Help Us Shape the Future of Torbay! What is Your Plan? Your Vision?
The Town of Torbay is undergoing a Municipal Plan and Development Regulations Review. These documents guide the development and growth of our community, and we need your input to make sure they reflect our shared vision and goals.
We would love to hear your thoughts!
See below for upcoming events and ways to participate.
Plan Review News
As the review proceeds, we will post items and updates to inform Torbay residents and stakeholders including announcements of meetings and consultations, summaries of resulting public input, project background information, reports, and other news about the project.
Community Engagement Updates
Stay tuned for updates on this website about the schedule and opportunities to join the conversation. Together, we can develop a great vision for the Town of Torbay.
Our Approach
We are a team of planning professionals and community members who are committed to creating a plan that reflects the needs and aspirations of the Torbay community. Our approach is based on the following principles:
- Robust research: We will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the social, economic, and environmental conditions and trends in Torbay, using data from various sources and methods.
- Sound planning: We will apply the best practices and standards of planning, and follow the legal and policy frameworks that guide the development and growth of our municipality.
- Comprehensive community input: We will engage with the residents, stakeholders, and experts of Torbay, and seek their feedback and vision for the future of their community. We will use various platforms and tools to reach out to as many people as possible, and ensure that their voices are heard and respected. Because, Your Plan is Our Plan.
- Holistic vision: We will create a plan that addresses the diverse and interrelated aspects of our community, such as land use, transportation, housing, environment, heritage, culture, recreation, and more. We will aim for a balance between preservation and innovation, and between local and regional interests.
What is a Municipal Plan?
A Municipal Plan is a document that outlines the town’s policies on how land in the community should be used. It is prepared with input from the community and is intended to ensure that future planning and development will meet the specific needs of the community.
The Municipal Plan deals mainly with issues such as
- Where new housing, industry, offices, and shops will be located.
- What services like roads, water mains, sewers, parks, and schools will be needed.
- When, and in what order, parts of your community will grow.
- Community improvement initiatives.
The plan makes the public aware of the municipality’s general land use planning policies, ensures that growth is coordinated and meets the community’s needs, helps all members of the community understand how their land may be used now and, in the future, and provides a framework for establishing municipal regulations to set local standards, like the size of lots and height of buildings. It also provides a way to evaluate and settle conflicting land uses while meeting local, regional, and provincial interests.
What are Development Regulations?
Development regulations are a set of rules that work in conjunction with the Municipal Plan. They provide specific details on how land can be used within the municipality. Here are some key points about development regulations:
- Development regulations identify specific land use zones and requirements for use of land.
- They are established under the authority of the Urban and Rural Planning Act.
- They must conform to the Municipal Plan.
- Zoning and related bylaws must conform to the Municipal Plan.
- They provide the specifics for implementing the goals, objectives, and policies outlined in the Municipal Plan.
- They can include details about different types of zones (residential, commercial, industrial, etc.), and the rules for developing within those zones.
- They can also include information about requirements for things like lot size, building height, parking, landscaping, and more.
These regulations help ensure that all development within the town aligns with the vision and goals outlined in the Municipal Plan.
What is a “Plan Review”?
The Town of Torbay is reviewing its Municipal Plan and Development Regulations to guide, influence, and manage positive change over the next decade.
The current Municipal Plan has a limitation and need to be updated in terms of comprehensiveness. The Urban and Rural Planning Act requires municipalities to review their Municipal Plans every 5 years. The Act specifically lists the requirements of a Municipal Plan in Section 13 of the Act, as well as outlines the plan review process in Part III of the Act.
We are taking a wide-ranging and complete approach to the plan review to navigate several largely uncharted areas for the Town including residential lands, coastal zones, forestry and agricultural land, commercial and institutional areas, municipal services, highway interchanges, transportation links, water features/flood prone areas. We are also looking at developing specific plans for a number of areas, which are called Development Schemes.
Our Document Library includes the Existing Torbay Municipal Plan and Development Regulations 2015-2025 and Development Regulations that are undergoing review. As the process progresses, other material will be added to this page, including background reviews, development scheme areas, and other information that will be related to the process.
Get Involved
Stay tuned for regular updates on this website about the schedule and opportunities to join the conversation, attend workshops, open houses, info sessions as the engagement process unfolds.
Additional engagement opportunities will include an online survey to obtain public opinion on the planning documents including feedback on proposed zoning changes.
Past Events
Public Engagement Week held between November 27th, 2023 – December 1st, 2023.
Meetings with Business / Tourism Stakeholders, Environment Advisory Committee held between January and March, 2024.
Online and Hard Copy Feedback Forms to Property Owners held between January and March, 2024.
Past engagement events and workshop presentation for review here
Public Engagement Week #2 held between April 15th, 2024 – April 19th, 2024
Plan Week #2 Materials
The below materials were presented at events and workshops during Plan Week #2 (April 15th – 19th, 2024). If you have any feedback or comment, please provide no later than the end of May 2024.
‘What We Heard’ Report during Plan Week #1
Powerpoint Presentation on ‘What We Heard’ during Plan Week #1 and Feedback on How to Move Forward
‘What We Heard’ Overview Sheet
Next Steps
- Review / Summary of Plan Week #2
- Presentation to Council for further Feedback and Direction
- Drafting of 1st draft of Municipal Plan and Development Regulation Documents (including Schemes)
- Submit draft documents to Town for review & make edits as required
- Submit documents for Provincial Review (Department of Municipal and Provincial Affairs)
- Make any required edits, as required
- Plan Week #3 – Public Consultation
- Make Edits
- Adoption and Public Hearing Process
- Consider recommendations by Independent Commissioner
- Approval
- Provincial registration
- New Municipal Plan and Development Regulations come into Legal Effect upon Registration in Newfoundland & Labrador Gazette
We would love to hear from you!
Email us at yourplan@torbay.ca
Write to us at:
Your Plan is Our Plan
Town of Torbay
1288 Torbay Road
PO Box 1160
Torbay, NL A1K 1K4
Additional Documents for Reference:
St. John’s Urban Region Regional Plan, 1976:
https://www.gov.nl.ca/mpa/sjurrp-consultations/
Urban & Rural Planning Act, 2000
https://www.assembly.nl.ca/legislation/sr/statutes/u08.htm
Development Regulations under the Urban and Rural Planning Act
https://www.assembly.nl.ca/legislation/sr/regulations/rc010003.htm
For other documents please visit Development Regulations & Policies | Torbay.