Community Planning Permit System

Downtown Community Planning Permit System

We’ve completed the Community Planning Permit System for Stone Road/Edinburgh Road area! And we’re moving the CPPS into Downtown! The draft CPPS By-law and Official Plan Amendment for Downtown are ready for feedback.

Let us know your thoughts on the proposed affordable housing requirements for development Downtown!

The Downtown CPPS By-law provides flexibility in the development standards and requires affordable housing as a condition of most development. There are no current plans to further increase building heights in the Downtown as part of this project.

About the project

The City of Guelph is developing a Community Planning Permit System, also called a CPPS, for two areas of the city: the Downtown and Stone Road / Edinburgh Road. The Stone Road/Edinburgh Road portion of the CPPS is currently in effect. The CPPS is a land use planning tool that combines Zoning By-law Amendments, Minor Variances, and Site Plan applications into a single application and approval process. Watch this video to understand what a Community Planning Permit System is and how we are considering using it in Guelph.

This tool helps make the application and approval process more efficient, allowing housing to reach the market more quickly, and delivers other important elements to build thriving communities such as affordable housing and diverse housing types, public facilities, parks and open spaces as well as infrastructure improvements to support the growth.

The CPPS will be designed to create a streamlined development process and a more flexible set of development standards. The permit system is one of eight initiatives outlined in the Housing Accelerator Fund Action Plan.

How can I participate right now?

Review the final CPP by-law, and attend the Council Planning Meeting on April 15, 2026. See Phase 13 below for instructions on how to delegate or submit comments to the meeting.

Please note: This project began in an older version of our website. Some of the tools and information may appear different than originally designed.

Who's Listening