Planning and Development Division

Division Profile

Planning and Development is responsible for land use management in the City of Niagara Falls. Growth is directed through a long range planning document called the Official Plan while development is regulated through Zoning By-Laws.

Amendments to the Official Plan and Zoning By-Laws are considered at Planning Meetings held once a month by City Council. Minor Variances or simple changes to the Zoning By-Laws are considered by the Committee of Adjustment.

New growth occurs through the Subdivision Process to create new streets, lots for houses and blocks for apartments, parks and schools. The section is also responsible for Severance and Consent applications to create individual lots where roads and services exist.

The City is divided into 11 communities in order to monitor Statistics on Housing, Population and future Land Supply.

Planning for the City's needs must have regard to Environmental and Heritage Architecture issues among other matters.

Various Mapping is maintained showing road layouts and development, as well as, land use opportunities and constraints.

The Planning and Development Division has 15 professional, technical and administrative members to review Applications and to respond to land use matters.

New Environmental Policies

The environmental policies in the City's Official Plan have been in place, with some amendment, since approval of the Plan in 1993. In response to the Provincial initiatives and the recent approval of new environmental policies under the Regional Niagara Policy Plan the City has initiated the process of improving on our existing environmental policies and introducing new policies with the aim of providing a healthy future for our environment and citizens.

Information Report to Council (May 2009)
Open House Notice (November 26, 2009)
Draft Environmental Policies (October 2009)
Proposed MNR Wetland Mappping*
* Additional wetlands have been identified by the Ministry of Natural Resources. This map is draft only however should the evaluated wetlands become final prior to the approval of the City's Environmental Policies; the location of these wetlands will be reflected in the amended Schedule A to the Official Plan through an Environmental Protection Area designation for Provincially Significant Wetlands or Environmental Conservation Area designation for Non-Provincially Significant Wetlands.
Open House Displays
Comment Sheet - we'd like to hear your comments on the draft policies

Projects and Plans

The Planning Division also creates a number of Public Notices to let inform the public about zoning by-law amendments and applications. Please visit the Public Notices Section to get that information.

Elgin Industrial Area – the presentation for the Elgin Industrial Land Use Concept which includes both the Buttrey area and the former Cytec lands is now available from the consultants work on the project. The file is in PDF format and will open in a new window

Tourism Policy Review - Strategic Direction Recommendations

Secondary Plans are land use, transportation and servicing policy plans for sub-areas of the City that indicate in detail how the policies and land use designations of the Official Plan are to be implemented in that area. Niagara Falls is currently preparing the following Secondary Plans:

Niagara Falls Growth Management Study

Open House Held May 6, 2008

Community Improvement Plans

The following Community Improvement Plans (CIP's) have been designated within the City Of Niagara Falls:

Applications and Fees

Preconsultation

Effective November 3, 2008, the City of Niagara Falls requires preconsultation between applicants and Planning staff on applications for amendments to the Official Plan, Zoning By-law, site plan control, draft plan of subdivision, draft plan of condominium and consent to sever (click here to see By-law 2008-189).

The purpose of the pre-consultation is to identify the information required to commence processing of a development application. Preconsultation does not imply or suggest any decision whatsoever on behalf of City staff or the City of Niagara falls to either support or refuse the application. Preconsultation is a requirement for a complete application under the Planning Act. Failure to pre-consult will result in a delay in the processing of the application.

As of January 1, 2007, there have been several changes to the Planning Act and regulations that affect the information required for a complete Planning Act application. The applications contained within are currently being updated. Please contact the Planning and Development Division for the current information requirements.

Form	Fee
Official Plan Amendment	$6,100.00
Rezoning	$7,250.00 for high rise applications $6,100.00 for complex applications $2,800.00 for standard applications
Rezoning & Official Plan	$8,100.00 for high rise hotels $6,750.00 for all other lands
Plan of Subdivision	$6,750.00 per application $1,500.00 for modifications to Draft Plan Approval $ 750.00 for extensions to Draft Plan Approval Application Form
Plan of Condominium	$5,000.00 for vacant land applications $1,625.00 for conversion applications $1,125.00 for standard applications Application Form
Part Lot Control	$ 750.00 for the separation of semi-detached/On-street Townhouse Units $1,700.00 for Property relotting
Site Plan	$3,000.00 for high rise hotels $2,000.00 for all other lands $ 750.00 for an amendment to site plan agreement $ 135.00 for a site plan compliance letter
Public Re-Notification	$600.00
Minor Variances	$1,050.00 $ 150.00 for re-notification
Consent/Severance	$1,700.00 $ 150.00 for a rescheduling or re-notification $ 150.00 for a change of conditions
Zoning Confirmation Letter	$135.00
Environmental Confirmation Letter	$135.00
Variance to the Sign By-law	$1,050.00 Application Form
For applications that do not have an online form, you may request a copy by Phone or Email OR you can come into our office and pick up a hard copy.
Note: All fees are subject to change Additional fees from the Legal Department are required for applications requiring agreements and registration of some by-laws. Additional fees are required for Regional Planning Review, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority Review, and Regional Niagara Health Department Review where applicable.

