A community improvement plan is another important municipal planning tool in the Planning Act that allows municipalities to prepare community improvement policies. The policies describe plans and programs that encourage redevelopment and/or rehabilitation improvements in a community. Municipalities are required to consult with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing as part of this process.
Improvements may include:
industrial area remediation and redevelopment
streetscape and facade improvements
refurbishing of core business areas, affordable housing
heritage conservation of homes or commercial buildings
They may also include land assembly policies to make projects feasible or to create financial incentives that encourage increased housing choices, mixed densities and compact spatial forms in redevelopment and/or rehabilitation areas. Municipalities can make grants or loans within the community improvement plan project areas to help pay for certain costs despite the general municipal prohibition on bonusing. Some municipalities have established Tax Increment Equivalent Financing programs as part of community improvement plans.
Municipal councils can promote economic development through their land use planning decisions and by implementing planning tools. Your municipality should have an up to date official plan and zoning by-law in order to adhere to required provincial deadlines, and to be investment-ready and able to seek and take advantage of economic opportunities.
The following table summarises some of the Planning Act tools and their benefits
CIPs are used by municipalities as one way of planning and financing development activities that effectively use, reuse and restore lands, buildings and infrastructure.
Municipalities may make grants or loans within designated CIP project areas to help pay for all or part of eligible costs.
Provincial participation through the Brownfields Tax Incentive Program (BFTIP) matches municipal brownfield CIP property tax incentives with the provincial education tax portion.
Can provide financial incentive by making clean up and development less expensive.
Optional land use planning tool that replaces a standard multi-layered development approval process (zoning, site plan and minor variance), with a single process. Previously known as Development Permit System.
Inclusionary zoning for affordable housing may be implemented within an area with a community planning permit system established in response to a Minister’s order.
Results in a more streamlined, timely development process that:
Reduces review timelines to 45 days
Removes third party appeals to the OLT
Helps municipalities achieve their land use vision, and provides more certainty in the form of development
May enable the use of inclusionary zoning
No appeal of a council refusal to re-designate/ rezone lands from employment to other uses.
Allows municipalities to maintain a sufficient supply of serviced and ideally located (near transit, highways, ports, rail, airports) employment lands.
Community benefits charges enable single and lower-tier municipalities to collect funds from new developments or redevelopments to cover the capital costs of community benefits required because of the development.
If a municipality passes a community benefits charge by-law, the charge will only apply to development of buildings that are 5 or more storeys and have 10 or more residential units. The maximum charge payable in any instance cannot exceed 4 percent of the value of land being developed.
Community benefits charges are a complementary tool to development charges (which allow municipalities to collect funds from developers for any services listed as eligible). Please see Section 9 for more information on development charges.
A community benefits charge by-law may be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Community benefits charges replace the former section 37 density bonusing provisions in the Planning Act, subject to transition rules.
The new tool, which came into effect September 18, 2020, can be used with development charges and parkland dedication to enable growth to pay for growth, so that municipalities can provide important local services that growing communities need.
Community benefits charges increase transparency and accountability providing municipalities with the flexibility to collect funds to help pay for growth related services and infrastructure. CBCs can help make the costs of building housing in Ontario more predictable.
Allows a municipality to pass a by-law applicable to all or part of a municipality, which can require the conveyance of land (up to 5 per cent) for park purposes or cash in lieu as a condition of development or redevelopment (s. 42) or as a condition of approval of a plan of subdivision (s. 51.1).
Could act as a financial incentive if the by-law excludes geographic areas where development/ redevelopment is desired or the condition is not imposed on plans of subdivision within that area.