by Cam Richardson, Director, Regulatory and Ratepayers
We all love our beloved cottages, and we all love our pristine Pointe au Baril’s natural setting. Well, like all great love affairs, sometimes these two loves don’t always dovetail naturally! Enter, the Comprehensive Zoning By-Laws. (CZBL’s). The bottom line is we need
- regulations to keep excessive building and over-development out and
- our human footprint in keeping with the magic that is Pointe au Baril – a natural and well-managed paradise.
- We do not want what has happened further south of us to creep north.
The rules are fair, the rules are reasonable, and the rules have been rigorously vetted by your PaBIA Regulatory and Ratepayer Committee. Based on the most recent member survey, input has been provided to the Township as they conduct their review of the CZBLs and prepare their updated plan that should have a public hearing later this summer. PaBIA’s Regulatory and Ratepayer Committee supports the CZBL’s purpose and serves to recommend compliance. Here are some of the highlights:
- Included as part of the property owner’s total lot coverage; all roofed structures, structures under 100 sq. ft., saunas, pumphouses, and decks.
- You need a building permit for the following buildings, the main cottage (contains the only kitchen), 3 Sleeping Cabins within 540 sq. ft., an accessory building (cannot exceed the floor area of the main cottage building), and a boathouse.
- Buildings allowed without a building permit but that still count as part of the overall lot coverage calculation: Marine Storage, Pump House, Sauna, Woodshed, Deck with roof, etc. – these must be under 100 sq. ft. to qualify.
Next time I will outline how to calculate the lot coverage so stay tuned!