Planning Publications and Other Fees

Zoning By-Laws

The City of Niagara Falls has four Zoning By-Laws which regulate land uses and prescribe development standards. Chippawa and the lands north of the Welland River are governed by By-law 79-200. The By-law consists of a map and regulations which provide minimum and maximum requirements. An excerpt from Zoning By-law 79-200 is depicted and is representative of the type of information available through the Planning and Development Division. (The map and text are for illustration purposes only and should not be considered accurate for legal purposes.)

The portion of the City previously part of Willoughby Township is governed by Zoning By-law 395 (1966). The former area of Crowland Township is governed by Zoning By-law 1538 (1958), while the Humberstone area is covered by Zoning By-law 70-69.

Copies of the by-laws and maps can be purchased. The Planning & Development provides zoning by-law interpretation as part of its services.

The By-law 79-200 publication is available for a fee of $45.00 or can be downloaded here:

Zoning By-law 79-200. Also available is a Zoning view for the Internet Map Server. Visit the IMS Zoning View for the map.

Official Plan

Schedule A to the Official Plan - Future Land Use The City of Niagara Falls Official Plan was approved October 6, 1993. It sets out the long-range direction for land use planning in the entire City.

The plan consists of a map and policies which are interpreted together. (The map and text are for illustration purposes only and should not be considered accurate for legal purposes.) The land use boundaries on the map (excerpt depicted) are intended to be approximate only, except where they are bounded by railways, roads and other clearly defined physical features.

City Council cannot pass Zoning by-law unless it complies with the Official Plan.

The Official Plan publication is available for a fee of $45.00 or can be downloaded from the web site for free:

Committee of Adjustment

The Committee of Adjustment is responsible for reviewing all applications for minor variances to zoning by-laws, extensions and enlargements of legal non-conforming uses and proposed changes to legal non-conforming uses. The circulation, of notices and committee decision, to appropriate agencies and neighbouring landowners is a responsibility of Planning and Development.

Applications are available from Planning and Development. They are to be completed in duplicate and are to be submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer to the Committee of Adjustment along with 12 copies of the site plan and the prescribed fee. All applications are heard by the Committee, which has a composition of 5 citizen appointees and one City Council member. The applicant and interested persons will be allowed to make presentations to the committee.

After an application is heard by the Committee of Adjustment, the Planning Act provides for a 20 day appeal period before coming final. You can download the Committee of Adjustment Application here.

Severances / Consents

The Committee of Adjustment is the approval authority for severance and consent applications. Pre-consultation with Planning and Development is recommended to review planning policies and direct applicants to other commenting agencies. The policies and comments of the Region are particularly important for proposals outside of the urban area. Applications are available from Planning & Development.

Subdivisions & Condominiums

The City is the approval authority for subdivision development and should be consulted prior to formal submission of an application. Planning & Development will provide information including Official Plan policy and zoning regulations, and direct applicants to other City Departments, the Region and appropriate agencies.

Pre-consultation will address the suitability of the proposal, identify issues and determine the need for other planning applications and any supporting studies. Advance discussions usually reduce processing time in later stages of the review. Application forms the current fee structure scheduling information are available from the Division.

Statistics

Planning & Development has extensive information on residential development and other statistical data. The annual Housing Monitoring Report reviews and analyses many aspects of the housing market including potential land and unit supply, construction. The Housing Monitoring Report is available for a fee of $12.00. Population counts and projections, as well as various other demographic information, are also available.

The Land Area for the City of Niagara Falls is 212.02 square km
The Population for the City of Niagara Falls is 76917 people (1996 Census)
The population has increased by 2% since the last census
The projected upper limit for an affordable home in Niagara Falls is $136,500.00

Environment

Please click on colored areas on map to get description

Planning and Development maintains the City's Environmental Inventory. It consists of a series of maps and data depicting natural and man made features and hazards.

Within this Inventory is the Urban Wooded and Treed Inventory and Assessment Study. The Study recorded 120 natural areas and classified them using 10 criteria. The Woodlot Study is part of the City's environmental efforts to promote good stewardship of its treed lands. It is available for a fee of $30.00 Many other Natural Features are researched and mapped by the Planning and Development Division.

Planning also maintains a full inventory of Potential Pollution Sites which can form the basis for Phase 1 Environmental Site Audits.

Environmental Request Letters are a service provided by the Planning and Development Division for a fee of $60.00

Heritage Architecture

Architectural History The Municipal Heritage Committee maintain an inventory of Heritage Architecture, historical sites and places of natural/cultural significance in the City of Niagara Falls. The Municipal Heritage Committee is composed of 8 members of the public appointed by City Council to provide advice, increase awareness and evaluate buildings and areas of architectural and/or historical importance. The Municipal Heritage Committee also has available heritage walking tours:

Drummondville Discovered - a Heritage Walking Tour of Our First Community
Profiles of the Past - a Heritage Walking Tour of the Downtown Area
In addition The Municipal Heritage Committee maintains a list of Heritage Real Estate available for those interested in owning an important part of the City's History. The Municipal Heritage Committee meets the fourth Wednesday of each month and meeting are open to the public.

Visit the Heritage Properties Database