The Urban and Land-Use Planning Department keeps you informed

The Urban and Land-Use Planning Department would like to give you an update on what is currently mobilizing its greatest efforts: the processing of permit applications and the revision of the urban plan and by-laws.

Guides to help you with your permit procedures

Faced with an ever-increasing number of permit applications, the Department has worked hard to produce guidebooks for anyone embarking on a housing project. They are aimed at individuals, architects, designers and builders alike.

The purpose is to help you get started, depending on the type of project. The permit process may indeed seem arduous, but with these guides, we hope to make it easier for you to gather all the required documents. It is essential to submit a complete and admissible file so that the Department can process your application efficiently.

That is why, if you wish to submit an application or obtain information to this effect, we invite you to first consult the guide that applies to your project. It will help you to make sure you don’t forget anything in the procedure, and to find answers to your questions, such as the appropriate regulations, the documents you need to provide, the checks you need to make, the expert opinions you need to seek, etc.

Here is our list of guides, all of which can be found online on our website, on the “Urban Planning Guides” page in the section: Services to Citizens/Urban and Land-Use Planning Department/Urban Planning Guides. They can also be printed on request at the Town Hall reception desk.

• Guide – Architectural guide (in French only)
  Last March, the Town of Sutton adopted a brand-new architectural guide entitled “Architecture et aménagement du territoire à Sutton” (Architecture and Land Use in Sutton), with the aim of providing a reference framework in terms of architecture and land use for anyone wishing to undertake a construction or development project in harmony with the environment. The guide identifies four types of inhabited environment in Sutton: village cores, peri-urban developments, holiday resorts and agricultural areas. It suggests guiding principles for each.
• Guide – Regulatory framework for steep-slopes areas
  The document is a regulatory guide for areas with steep slopes (30% and more). It defines slope measurement methods and the types of work authorized, such as slope stabilization and replacement of existing structures. New constructions are restricted to specific distances from slopes to ensure safety. Measurements must be carried out by professionals, and must be accurate and evenly distributed.
• Guide – Help in searching information on a property
  This guide explains how to access the tools needed to verify and validate essential information about a property, before committing to a project: graphic matrix, planning regulations, natural development constraints, agricultural zoning or contaminated land.
• Guide – Preliminary analysis of a construction project
  Before submitting an application for a building permit, the Urban and Land-Use Planning Department suggests that you go through a preliminary analysis request, which summarizes for you all the documents required and the checks to be carried out. Please note! You will not receive confirmation of the validity and conformity of your project. You will only get a more detailed opinion that will enable you to prepare a complete permit application.
• Guide – Preliminary analysis of a residential or commercial development project
  A development project, whether residential or commercial, involves the construction of one or more main buildings and the subdivision of one or more lots (see exact definition in the document).
  Before submitting a permit application for such a project, the Urban and Land-Use Planning Department suggests that you go through a preliminary analysis request, which summarizes for you all the documents required and verifications to be made. Please note! You will not receive confirmation of the validity and conformity of your project. You will only get a more detailed opinion that will enable you to prepare a complete permit application.
• Guide – Certification for new commercial occupancy
  This guide explains the detailed procedure for applying for certification of authorization for a new commercial occupancy of a building: this authorization is required for any change of use or occupancy of a building or part of a building for non-residential purposes as a principal use, or by a micro-business. It is also required for any work to improve the premises, including exterior lighting or the installation of a sign.
• Guide – Certification for an accessory dwelling unit
  An accessory dwelling unit is a self-contained dwelling accessory to a main dwelling located inside a main building or in an accessory building located in the side or rear yards of a main building.
  This guide explains the conditions and detailed procedure to follow when applying for authorization for an accessory dwelling unit, depending on whether it is integrated into the main dwelling or detached from it.

Where do we stand with the revision of the urban plan and bylaws?

The Urban and Land-Use Planning Department is actively pursuing its work on the revision of the town’s urban plan and by-laws, in collaboration with the firm Arpent.

Several meetings were held over the summer to gather opinions, suggestions and comments from the public and experts. The reports on these consultations are available online on the Dream Sutton website, in the documents section of the Project entitled “Urban Plan and By-Laws Revision Process“:

Report on the open house evening of May 28, 2024 (in French only)

Report on the exploratory walk on Principale Street of June 10, 2024 (in French only)

Minutes of the focus group on agriculture in Sutton of August 6, 2024 (in French only)

Since this important consultation work, the preliminary versions of the urban plan and by-laws are being developed in cooperation with the Arpent firm. They will be made public in early 2025. The public will then be invited to examine them, and public consultation sessions will be held to discuss their content.

You are invited to keep up to date with the entire process on the Dream Sutton website, and to read the information documents that may be added.

A central email address for all inquiries and permits

In addition, in order to better distribute the workload among the members of the Urban Planning and Development Department, a central email address is now assigned to all new requests for permits and certifications: please send all requests for information or permits to [email protected]. A person will then be assigned to your file.

URBAN AND LAND-USE PLANNING DEPARTMENT
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 450 538-2290, option 1