GLAMPING SITE PLAN APPROVALS & BUILDING PERMITS

 Glamping offers a tourism opportunity.  

Glamping is a small-scale private luxury camping facility that consists of low-density small-scale private rental cabin establishments. Glamping is a style of camping with amenities and is a portmanteau of "glamorous" and "camping".   Glamping is an exciting trend to connect with nature for outdoor recreation and enjoy luxury in nature while experiencing peace and calm glamping provides tourism opportunities to rural areas. Glamping has become very popular with people seeking adventure recreation of camping along with modern amenities in a variety of accommodations such as cabins, treehouses, yurts, and tents including geodesic dome-style tents and "A" frame camping tents, secluded among the trees, on elevated wooden decks. Short-term Glamping Rental has become a thriving and lucrative market in Ontario. Glamping enables outdoor enthusiasts to stay enthused, comfortable, and cozy.

We design geodesic domes will have full servicing which includes connection to well water and onsite sewage disposal (septic) system. Typical geodesic domes are 4.5m high 6m x 6m canvas structures with a bed, a small propane stove, a sitting area, a small kitchenette, and a bathroom with a shower and toilet.  Glamping geodesic domes are typically anchored to an elevated wooden deck. 

The raised wooden deck may host a private hot tub, lounging chairs, and a hammock.

We design "A" frame units that share a communal washroom and kitchen facility but no sewage and water connection. Typical A-frame units are 3m x 3m in size and made of cedar shake. These A-frame units may have a bed, electricity and private chairs, and hammocks. A communal washroom building and a shared outdoor kitchen may be available for the guests to use.

Free-standing geodesic domes don’t require a foundation. 

 If Official Plans do not permit accommodation uses such as private campgrounds and rental cabin establishments, an Official Plan Amendment may be required to have Glamping. 

 If the existing Zoning Bylaw permits the uses that include private campgrounds, rental cabin establishments, retreats, temporary dwellings, short-term rentals, hotels, and motels, a Zoning By-Law Amendment (ZBA) may not be required to have a Glampsite. 

Luxury miniature glamping/camping huts, cabins, geodesic domes, yurt tents, and pods under the stars have been in high demand since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The size of a Glamping Suite varies from municipality to municipality, depending on standards set out in zoning by-laws.

Some municipalities have minimum size requirements, while others have maximum size requirements. For example, some municipal by-laws require a Glamping Suite to be 37 sq.m. (400 sq.ft.) or less.

In all cases, a Glamping Suite cannot be smaller than the minimum required size set out in Ontario’s Building Code, which is 17.5 sq.m. (188 sq.ft.).

 Some lots will not work for Glamping.

Local zoning by-laws may not permit Glamping without further

municipal approval.

 Municipal planning and building departments will confirm whether Glamping could be added or built on a particular property and answer questions related to the Building Code, Zoning By-laws, site servicing and building permit application.

 Some of the important things to discuss with the municipality about Glamping include:

municipal zoning requirements that apply to the property

designing Glamping to comply with the Building Code

getting necessary building permits

required building inspections during construction

parking requirements

size requirements for Glamping

The lot must have adequate access for emergency services such as firefighting and Emergency Medical Services.

Typical small-scale glamping locations are vacant forestlands (woodlands) secluded among the trees, overlooking a waterfront 

A lot suitable for glamping must have hydro (electricity) along the front lot line to provide electricity to well water pump, septic pump, lighting fixtures, Internet/Wifi, hot tub, etc. A glamping site must be accessible by a well-maintained year-round municipal road and have an onsite parking area and onsite access to accommodate emergency services. 

To minimize light pollution and enhance the glamping experience, we avoid proposing exterior lighting for glamping  We always propose glamping outside of any significant woodland areas to prevent any environmental impacts. 

 Use of snowmobiles and ATVs is not permitted at most of the Glamping Sites in Ontario unless the glamping site is located along an official ATV and snowmobile trail.  All fire pits will need to comply with the municipal burn bylaw.  

Any new land uses including Glamping Sites must comply with the minimum distance separation formulae (MDS). In the absence of any loss of woodlands as a result of development, a small-scale Glamping Site leverages the rural amenities and assets of the property, promotes rural diversification of the regional economic base, and supports the enhancement of the tourism opportunities in the area and will not negatively impact any adjacent farms and/or the rural landscape. 

