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Planning and Development

HomePlanning and DevelopmentOfficial Plan
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Official Plan

The Burlington Official Plan is a policy document that guides decision-making on land use, development and resource management.

The Official Plan sets out a clear vision and establishes strategic priorities for:

  • Sustainable growth
  • Complete communities
  • Environment and sustainability
  • Economic activity
  • Infrastructure
  • Design excellence
  • Land use
  • Public participation and engagement

Developed through planning analysis, research and collaboration with the community and stakeholders, the Official Plan blends local community interests with Regional and Provincial policy direction. The Official Plan also:

  • Ensures all new development contributes to the City's long-term vision
  • Guides development within certain parameters, allowing for private sector flexibility while the public interest is maintained
  • Includes criteria for when and how changes to the Official Plan are considered

Burlington Official Plan, 1997 documents

The Burlington Official Plan, 1997, was approved by Halton Region, with modifications, on March 5, 1997. Due to a number of appeals, certain parts of the plan were referred to the Ontario Land Tribunal (formerly the Ontario Municipal Board) for a decision. The following Official Plan documents were approved by the Ontario Land Tribunal in 2008. Content and maps were updated in 2019.

View the full Burlington Official Plan, 1997 or view the individual sections below:

1. Policy Framework

2. Functional Policies

3. Land Use Policies - Urban Planning Area

4. Land Use Policies - Rural Planning Area

5. North Aldershot Planning Area

6. Implementation

7. Schedules and Tables

8. Definitions

Appendices

Burlington Official Plan, 2020 documents

Burlington's new Official Plan was adopted by City Council on April 26, 2018 and approved, with modifications, by Halton Region on November 30, 2020. The Planning Act states that all parts of an approved Official Plan that are not subject to appeal will come into effect on the day after the end of the appeal period. That date was December 22, 2020 for the Burlington Official Plan.

The record prepared for the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) by Halton Region on December 23, 2020 states that a total of 48 appeals were filed regarding the Burlington Official Plan, 2020. You can view a list of the appeals below. For those parts of the plan which have been referred to the OLT for a decision, relevant sections of the Burlington Official Plan, 1997 (as amended) will remain in effect until the applicable appeals have been resolved.

As the OLT process advances, the Burlington Official Plan, 2020 is subject to change and the interim working version will require periodic updates. The interim working version of the Burlington Official Plan, 2020 must be read along with all appeals, as well as any orders and decisions resulting out of subsequent OLT proceedings, and users must satisfy themselves as to the legal status and applicability of the policies.

The interim working version of the Burlington Official Plan, 2020 is provided for information purposes only. For legal purposes, reference should be made to the original certified documents which are on file with the City Clerk including the April 26, 2018 City of Burlington adopting bylaw (By-law 024-2018), the Nov. 30, 2020 Halton Region Notice of Decision and all subsequent orders and decisions issued by the OLT. 

You can view the status of the OLT case, scheduled hearings, and orders and decisions that have been issued by visiting the Ontario Land Tribunal's website and searching case number ''OLT-22-002219” (legacy case number PL210040).

View the full Burlington Official Plan, 2020 (interim working version) or view the individual sections below: 

1. Introduction

2. Sustainable Growth

3. Complete Communities

4. Environment and Sustainability

5. Economic Activity

6. Infrastructure, Transportation and Utilities

7. Design Excellence

8. Land Use Policies – Urban Area

9. Land Use Policies – Rural Area

10. Land Use Policies – North Aldershot

11. Public Participation and Engagement

12. Implementation and Interpretation

13. Definitions

14. Schedules and Tables

Appendices 

List of appeals to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020

View the list of appeals to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020 below: 

