New Zoning By-law Project

The City of Brantford’s New Zoning By-law Project will establish a new Zoning By-law for the City of Brantford that is in conformity with the City’s new Official Plan – Envisioning Our City: 2051, Provincial policies and emerging best practices. The new Zoning By-law will replace the current City of Brantford Zoning By-law 160-90 and the County of Brant Zoning By-law 61-16 that applies to the municipal boundary adjustment lands that were annexed to the City of Brantford from the County of Brant in 2017. The new Zoning By-law will regulate all lands within the City of Brantford, including the former County lands.

What is a Zoning By-law?

A Zoning By-law contains specific requirements for the development and use of parcels of land including:

  • Permitted uses and building types;
  • Building height;
  • Where buildings and structures can be located on a lot; for example, the front, side and rear yard setbacks;
  • Lot standards such minimum lot area and frontage (width at the street); and
  • Parking standards.

A Zoning By-law implements the direction of the Official Plan, which is required to be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement and conform to Provincial policies. Provincial land use documents, such as the Provincial Policy Statement and the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, outline the ground rules and direction for land use and Official Plans provide more details for land uses within municipalities such as the City of Brantford. A Zoning By-law implements the direction the Official Plan and provides specific details for an individual property. Ontario’s land use planning framework structure is illustrated in Figure 1 below.

Ontario's land use planning frameworkFigure 1 - Ontario's land use planning framework

Project Outline

Brantford’s new Zoning By-law will be prepared through a number of phases. Project completion is anticipated later in 2023.

  • Phase 1 – Data Collection, Background Review and Analysis
  • Phase 2 – Public Consultation and Communication Plan
  • Phase 3 – Background Discussion Papers
  • Phase 4 – Strategic Directions Report
  • Phase 5 – First Draft of Comprehensive Zoning By-law
  • Phase 6 – Final Comprehensive Zoning By-law

Public Engagement

As residents and stakeholders in and around the City, you have an important role to play in shaping the future of the City. As experts of your community, you can provide insights to help inform and influence a variety of aspects of the Zoning By-law such as design standards, building types, and rules related to parking and open space. There will be many opportunities to share your thoughts on the team’s work in preparing the new Zoning By-law.

Phase 4 Strategic Directions Report - February 27, 2023

UPDATE: This meeting will take place virtually only.

To register to participate virtually via Zoom, please email cobplanning@brantford.ca by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, February 27. You can also watch the meeting live on the City of Brantford’s Neighbourhood Planning Meetings YouTube Channel. There is no need to register to watch the meeting live on YouTube. 

During the meeting you will have the opportunity to ask questions and share feedback about the Strategic Directions Report. The Strategic Directions Report has been prepared to act as a blueprint for drafting the new Zoning By-law. It sets out the structure for the new Zoning By-law and addresses matters such as general provisions that would apply across all zones, defined terms necessary for interpreting and applying the Zoning By-law, and parking requirements. It also outlines all of the zones proposed to be included in the new Zoning By-law, along with recommendations for permitted uses and other key provisions in each zone, such as building height.
Phase 3 Background Discussion Papers - June 2022

The first round of engagement took place in June of 2022 to review the following background Discussion Papers:

  1. Zoning By-law Structure
  2. General Provisions
  3. Definitions
  4. Parking and Loading Standards
  5. Mixed-Use Zones
  6. Residential Zones
  7. Employment Zones
  8. Institutional Zones
  9. Agricultural Zones
  10. Other Zones

The Discussion Papers review best practices from other municipalities and the policy framework established in the City’s new Official Plan to identify options and preliminary recommendations on the content and format for the new Zoning By-law. A Summary Report consolidating the key findings from all 10 papers is also available for review.

Virtual and in-person Public Information Centres were held to present the Discussion Papers and seek input from the public and stakeholders. The presentation from the in-person meeting on June 16th is available for review as well as the following videos of the four topic focussed virtual meetings on June 8th:

To stay updated on future public engagement opportunities and the progress of this project, please subscribe to email updates by using the link at the bottom of the page, or contact:

Victoria Coates
Senior Planner, Long Range Planning
People, Legislated Services and Planning
Tel: 519-759-4150, ext. 5712
Email: vcoates@brantford.ca