Meaford council and staff are celebrating the completion of a massive project.
Mayor Francis Richardson says the new comprehensive zoning bylaw for the municipality was finally passed on Monday night.
Richardson says it has taken five years to compile and approve the 204-page document.
He says the process began with amalgamation in 2001, when council began working on the new municipality’s official plan.
That took three years to complete before they could move on in 2004 to the zoning bylaws of the three former municipalities.
Richardson explains while the official plan is the theory, the zoning bylaws are the actual documents needed to govern properties.
He says the bylaws tell you how a property has been zoned, whether it’s rural, commercial, or residential.
And if someone wants to build a structure on their property, the bylaws outline rules such as height restrictions.
Richardson says it’s been a huge project and a lot of thanks is due to the staff who put in countless hours.
He also says many community volunteers helped to pour over maps and documents looking for any errors.
Richardson says the last element of the project finally resolved last night dealt with hazard lands and environmentally protected lands.
He says some property owners found the rules very restrictive so staff went back to work with the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority.
Richardson says it took an extra year, but they developed an amendment the public in general is happy with.