Sample Analysis
The analysis leads. The likelihood follows.
A real DATUM report reads like a planner's brief: property summary, then a criterion-by-criterion analysis, and only at the end — once the case has been made — the approval likelihood as a conclusion, not a headline. Every report closes with the single change most likely to maximize your property's value.
Preliminary Site Feasibility Analysis
Criteria analysis
Conclusion
Modelled against 41 comparable applications and the current Official Plan. The one soft spot is parking: reducing the ratio to match the ward's 2024 minor-variance precedent would raise the likelihood to an estimated 86%.
Recommended approval pathway
Deviations are within the range the Committee of Adjustment can approve against the four tests of a minor variance.
- 1Minor variance application
- 2Site plan approval
- 3Building permit
Site envelope
The analyst's read
- The proposed multi-unit residential is a permitted use in R3. No use-based rezoning is required — the file is a variance, not a full application.
- At an FSI of 0.85, density is within the as-of-right envelope; the modest unit count sits comfortably against the zone's permitted 0.90.
- Setbacks and coverage are compliant, and the 3-storey height is well within the zone's envelope — no massing or shadow issues expected.
- No environmental or hazard-land constraints were flagged, which keeps the study list — and the circulation timeline — short.
- Parking is the weak point: 9 spaces provided against roughly 12 required. Without a transit justification this is the proposal's most contested element.
What we'd do next
- Commission a parking justification / TDM study — the neighbouring ward accepted a reduced ratio with one on file in 2024.
- Book a pre-consultation to confirm the study list before spending on the full drawing set.
- Lead the planning rationale with the 8 units of housing supply — it aligns with Whitby's growth targets and the Provincial Planning Statement.
Adding the missing spaces or filing a TDM justification is the single change that moves this file — and this property's value — most. It lifts the weakest criterion from "needs attention" toward compliance and de-risks the staff report. Modelled uplift: 78% → 86%.
Illustrative sample. Preliminary estimates are generated from typical Ontario by-law standards and comparable applications; they are not planning opinions or legal advice, and site-specific by-laws govern. A registered planner reviews every engaged file.