our services

Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment, Plan of Subdivision, and Site Plan Applications

WND Associates has over 40 years of experience in assisting its clients navigate the complex Municipal and Provincial approvals process for all types of development including, but not limited to:

• Low-Rise, Mid-Rise and High-Rise Residential and Mixed-Use Buildings
• Infill and “Greenfield” Townhouses
• Commercial Office Buildings
• Retail Commercial
• Industrial
• Institutional
• Cemeteries
• Low-rise Plans of Subdivision, Including Subdivision Design
• Large-Scale Master Planning
• Secondary Plans

Through our knowledge and experience, and our network of professional contacts, we are uniquely equipped to guide our clients through each phase of the process including:

• Feasibility Analysis/Due Diligence
• Consulting Team Selection and Co-ordination
• Conceptual Design and Development (in collaboration with the project design team)
• Subdivision Design
• Pre-consultation with Approval Authorities
• Preparation of Required Planning Reports/Materials, including:
  • Planning Rationale Reports
  • Avenue Segment/Corridor/Area Studies
  • Community Services and Facilities Studies
  • Housing Issues Reports
  • Urban Design Reports/Guidelines
  • Precinct/Block Plans
  • Public Consultation Plans
  • Shadow Studies
  • Visual Impact Analysis
  • Draft Official Plans and/or Zoning By-laws
• Application Preparation and Submission
• Attendance and Presentation at Public/Community Meetings
• Post-submission Application Follow-up and Re-submission
• Attendance and Presentation at Councils and Committees
• Drafting and Co-ordinating the Finalization of Official Plan Amendments and/or Zoning By-laws

WND Associates is well known for its work on projects both large and small. WND has significant experience assisting builders and home owners with obtaining the necessary Planning approvals for renovations, additions, or new replacement dwellings in municipalities throughout the Greater Toronto Area, which often require Minor Variances or Consents to sever land through the local Committee of Adjustment. The professionals at WND are well-versed in the increasingly complex Committee of Adjustment Approval process and are well-informed with respect to emerging infill trends in various neighbourhoods experiencing rapid revitalization, and can assist in advising the best approach to achieve an approval. Our services include, but are not limited to:

• Conceptual Design and Development (in collaboration with the project architect)
• Pre-consultation with Municipal Planning Departments and Committees of Adjustment
• Public Outreach and Communication Strategies
• Planning Rationale Preparation
• Application Co-ordination, Preparation and Submission
• Post-Submission Processing
• Presentation at Committees of Adjustment

The development approvals process is often prone to differing opinions on what should or should not be approved. Whether it be as a result of delay, refusal or third-party appeal, applications often require adjudication through the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) or Toronto Local Appeal Body (which hears Minor Variance and Consent appeals in the City of Toronto only). Mediation through the OLT and TLAB is also an increasingly important part of the appeal process. WND Associates is well-known in the industry for acting as our clients’ independent professional planners at hearings and mediation proceedings. Our services include, but are not limited to:

• Preparing Research, including Written and Visual Evidence, for Hearings
• Preparing or Assisting the Project Solicitor with Preparation of Hearing Materials
• Providing Strategic Advice
• Providing Professional Planning Evidence to Tribunal Panels

WND Associates’ unique familiarity with respect to the evolution of the policy framework in Ontario makes us uniquely qualified to assist clients involved in expropriation and lease arbitration matters, which often requires an understanding of past policy frameworks and approval environments, sometimes extending back many years. This knowledge is supplemented by our extensive planning library which allows WND to go “back in time” and prepare reports that assist appraisers with their valuation assumptions at certain key dates. WND is also able to prepare conceptual development scenarios that aid this research.

WND Associates often assists its clients during their due diligence or site-selection phase so that they understand the opportunities, as well as the risks, associated with a potential acquisition. WND’s Preliminary Planning Opinion Reports provide a summary of the existing and emerging planning framework for a particular site, and provides guidance with respect to possible development options and the potential issues that could arise through the approval process. Our team of urban designers are also able to quickly and cost-effectively prepare high level development massing concepts to assist with understanding various development options.

WND Associates has assisted various Municipalities and Regional/County governments with the technical review of land use planning and urban design reports and supporting studies. WND’s years of diverse experience allows us to quickly and efficiently review submitted materials for completeness, accuracy and review any findings against industry best practices and standards. WND has provided extensive peer-review services on a number of matters, including but not limited to:

• Visual Impact Analysis Reports and Studies;
• Planning Justification Reports;
• Urban Design Guidelines;
• Architectural Control Guidelines;
• Urban Design Briefs; and
• Incremental Shadow Impact Studies;

Solar access and exposure to light are rapidly becoming major drivers of overall project-design in urban areas. WND Associates has extensive experience in the preparation and review of Incremental Shadow Analysis Studies across the Greater Toronto Area, either as part of typical application requirements or on a standalone basis. WND is able to work with proponents and architects to develop massing programs that minimize potential incremental shadow impacts and provide on-the-fly commentary as to the impact of any incremental shadows.

Our experienced in-house Staff make use of the latest software and are able to quickly ‘build-out’ contextual areas based on as-of-right Municipal polices and regulations.

WND Associates is also regularly engaged by landowners to review development applications and provide independent analysis of potential incremental shadow impacts to their property. As part of this exercise, WND often reviews studies submitted by the proponent for accuracy and against industry best practices.