The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide - Democrats Against UN ...

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The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide and Energy, developers, and private citizens. Once approved, the draft procedures went through another round of consultation in order to finalize them and, on March 3, 1993, the final procedures and guidelines were approved by City Council. At the same time, the Environmental Management Branch held public meetings and workshops in order to clarify the public’s expectations for their urban environment. Eleven environmental issues and concerns were identified, including energy, waste, air, water, soils, open space, land use, partnerships, education and awareness, and monitoring and compliance. Long-term goals have been established and the Environmental Management Branch is now working on the development of measurable targets to achieve these goals. Some targets have been developed through watershed studies, comprehensive planning studies, and secondary policy plans. Each process involved a public participation process, which allowed the public’s input into establishing targets. MEEP is used to ensure that these targets are being respected in the development of its land base. As target development proceeds, MEEP will be used to measure the cumulative impacts of projects and activities over time to meet these targets. When it is seen that an individual project or activity will have an environmental effect that will not allow the community to meet its targets, this information will be made available in the decision-making process. Program Description The MEEP provides a means of assessing the impacts of public and private activities on the environment and for determining mitigation measures necessary to prevent or reduce those impacts during the planning phase of a proposal. MEEP applies a broadbased definition of the environment where both the biophysical and socio-economic environments within Ottawa are considered, including its land, air, and water, together with other social, economic, and cultural information. MEEP is a planning tool rather then a regulatory process. It simply provides a consistent format for the collection, analysis, and presentation of environmental information in the decision-making process. MEEP evaluates activities within the city of Ottawa jurisdiction. Activities that require the city’s approval in the form of Council approval or in the form of Planning and Development Department approval, will be subject to the application of MEEP, which include: a) City of Ottawa development activities: involving building and construction where City of Ottawa funding or land is involved. An example would be the construction or renovation of an Ottawa community center. b) City of Ottawa non-development activities that do not require planning approvals (normally considered operation and maintenance activities), which may have an impact on the environment. These activities may include building and tree maintenance. c) Private sector development proposals that require planning approvals from the City of Ottawa, such as Site Plan Control, Subdivision Control, Official Plan Amendments, and Zoning By-law Amendments. d) Development proposals from other agencies and levels of government requiring City of Ottawa planning and/or Council approval. These activities may include federal government-sponsored development within Ottawa. The process has been effectively accommodated within the already existing approvals procedure. All applicants are responsible for the initial assessment of their projects and for all necessary funding. The Department of Planning and Developments’ Development Information and Applications Center (DIAC) will inform applicants of the requirements under MEEP for their project or proposal. All applications are reviewed to ensure that the evaluation is complete and that environmental targets are being met. All Council submissions now require a mandatory Environmental Impact Section. This section summarizes the findings of the MEEP, including all environmental impacts of the recommendations and reports on any mitigation measures and monitoring involved. The Environmental Management Branch reviews the Environmental Impact Section of all report submissions to the city’s Standing Committees to ensure that the requirements of MEEP have been met. The Process MEEP is based on a successive screening approach and as such is divided into two phases. Phase I screens the proposal to determine if a detailed study of potential impacts and mitigation methods is necessary. Phase II involves the detailed study, called a Municipal Environmental Evaluation Report (MEER). Exclusion and inclusion lists help streamline the process such that only proposals that may have environmental impacts are subject to the requirements of a detailed study. http://www.idrc.ca/openebooks/448-2/ (130 of 180)18/10/2010 12:47:23 AM
The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide Phase One: Initial Evaluation During Phase I evaluation, the applicant would determine if the proposal is automatically excluded, in which case no further study is necessary; or would determine if the proposal is automatically included, in which case a Municipal Environmental Evaluation Report (MEER) would be required. If neither of these lists apply, the project manager or applicant must complete the Environmental Screening Checklist. STEP I: AUTOMATIC EXCLUSION Not all activities have an impact on the environment. The exclusion list designates activities that will require no further study under the process. This ensures a streamlining of environmental evaluation such that only the activities that may have impact are evaluated. STEP II: AUTOMATIC INCLUSION The 1991 Official Plan designates certain areas of the city of Ottawa as potentially the most sensitive to development proposals or other activities. Development proposals in these areas could have significant impact on the natural ecosystem and/or human health. Any planning application for Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment, Subdivision (including part-lot control), or Site Plan Control that is: a) related to a waste management system or a snow disposal site; b) within the Greenway; c) on a contaminated site; d) on an unstable slope; e) on an existing pit or quarry; or f) in an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest will automatically require a MEER. These areas are identified on the Planning and Development Information System (PDIS) so that the automatic requirement for a MEER is determined at the time of development application. STEP III: THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCREENING CHECKLIST If the proposal being considered does not appear on either the inclusion or the exclusion list, the completion of an Environmental Screening Checklist is required to screen the proposal for impacts. Since the Process is one of self-assessment, it is the responsibility of the project manager for city projects, or applicant for development projects, to complete this task. Refer to Figure 16 for an overview of the MEEP Process. Phase Two: The Municipal Environmental Evaluation Report(MEER] A MEER will be required when: a) a development activity is proposed for any area listed on the automatic inclusion list; or b) completion of the Environmental Screening Checklist indicates the proposal has the potential for significant adverse environmental impact(s); or the impact(s) or mitigation is unknown; or the mitigation of such impact(s) requires specialized study; and/or if genuine public concern is raised relating to known or suspected environmental impacts. A MEER requires a detailed analysis and a statement of the significant adverse environmental impact(s), plus a description of the measures necessary to prevent, mitigate, and/or compensate for the identified adverse impacts and monitoring plan. It is the responsibility of the project manager, with support from his or her department, or the applicant in the case of private development, to provide the appropriate environmental expertise required to complete a MEER. If it cannot be sufficiently completed in-house, a consultant is to be retained. The City of Ottawa has a Public Participation Process built into the planning approval process. All Standing Committee meetings are open to the public, whereby members of the public can voice their option and provide written submissions. In FIGURE 16 CITY OF OTTAWA Municipal Environmental Evaluation Process (MEEP) http://www.idrc.ca/openebooks/448-2/ (131 of 180)18/10/2010 12:47:23 AM
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