Mississauga is reviewing the urban design rules developers must follow, with planning staff recommending several immediate changes aimed at getting more apartments built in the city's busiest areas.

Staff presented an overview of the Urban Design Program Review to the Planning and Development Committee on Tuesday. The review will look at the city's design guidelines, including requirements for wind and shadow studies, along with related Official Plan policies and zoning rules.

What staff are proposing

The first changes would apply to the two urban apartment zones the city added to its zoning by-law in late 2024 to speed up approvals for apartments in urban areas. Staff recommend:

  • Replacing angular plane requirements, which force buildings to step back as they rise, with simpler setbacks

  • Reducing the minimum distance between towers from 30 metres to 25 metres

  • Allowing more flexibility for residents' amenity areas, ground-floor windows and street-level entrances

The city says stepped-back designs remove floor space that could hold homes and drive up construction costs by requiring heavier structures and less efficient layouts. Staff say a 25-metre separation helps buildings fit their sites and makes smaller or irregularly shaped properties easier to use.

Task force input

The review also responds to the Mayor's Housing Task Force, a group of more than 30 representatives from private and non-profit builders and developers. The task force found that some design requirements had made housing harder and more expensive to build without delivering meaningful results for the community.

Housing supply and affordability remain key issues facing Mississauga residents. Reviewing our urban design program will help remove housing barriers without compromising the standards that make our communities great places to live.

— Andrew Whittemore, commissioner of planning and building

Next steps

Staff will consult developers and residents as the review continues. Updated design guidelines will go to council for endorsement, and the proposed zoning changes for the urban apartment zones are expected at council for approval in April, subject to any further comments.