Common data fields for use in municipal planning application forms.

During consultations in early 2022, stakeholders told the Ontario government that terminology used in the land use planning framework is not standardized across the province. This lack of consistency is a key barrier to faster planning approvals. Stakeholders pointed to a need for common definitions in key land use planning documents like zoning bylaws. For example, some municipalities have multiple zoning bylaws with different definitions for “front yard”. Standardized terminology will allow for better information exchange, and the use of the same terms whether you are proposing development in Sarnia or Toronto. In addition, the Planning Act lists out some requirements for some applications, but municipalities use their own forms that collect data in inconsistent ways. Standardizing data fields in the most common planning forms, such as applications for official plan amendments and zoning by-law amendments, is an opportunity to provide greater consistency and support data analysis within the province.