The Mississippi Mills Council is holding a special meeting on April 1, 2026, to hear from the public about proposed changes to land use rules in the community’s rural villages and hamlets. The Special Committee of the Whole meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the plan, known as Official Plan Amendment 28.
This planning project focuses on the future of four rural villages: Appleton, Blakeney, Clayton, and Pakenham. The proposal includes updating rules for vacant land, commercial use, and local zoning. These updates are intended to help the municipality manage expected growth, with projections from Lanark County suggesting that Mississippi Mills will need about 154 new homes every year until 2051.
One of the major changes being recommended by the municipality involves how residents can divide their land. Currently, property owners in rural areas are limited to creating two residential lots per land holding (plus the retained parcel). The new proposal would increase this limit to three lots (plus the retained parcel), while also adding a one-time rule to prevent further divisions on those newly created properties. These suggestions were part of a review led by the consulting firm WSP Canada Inc.
The upcoming meeting follows a lengthy public feedback process that ran from March through December 2024, featuring open houses and community surveys. The proposed changes align with the town’s existing strategy, which aims to distribute growth between urban areas, rural lands, and rural settlements. Mayor Christa Lowry and the council invite residents to attend the meeting to share their thoughts on these updates and how they may affect the local rural character. Further details on the project and the Rural Villages and Rural Vitality framework are available on the municipal website.
