The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...
The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...
The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Local</strong> <strong>Agenda</strong> <strong>21</strong> <strong>Planning</strong> <strong>Guide</strong><br />
and Energy, developers, and private citizens. Once approved, the draft procedures went through another round of consultation in<br />
order to finalize them and, on March 3, 1993, the final procedures and guidelines were approved by City Council.<br />
At the same time, the Environmental Management Branch held public meetings and workshops in order to clarify the public’s<br />
expectations for their urban environment. Eleven environmental issues and concerns were identified, including energy, waste, air,<br />
water, soils, open space, land use, partnerships, education and awareness, and monitoring and compliance. Long-term goals have<br />
been established and the Environmental Management Branch is now working on the development of measurable targets to achieve<br />
these goals.<br />
Some targets have been developed through watershed studies, comprehensive planning studies, and secondary policy plans. Each<br />
process involved a public participation process, which allowed the public’s input into establishing targets. MEEP is used to ensure<br />
that these targets are being respected in the development of its land base. As target development proceeds, MEEP will be used to<br />
measure the cumulative impacts of projects and activities over time to meet these targets. When it is seen that an individual project<br />
or activity will have an environmental effect that will not allow the community to meet its targets, this information will be made<br />
available in the decision-making process.<br />
Program Description<br />
<strong>The</strong> MEEP provides a means of assessing the impacts of public and private activities on the environment and for determining<br />
mitigation measures necessary to prevent or reduce those impacts during the planning phase of a proposal. MEEP applies a broadbased<br />
definition of the environment where both the biophysical and socio-economic environments within Ottawa are considered,<br />
including its land, air, and water, together with other social, economic, and cultural information. MEEP is a planning tool rather then<br />
a regulatory process. It simply provides a consistent format for the collection, analysis, and presentation of environmental<br />
information in the decision-making process.<br />
MEEP evaluates activities within the city of Ottawa jurisdiction. Activities that require the city’s approval in the form of Council<br />
approval or in the form of <strong>Planning</strong> and Development Department approval, will be subject to the application of MEEP, which<br />
include:<br />
a) City of Ottawa development activities: involving building and construction where City of Ottawa funding or land is<br />
involved. An example would be the construction or renovation of an Ottawa community center.<br />
b) City of Ottawa non-development activities that do not require planning approvals (normally considered operation and<br />
maintenance activities), which may have an impact on the environment. <strong>The</strong>se activities may include building and tree<br />
maintenance.<br />
c) Private sector development proposals that require planning approvals from the City of Ottawa, such as Site Plan<br />
Control, Subdivision Control, Official Plan Amendments, and Zoning By-law Amendments.<br />
d) Development proposals from other agencies and levels of government requiring City of Ottawa planning and/or<br />
Council approval. <strong>The</strong>se activities may include federal government-sponsored development within Ottawa.<br />
<strong>The</strong> process has been effectively accommodated within the already existing approvals procedure. All applicants are responsible for<br />
the initial assessment of their projects and for all necessary funding. <strong>The</strong> Department of <strong>Planning</strong> and Developments’ Development<br />
Information and Applications Center (DIAC) will inform applicants of the requirements under MEEP for their project or proposal.<br />
All applications are reviewed to ensure that the evaluation is complete and that environmental targets are being met.<br />
All Council submissions now require a mandatory Environmental Impact Section. This section summarizes the findings of the<br />
MEEP, including all environmental impacts of the recommendations and reports on any mitigation measures and monitoring<br />
involved. <strong>The</strong> Environmental Management Branch reviews the Environmental Impact Section of all report submissions to the city’s<br />
Standing Committees to ensure that the requirements of MEEP have been met.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Process<br />
MEEP is based on a successive screening approach and as such is divided into two phases. Phase I screens the proposal to determine<br />
if a detailed study of potential impacts and mitigation methods is necessary. Phase II involves the detailed study, called a Municipal<br />
Environmental Evaluation Report (MEER). Exclusion and inclusion lists help streamline the process such that only proposals that<br />
may have environmental impacts are subject to the requirements of a detailed study.<br />
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