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Home > Citizen Services > Planning Department > Minor Variance
HOW TO REQUEST A MINOR VARIANCE PRESENTING THE REQUEST
A minor variance request begins with a letter from the applicant to the Director of the Planning Department. This letter must clearly explain why a minor variance is being requested. A phone number where the applicant can be reached must be included in the letter. In addition, three (3) sets of plans and a cheque for $100 (non-refundable) for residential requests (4-dwellings or less) ; or $500 (non-refundable) for commercial, industrial or multifamily requests, payable to the City of Pointe-Claire, must also be submitted with the letter. To be considered, a complete request must be submitted to the Planning Department at least 3 weeks before the meeting of the Planning Advisory Committee (PAC).
A second, separate cheque for $250 + $100 per additional derogation item, should also be submitted at this time for publication fees: if the minor variance request is refused by the Pointe-Claire council, the cheque will be returned to the applicant. In the case of a positive response, the cheque will be cashed and used to cover the publication costs.
Note: Should someone other than the property owner request the minor variance, written authorization from the property owner is required.
PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE (PAC)
The Director presents the request at a Planning Advisory Committee (P.A.C.) meeting. These closed-door meetings take place every 4 to 5 weeks throughout the year. The P.A.C. which is comprised of citizens, a Council member, a planning consultant and various department directors, will review the request. Following this meeting, a report will be presented to Council for consideration during a caucus meeting.
COUNCIL'S DECISION BASED ON PAC RECOMMENDATIONS
Council will then:
- Request additional information. The property owner will be contacted and will be asked to submit the necessary documents;
OR -
Agree to continue with the minor variance procedure. The property owner will receive a written response and will be required to provide payment for the publication fees (non-refundable), if it has not already been done;
OR -
Not agree to continue with the minor variance procedure. The property owner will receive a written response as to why the request was refused.
PUBLICATION
Once the second cheque of $250 (+100 per additional item) has been cashed, a notice will be published in a local newspaper stating when the request will be presented to Council for their consideration.
DECISION BY COUNCIL
After due consideration at the public meeting, Council will take a decision concerning the minor variance request. The applicant will receive a copy of the resolution from the City Clerk and, if the response is favourable, can then complete their request for a building permit, subdivision permit, or certificate of authorization by submitting the necessary plans to the Planning Department.
IMPORTANT POINTS TO CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING AN APPLICATION :
- There is no guarantee that a minor variance request will be granted by Council,
- The minor variance procedure takes 3 to 4 months to complete,
- The minimum non-refundable cost is $350 for residential requests (buildings of 1 to 4 dwelling units), and $750 for industrial, commercial and multi-family projects.
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