The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

continued from p.1 Dana Anderson, Oakville planning director, told council after more than two years and "several laps around the track, we are now in the home stretch." She said extensive research and analysis, three drafts and much community consultation has resulted in a "made-in-Oakville bylaw for Oakville." Some key changes include refining rules around lot coverage in established residential areas, such as on properties along the lake. Another is on mixed-use zoning in designated growth areas like Bronte Village and the Uptown Core. This aims to encourage ground-floor office and retail uses in new development by prohibiting construction of residential units in portions of a building that directly front a public street. The new rules set minimum and maximum building heights in various growth areas. The bylaw also specifies what types of employment should be permitted on existing and undeveloped employment lands, defining them under four designations: office employment, business employment, industrial and business commercial. Additional permitted uses and restrictions were also incorporated into the inZone -- such as allowing existing service commercial uses like restaurants, banks and drive-through facilities in business employment areas while banning them on other employment lands. Anderson said more than 200 definitions for terms used in the bylaw have been added to make zoning interpretations easier. She said Livable Oakville sets out policies to protect the Town's Natural Heritage System, provide an economic prosperity framework, direct growth and intensification and preserve `Made-in-Oakville bylaw': Town planning director and maintain the character of stable residential areas. Meanwhile, inZone provides set rules and provisions with clear definitions to achieve those policies. During discussion, numerous councillors supported moving Livable Oakville into action. Ward 5 Councillor Jeff Knoll said council has "rigorously debated" the rules over nearly three years and now has a comprehensive document to which residents can refer. "It's so user-friendly... this is such a great example of how I think governance and legislation should go forward to make it so simple for people who simply want to understand what their rights are on property. They can look at diagrams and drawings, clear tables and concise, clear text," he said. Ten delegates voiced concern about the proposed rules, including John Vail of Real Estate Strategies Ltd., who called the proposed changes an "assault on small businesses in town." In the materials presented on business and commercial use, he said he counted 54 use permissions no longer permitted in those areas, but allowed in other parts of town. Vail said it flies in the face of Livable Oakville, which states key objectives that include maximizing opportunity for residents to work in Oakville, maintaining a healthy tax base and achieving the goal of a balanced and complete community. "I really don't understand how the Town can interpret Livable Oakville, which is supposed to be live, work, play," he said, calling changes "red carpet wrapped up in red tape." Longtime Oakville resident Dr. Murray Hassard, who has a business in Bronte, said he's frustrated with inconsistent height restrictions. Over the last two to three decades, he said his property's height restrictions have gone up and down. Hassard said for long-term investment in Oakville to work, there needs to be "continuity and predictability." "I appreciate the tremendous amount of work gone into the proposal. The 500 pages are very impressive, but it started on the wrong premise. It didn't ask the question, `What would make Oakville more livable and how can we make the community better?' as the first premise. By coming from the top down like this, it's so frustrating for the businesses trying to stay in Bronte," he said, adding small businesses need some consideration and the height restriction of two-storeys in the Bronte area seems too low. The new bylaw applies to all lands in Oakville south of Dundas Street and north of Hwy. 407. Livable Oakville was unanimously adopted by council on June 22, 2009, approved with modifications by Halton Region on Nov. 30, 2009, and ultimately approved by the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) May 10, 2011. For more information, visit www.oakville.ca/ townhall/zoning-by-law-2014-014.html or contact ServiceOakville at serviceoakville@oakville. ca or 905-845-6601. 3 | Wednesday, March 5, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Helping You Make Smart Decisions About Your Money Voted Number 1 Financial Planner 10 Years inside today's Editorial Sports Beaver www.insideHALTON.com 6 19 Artscene Classified 18 21 Listen Up Canada Real Estate Reitman's Lowes Canada Sportclips Canada National Sports Staples Home Depot West of the City Peter Watson MBA, CFP, R.F.P., CIM, FCSI Certified Financial Planner SINCE 1991 *All flyers not necessarily delivered to all homes For home delivery & customer service call 905-631-6095, 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington New subscriptions call 905-631-6095 or subscribe online @ www.oakvillebeaver.com 220 Randall Street · Downtown Oakville Phone: 905.842.2100 www.peterwatsoninvestments.com Don't Compromise on Driver Training March 10, 11, 12, 13 March 8, 9, 15, 16 April 5, 6, 12, 13 March Break Course March Break Course 2 Weekends 4 days 2 Weekends 9:30 am to 3:30pm 9:30am to 3:30pm 9:30am to 3:30pm Winter Special: (BFF) Bring a friend and both Save $100.00 UPCOMING COURSES www.drivewiseoakville.com 905-845-7200