 Guests park in the Parking Area at the glamping site and walk to the rental unit to check-in.  Entire perimeter of most of the rural sites in Ontario are bounded by trees and provide a significant natural vegetative buffer from adjacent uses. 

When we design a glamping, we utilize the rural character of the area and leveraging the rural amenities and assets to showcase the rural area.  We design Glampsites to blend in with the rural environment. 

Our Glampsite design will not compete with rural landscapes as our Glamping designs are typically tucked away from the road and towards the back of the property adjacent to treelines.  Stormwater runoff for glamping is allowed to sheet flow overland to pervious areas as the existing and proposed impervious area on a glamping site is very low. 

Our licensed professional engineers and architectural designers understand the Ontario Building Cose and municipal Zoning Bylaw requirements to establish sites to have luxury fully equipped miniature glamping/camping huts, cabins, geodesic domes, yurt tents, and pods in any municipality in Ontario.

Prior to setting up a glamping site check the applicable Zoning By-Laws to make sure a glamping site is permitted as there may be zoning bylaws that restrict the usage of a lot.

Since the predominant lands outside of settlement areas are agricultural lands and woodlands, the predominant land uses within Rural Ontario are agriculture, wetlands and forestry. Typical rural properties in Ontario are zoned Rural (RU), Agricultural (A), and Environmental Protection (EP), and permitted uses may include Agricultural uses, Bed & Breakfast, and Single Detached Dwellings.
Zoning By-Law Amendment (ZBA) and Site Plan Approval (SPA) are typically required in any municipality in Ontario to have a Glamping Site in a Rural Area in Ontario.  

Since glamping is not included in any municipal Zoning Bylaw in Ontario as a permitted use, check the municipal zoning bylaw to identify a permitted use that potentially fits glamping.  Then check the definitions section of the zoning bylaw to confirm glamping is permitted.  Depending on the definitions defined in the municipal Zoning bylaws, glamping usage is permitted in recreational accommodation uses such as private campgrounds, lodges/resorts, rental cabin establishments, passive and active recreational facilities, and associated commercial and residential uses.   

Accommodation uses such as private campgrounds and rental cabin establishments require Zoning By-law Amendments. 

The Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) issued under Section 3 of the Planning Act provides policy direction on matters of provincial interest related to land use planning and development. Under provisions of the Planning Act comments, submissions, or advice that affect a planning matter “shall be consistent with” the Provincial Policy Statement.  The Provincial Policy Statement is based on three fundamental planning themes, specifically, “Building Strong Communities”, “Wise Use and Management of Resources” and “Protecting Public Health and Safety”.

The Provincial Policy Statement identifies
“rural areas as important to the economic success of the Province and our quality of life”; 
"healthy, integrated and viable rural areas should be supported by building upon rural character, and leveraging rural amenities and assets";
"providing opportunities for sustainable and diversified tourism, including leveraging historical, cultural, and natural assets";
"On rural lands located in municipalities, permitted include resource-based recreational uses (including recreational dwellings) Recreational, tourism and other economic opportunities should be promoted and that development that is compatible with the rural landscape and can be sustained by rural service levels should be promoted";  

Cultures from prehistory to modern times constructed domed dwellings using local materials. Brick domes from the ancient Near East and corbelled stone domes have been found from Western Asia to Western Europe. A geodesic dome is a hemispherical thin-shell structure (lattice-shell) based on a geodesic polyhedron. The rigid triangular elements of the geodesic dome distribute stress throughout the structure, making geodesic domes able to withstand very heavy loads for their size. Geodesic domes are more than a visually striking dwelling. Geodesic domes are very versatile, durable, and energy-efficient dwellings.

When you double the diameter of a glamping geodesic dome tent, you quadruple the floor area and produce eight times the indoor air volume. A 5m (16ft) glamping geodesic dome tent which costs about $7,000 provides about 18sq.m.(200sq.ft)of living space while a 6m (20ft) glamping geodesic dome tent which costs about $8,000 provides about 29sq.m.(315sq.ft) of living space. A large 7.9m (26ft) glamping geodesic dome tent which costs about $10,000, provides about 49sq.m.(530sq.ft.) of living space.

