Land Use Planning - Guidelines and Procedures
Land use planning in the Province of Manitoba is guided under the Provincial Land Use Policies and governed under The Planning Act. These guidelines and procedures are reflected in the Municipality’s two primary planning documents – the Development Plan and the Zoning By-law.
The Development Plan lays out the overall policies for land use, and the Zoning By-law provides the technical specifications of how those policies are to be administered. Both of these documents undergo a formal review approximately every five years.
The adoption and amendment of these documents involve a lengthy process that includes provincial review and approval, public notice and hearings. This process can take four to eight months depending on the required public and government review requirements.
Applications for amendments to the development plan or zoning by-law must be made in writing (letter of intent) to the Municipality.
The application form must be completed and signed and the application fee in accordance with the RM of Woodlands Fee Structure By-Law paid at the time of application. Because the documents contain detailed mapping and graphics that may be subject to change, they are not available on-line.
Anyone interested in receiving a copy of the complete documents is asked to contact the Municipal Office (photocopying charges may apply).
Other Land Use Processes and Application
Conditional Uses
Every type of zone within the Municipality (Agriculture, Commercial, Residential, etc.) has a list of permitted uses or conditional uses. The conditional uses require the proponent to make application for Council approval prior to commencing the use. The timeframe for the conditional use process is four to six weeks from time of application.
The application form must be completed and signed and the application fee in accordance with the RM of Woodlands Fee Structure By-Law paid at the time of application. Process:
Variation Orders
Like permitted and conditional use requirements, each zone also has a list of lot size specifications and building setback information. If someone wanted to vary the requirement to allow for a situation that doesn’t meet the standard requirements, they may make application for a variation order. The applicant is required to make application for Council approval prior to commencing the construction of a structure. The timeframe for the variation order process is four to six weeks from time of application.
The application form must be completed and signed and the application fee in accordance with the RM of Woodlands Fee Structure By-Law paid at the time of application. Process: