How land gets developed
The Provincial Planning Act establishes rules for how properties can be used and developed in Ontario. Any landowner (individual, organization, agent), or anyone who has been given authority by the landowner, can apply to their local municipality to develop their land.
We work with landowners and developers to make sure proposals align with the Mississauga Official Plan and Zoning By-laws. If the proposal doesn’t, a planning application needs to be submitted. The application process is extensive and depends on the type of development being proposed but usually follows the same steps.
How applications are evaluated
All planning applications include drawings, documents and studies about the proposed project. They are reviewed by city planners and other staff who look at things like building size, drainage and lot grading, neighbourhood compatibility, and evaluate potential impacts to:
- Transportation including traffic, transit, walkability and parking
- Services and infrastructure and increased demand on parks, community centres, schools, roads and sewers
- Public safety like delivery of fire and other emergency services
- The natural environment including air quality, trees, watersheds and stormwater
- Pedestrian comfort affected by wind, noise and shadows
In most cases, we gather public feedback on planning applications to make sure new developments meet the needs of the community.
Some applications are approved at a staff level, while others have to go to Planning and Development Committee for approval, which is made up of City Council members.
The Mayor also has the power, under the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, 2022, to approve applications that help the Province’s goal of getting more housing built. All Mayoral decisions, directives and declarations are posted online.
We can and do say no to some development due to good planning or infrastructure reasons.
Application types
The Mississauga Official Plan addresses how and where we’ll grow, and ensures future development meets the needs of the community. If a proposed development does not conform with the Mississauga Official Plan, an application for an Official Plan Amendment must be submitted.
These applications go through a technical review and evaluation by staff, who submit a recommendation report to the Planning and Development Committee. A statutory meeting is held to gather public feedback before a decision is made.
The Zoning By-law regulates exactly what land can be used for and what can be built in different areas. If a proposed development does not comply with the Zoning By-law, an application for a Zoning By-law Amendment must be submitted.
Like Official Plan Amendments, rezoning applications go through a technical review and evaluation by staff, followed by a recommendation report, statutory public meeting and decision by Planning and Development Committee.
Many development proposals require both a Zoning By-law and Official Plan Amendment.
A plan of subdivision is required when land is being divided into smaller parcels for development purposes. This can include land designated for public roads, parks and other public purposes, in addition to land that is being developed.
Plan of subdivision applications go through a technical review and evaluation by staff and are often accompanied by a rezoning application. The City’s Commissioner of Planning and Building has the authority to approve these applications.
The site plan control process looks at external design elements like landscaping, grading, site layout, parking areas and emergency services access. If a proposed development is for more than 10 residential units, it is subject to site plan control and a site plan approval application needs to be submitted.
Site plan approval applications go through a technical review and evaluation by staff before being approved. The public is not consulted on these applications.
If a proposed development meets the intent of the Mississauga Official Plan but differs slightly from a specific regulation in the Zoning By-law, a minor variance can be requested to the Committee of Adjustment.
The Committee of Adjustment also reviews consent applications from landowners who want to make small-scale property boundary adjustments.
The Committee of Adjustment reviews the application and holds a statutory public meeting to gather feedback before a decision is made.
Find more information about different development applications and their approval process.
Ontario Land Tribunal
The Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) is an independent administrative tribunal responsible for resolving appeals and matters related to land use planning.
Appeals can only be made by landowners whose property is subject to an application decision, developers, the City or external agencies, such as school boards or utility companies. Any decision by the City related to land use planning can be appealed to the OLT.
An appeal can also be submitted to the OLT before the City has made a decision, on the grounds of non-decision or delay, especially if the decision has not been made within a time frame specified in the Planning Act.
Minister's Zoning Orders
The Province can approve development projects without a Mississauga Official Plan amendment or Zoning By-law amendment application and without the statutory public meeting. This is done through a Minister’s Zoning Order.
Building permits
Once all required planning permissions have been approved, an application for a building permit can be submitted. A building permit must be issued before construction starts.