Typical glamping geodesic dome tents consist of hot galvanized steel tubing with plastic coating, commercial grade glass & aluminum doors with locking abilities, solid waterproof, UV-protected, and fire-retardant PVC Geo Dome cover with large transparent bay windows on the front, and a large stargazer window at the top and center, 4 opening porthole windows with bug screens for airflow, and pre-cut and sealed openings for the solar fan and chimney pipe. Typical glamping geodesic dome tents can withstand a wind load of up to 120km/h and a snow load of up to 50 kg/sq.m. Glamping geodesic dome tents can be equipped with wood flooring, sub-zero cotton or aluminum insulation, a wood stove, a chimney kit adapter, and a solar ventilator fan. Wood stoves are the most efficient way to heat glamping geodesic dome tents.

Geodesic domes come in different colours and a green dome covering would better blend into the natural scenery.

Geodesic Domes can be placed on footings or a foundation built according to the Ontario Building Code.

A Geodesic Dome can also be secured to its site by complying with the standard: CSA-Z240.10.1-08 “Site Preparation, Foundation and Anchorage of Manufactured Homes”.

 SEPTIC DESIGN FOR GLAMPING
Geodesic Domes must have necessary servicing such as water and sanitary. A Geodesic Dome can have a variety of septic systems including grey water pits, compostable toilets, privy, etc. For more information on the different options please contact your municipality. 

Typically we design a communal Class 4 septic system fro glamping  Each geodesic domes will each have a gravity sewage line connected to a centralized manhole.  The manhole will include a sewage grinder pump which will pump the sewage via low pressure forcemain toward the new septic tank. 

 As per the septic design requirements, the size of a non-residential septic tank is to be equal to 3 times of the daily flow.
Assuming the average daily sewage flow generally occurs over a 12-hr period this translates into a peak sewage flow of less than 0.25 L/s. Typically we propose individual 125 mm (5") dia. Enviro-Tite SRD28 sanitary sewer connections (or Approved Equal) with a full flow capacity of 10 L/s for glamping at a minimum grade of 1% and a minimum velocity of 0.75 m/s to provide sufficient sewage capacity.  

The preliminary daily sewage flow for the glamping can be calculated from Section 17, Table 8.2.1.3.B of the Ontario Building Code (OBC) as follows: - Per Geodesic Dome with water and sewer hookup = 425 L/day/dome.

The gravity sewer line requires cleanouts every 15 m as per the OBC and drains to a central manhole complete with a sewage grinder pump. Sewage is pumped via low pressure forcemain toward the new septic tank and bed. 

A sewage pump such as the eOne DH150 (or equivalent) can pump up to 5,675 L/day and would be large enough to pump at 1 L/s up to 6m of vertical head between the pump and tank.

DOMESTIC WATER FOR GLAMPING
Typically we propose a communal water system to have potable water supplied by a new domestic water well a minimum of 15 m from the septic beds for glamping.

 Water pumping and/or filtration equipment are typically located within a small maintenance building and new 25 mm distribution lines are extended to each of the geodesic domes.

Our fee for preparing a concept plan, 

and apply and attend a pre-consultation meeting to create a glamping site to have glamping/camping huts, cabins, geodesic domes, yurt tents, and/or pods is 

$2,985+ HST.

For Additional Information regarding planning approval process to have glamping site in Ontario please contact the following Key Players of Our Glamping Design Team:

• Miaoyi Xue, P.Eng,
• Joo Min Park, MEng, P.Eng.
• Saloni Khoja, B.Arch.
• Edgar Labuac, P.Eng
• Weiming Lin, B.Eng
• Rui Cong Xia, B.ASc(Civil)
• Yuen Yu Ng, B.S.Sc (Arch)
• Hoi Ching So, B.S.Sc (Arch)
• Liu Sun, B.Des (Arch)

LAND & BUILDING EXPERTS

Land Line: 416 332 1743

After Hours / Text Messages: 416 727 8336

Email: landbuildex@gmail.com 

We prepare all the required 

drawings, 

plans and 

reports 

in support of

• Site Plan Control / Approval
• Re-zoning application
• Zoning By‐law amendments
• Official Plan Amendment;