Council voted to remove proposed regulation of signage, and add protections around well fields drilled for the Town of Pictou’s water supply that are within county boundaries. The longest discussion was over the proposed S1 or Shoreline Zone. S1 would have strict rules about development, and would apply to much of the county’s shoreline as well as watershed areas such as Forbes Lake. Councillor Randy Palmer objected to the S1 zone as presented in the draft maps, noting that the criteria used to apply the zone led to an inconsistent patchwork of rules, with some areas coming under the new zone while close-by areas did not.
Pictou County Municipal Building
After much debate, council voted 10-2 to remove the S1 zoning except in watershed areas, putting them under the more general G1 Rural Use Zone. Warden Robert Parker says that while the S1 Zone has been scaled back, there is always the possibility to make changes.
Council voted 9-3 to send the amended Land Use By-Law to second reading, which will be at their next meeting on March 3rd.