Official Plan - Land Use Policy

Proposed Official Plan Land Use Policy (OPA 194)

The proposed Residential Corridor land use policy aims to focus exclusively on housing to optimize infrastructure use, promote residential intensification (e.g. townhouses, stacked rowhouses, and mid-rise apartments), and provide connectivity between mixed-use areas and residential neighbourhoods. The designation is intended to direct growth along arterial and collector roads where frequent transit service is available, helping to increase the range and mix of housing options. The initiative also responds to the Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) 2024, which came into effect on October 20, 2024, and mandates that municipalities facilitate intensification and housing diversity.

OPEN HOUSE: The Planning Department will host public open house sessions on Tuesday April 22, 2025 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm at City Hall – (Meeting Room 204; 350 City Hall Square West, Windsor Ontario N9A 1J3) to present the proposed Official Plan Amendment policies. Alternatively, a virtual session will also be held on Tuesday April 22, 2025 from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

NOTE: If any additional information is required regarding this matter, please contact Frank Garardo Planner III – Policy and Special Studies, Planning Department Development Division at fgarardo@citywindsor.ca or 519-255-6543 x6446.

Public Engagement Opportunities:

We invite you to read the Council Report and attend the upcoming meeting to learn more about the project. We welcome all feedback and encourage you to stay informed by subscribing to our mailing list!

Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) 2024

The Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) provides direction on matters of provincial interest related to land use planning and development and sets the policy foundation for regulating the development and use of land in Ontario.

The vision of the PPS focuses growth and development within urban settlement areas, that land use must be carefully managed to accommodate appropriate development to meet the full range of current and future needs, while achieving efficient development patterns. Planning authorities are encouraged to permit and facilitate a range of housing options, including residential intensification, to respond to current and future needs. Land use patterns should promote a mix of housing, including opportunities for infill and intensification that support a broad range of housing options.

Please visit the Citizens Guide to Land Use Planning for further information on Municipal Planning:

https://www.ontario.ca/document/citizens-guide-land-use-planning

Official Plans

The Official Plan is a guiding document that sets the municipalities overall planning goals and policies for future land use and development. The Official Plan provides guidance for the physical development of the municipality over a 20-year period while taking into consideration important social, economic and environmental matters and goals. As such, the City of Windsor Official Plan provides the policy framework that will guide the following:

• Where new development can locate
• How existing and future neighbourhoods will be strengthened
• How Windsor's environment will be enhanced
• What municipal services, such as roads, water mains, sewers and parks, will be provided
• When and in what order Windsor will grow

Further information on the OFFICIAL PLAN can be found at the following link:

https://www.citywindsor.ca/residents/planning/plans-and-community-information/windsor-official-plan

Benefits of Establishing the Residential Corridor Designation

The Residential Corridor Land Use Designation in the Official Plan would serve as a key policy tool to encourage a range of affordable housing types, such as townhomes, mid-rise apartments, in strategically located corridors.

Location Criteria

The Residential Corridor designation is intended to guide development in areas where growth can be thoughtfully integrated with existing infrastructure. Residential Corridor policies would ideally be located on certain collector and arterial roads where full municipal services and frequent transit opportunities are available or planned to be available. Furthermore the locations should be well positioned to connect to mixed use areas, ensuring that development serves as a transition from low density residential areas to higher density mixed use areas.

Evaluation Policy

The purpose of the evaluation policies is to provide a framework for assessing new developments within a residential corridor. The policies outline considerations and criteria to be used when reviewing development applications. The policy reflects an evaluation based on certain criteria including the existing parcel fabrics as it relates to lot sizes, lot depths, massing, and the relationship to adjacent buildings.

Residential Corridor Range of Permitted Uses

The permitted uses focus on residential forms that complement the surrounding areas including low profile residential development and smaller multiple dwellings. The policy would include some flexibility for permitting medium and higher density development within residential corridors in carefully considered circumstances, particularly where there is opportunity for growth without disrupting the established parcel fabrics.