the character of the property." Councillor Bower explained the parking rule with an example, saying that where a home has two required spaces, "Wherever there's a homebased business, you require an additional parking space. So now there's a requirement for three parking spaces."

Council also discussed parking standards for places of worship as part of the broader bylaw update.

INCLUSIONARY ZONING AND OFFICIAL PLAN BACKGROUND REPORTS

Council considered the Town of Ajax Inclusionary Zoning Assessment Report and draft Official Plan and zoning bylaw amendments for the Ajax GO PMTSA. Consultant Nick Michael said, "Inclusionary zoning allows a municipality to require that a specified proportion of units within new residential development be provided as affordable housing."

Consultants and staff said current market conditions do not support an immediate affordability set-aside requirement. Shaun Collier said, "We recommend option one," explaining that Ajax could adopt the framework now and activate requirements later when conditions improve. Discussion also noted that the initial set-aside would be 0% pending future review.

Council also received background reports on commercial land needs, employment areas, and climate resilience. Samir Patel said, "Essentially, the commercial land need strategy is a supply and demand analysis." Rob Tyler-Morin said the town should be cautious about losing employment lands, and Marilyn Crawford summarized that concern by saying, "I think what I'm hearing you say is that we should not be converting our very precious commercial or employment land into housing."

Environmental planning staff also warned that provincial legislation could limit municipal green development standards. Nichollet Francis said Bill 98, if passed as proposed, could mean "the Ajax green standard may need to be revised."

Motions

Passed: - Administrative amendments to the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw Review - Town of Ajax Inclusionary Zoning Assessment Report and draft Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Bylaw Amendment - Receipt for information of background reports on commercial land needs, employment area strategy, and climate resilience / greenland system policy

Not decided at this meeting / to return later: - Amendment to remove Holding Provision 31 from 33 Hunt Street, tied to Z 20/24 / Bylaw 86205 - Proposed amendment related to a social impact assessment for the zoning review

Attendees

Councillors identified in the record: - Mayor Shaun Collier - Councillor Lisa Bower - Councillor Nancy Henry - Councillor Rob Tyler-Morin - Councillor Marilyn Crawford

Staff and presenters identified: - Mr. Sachuk - Tamika Marcus - Joshua Butcher - Nick Michael - Nichollet Francis - Samir Patel