The City of Burnaby has an in-depth process for rezoning land. Rezoning applications are reviewed at several levels from planning divisions, City Council and public hearings. All rezoning applications are processed by the City’s Planning and Building Department.
Rezoning a property in Burnaby involves multiple steps. We’ve listed the steps you need to take to get your project going, and explain how and when Simple Sign can help facilitate this process for you.
How to Apply for a Rezoning Permit in Burnaby
Step 1: Identify and Review your Zoning District and Regulations
Every property in Burnaby has legal zoning regulations with respective by-laws on the types of buildings and operations that are allowed on the property. Check out this map provided by the City in order to find the zoning regulations for your land. Review the applicable zoning by-laws for your property listed in the city’s Zoning Bylaw Page to verify your proposed project.
Step 2: Schedule a Pre-Application Meeting
Before submitting your rezoning application, it may be in your interest to schedule a preliminary discussion with the Planning Division. You are not obligated to complete this in the rezoning process, but these meetings allow for the refinement of your application to reduce the chance of potential issues later on. It’s recommended that you bring any plans or sketches for the property that you have, and a clear idea of what zoning regulation you are applying for.
Step 3: Prepare and Submit Your Rezoning Application
The rezoning application document is available online on the City’s website here, or at the Burnaby City Hall. After reviewing your proposal and conducting any pre-application meetings, make the final edits to your application with considerations made from meetings with the public and any tenants. Ensuring the completeness of your application can result in a quicker turnaround time as you won’t have to deal with revisions.
Once the proposal for your property has been finalized, you can submit the formal rezoning application to Burnaby’s Planning Division. The application undergoes a technical review by the planning division, City Council and other agencies. The period until you receive approval depending on several factors such as project complexity, missing information, or revisions.
Step 4: Review and Referral of Your Rezoning Application
The City of Burnaby conducts a detailed review of each application and may request feedback from the public on the proposed project. The City may refer the application for public consultation if they think it is appropriate. During the consideration stage, the City will request for the rezoning applicant to install one or more rezoning signs on their property that notifies other landowners and community members of your plans.
If the Council is preparing the bylaw, they will send the applicant a letter to outline how many signs are required and also the exact text which should be included on the rezoning sign(s). This process often means dealing with the hassles of approval, dealing with sign shops, and the annoyance of building frames to display your signs properly.
The team at Simple Sign can use this letter from the planning division to create the graphic design for the sign and install the rezoning sign quickly and at a competitive price point.
Simple Sign is also able to proof any rezoning sign information to ensure it meets requirements and submit sign information directly to city planners for approval.
We guarantee the installation of rezoning signs within 3 business days, removing the burden of handling signage design and installation from your busy schedule.
Step 5: Rezoning Application Meetings and Hearings
The proposed changes to the property are reviewed and a policy report is generated. This report will include an assessment and recommendation for City Council. A meeting with the Planning Division is scheduled where you can discuss your proposal and address concerns from the Planning Division and the public on your plans.
Following the Planning Division review, the report and consensus is forwarded to the City Council for further analysis.This step may result in your project being allowed to proceed, denied or need referral back to the City for additional analysis and revisions.
For rezonings that require by-law changes, the City of Burnaby holds public hearings at which analysis and final decisions on rezoning applications occur with input from the community.
Changes to the status of the application during this period of review may result in the need for an updated rezoning sign at the property.
In these cases, Simple Sign provides an updated rezoning sign patch, rather than changing the entire sign.
This ensures your requested changes are made quickly and cost-effectively.
There is no limit to the number of patches that can be applied to your sign, so make changes as you see fit.
Step 6: Issuance of Rezoning Permit and Development Application
Following the approval of your Rezoning Application, you are eligible to apply for a development permit. Check out Simple Sign’s Guide on Applying for a Development Permit in Burnaby to learn more about proceeding with your project.
When it’s time for the switch to a property development sign, removal service is always included in Simple Sign’s all-inclusive sign package for locally installed signs. Instead of your sign ending up in a landfill, we will recycle and reuse all sign materials.