    1. OSSGA - Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association
    2. United Burlington Retail Portfolio
    3. Crystal Homes
    4. Landform Development Group Inc. and 2413350 Ontario Inc.
    5. 1085 Clearview Limited Partnership
    6. WE HBA - West End Home Builders Association
    7. 440 Elizabeth Street Holdings
    8. 2084 Lakeshore Holdings
    9. Emshih (800 Burloak Dr.)
    10. Emshih 895-901 Brant Street and 2250 Fairview Street
    11. Emshih 372-380 and 433-439 Brant Street
    12. Carriage Gate Homes Inc., Lakeshore (Burlington) Inc. and Old Lakeshore (Burlington) Inc.
    13. Molinaro Group of Companies and 1820473 Ontario Inc.
    14. Victoria-Brant
    15. Renimmob Properties Ltd.
    16. Penta Properties Inc., Paletta International Corporation and P&L Livestock Ltd.
    17. Fairview Limited Partnership
    18. Ann Marsden – (Withdrawn)
      Ann Marsden Revised – (Withdrawn)
    19. New Horizon Development Group
    20. Brad Wilson
    21. Wal-Mart Canada Corp.
    22. Millcroft Greens
    23. RK Burlington Mall
    24. FEHD Holdings Inc., Hodero Holdings Ltd., Branthaven Development Corp., M. DeLuca, W. DeLuca, Burlington Tree Farms, and the Central Canadian District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada – (Withdrawn)
    25. Pine Street Burlington Corp.
    26. Adi Developments - Masonry
    27. 1246235 Ontario Inc. (789 Brant St.) – (Withdrawn)
    28. Khai Tuyen Ly and Donna Yuk Lee (795 Brant St.) – (Withdrawn)
    29. RioCan Holdings Inc.
    30. 335 Plains Holdings and 355 Plains Holdings
    31. Camarro Developments 789-795 Brant St.
    32. Camarro Developments 519-527 Brant St.
    33. Camarro Developments 1062 and 1074 Cooke Blvd.
    34. Infinity Developments
    35. Spruce Partners and Amico Properties
    36. Branthaven Developments
    37. S&G Consulting
    38. 735 Oval Inc.
    39. William R Love
    40. Nelson Aggregate
    41. Mac's Convenience
    42. Core FSC Lakeshore GP
    43. Vrancor Group
    44. Reserve Properties
    45. 2584979 Ontario Inc.
    46. Medica
    47. Emshih 901 Guelph Line
    48. Mattamy James Street Limited Partnership

For more information on an individual appeal, please contact the Policy and Community section using the contact information below.

Burlington Official Plan, 2020 project history

 View the timeline below for a history of key dates for the new Official Plan project. For more information or additional documents, please contact the Policy and Community section using the contact information below.

July 12, 2022 – Recommended Official Plan modifications endorsed by Council

On July 12, 2022, Burlington City Council endorsed the recommended modifications to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020, attached as Appendix B to report PL-52-22 and directed staff to advance them through the Ontario Land Tribunal's consideration of the appeals to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020.

May 10, 2022 – Proposed Official Plan modifications released for public input

On May 10, 2022, report PL-30-22 was presented to the Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee to outline proposed modifications to the new Burlington Official Plan to resolve certain matters of non-conformity related to ROPA 48, for consideration through the OLT process.

November 10, 2021 – ROPA 48 approved by the Province

On November 10, 2021 Regional Official Plan Amendment No. 48 (ROPA 48), was approved by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. ROPA 48 implements components of the Regional Urban Structure to Establish a hierarchy of strategic growth areas in the Regional Official Plan. To understand the impacts of ROPA 48 relevant to the Burlington Official Plan, see reports PL-06-22 and PL-41-22.

December 23, 2020 - Confirmation of appeals by Halton Region

On Wednesday, December 23, 2020, Halton Region confirmed the receipt of 48 appeals to the Burlington Official Plan, 2020.

November 30, 2020 - Final Notice of Decision from Halton Region

On Monday, November 30, 2020, Halton Region issued a final Notice of Decision, approving the new Burlington Official Plan and a 20-day appeal period ran from November 30 to December 21, 2020.

November 27, 2020 - Halton Region notified of Council endorsement

On Friday, November 27, 2020, the City notified Halton Region of City Council's endorsement of the Draft Notice of Decision and requested that the Region release the final Notice of Decision.

November 26, 2020 - City Council endorses Halton Region Draft Notice of Decision

On Thursday, November 26, 2020, Burlington City Council endorsed the Halton Region Draft Notice of Decision regarding the adopted Official Plan.

November 18, 2020 - Halton Region's Draft Notice of Decision made publicly available

On Wednesday, November 18, 2020, the Halton Region Draft Notice of Decision for Burlington's adopted Official Plan was made publicly available.

October 7, 2020 - Council endorses modification to policies for Downtown and Neighbourhood Centres

On Wednesday, October 7, 2020, City Council endorsed modifications to the adopted Official Plan policies for Downtown and Neighbourhood Centres. These endorsed modifications were sent to Halton Region for inclusion in the adopted Official Plan.

August to December 2019 - Public engagement opportunities

In  2019, a series of online and in-person public engagement opportunities were held to gather feedback that would directly inform a recommendation to Burlington City Council in March 2020.

March 18, 2019 - Council identifies Downtown as focus of re-examination

On Monday, March 18, 2019, City Council identified that the Downtown policies in the adopted Official Plan would be the focus of the re-examination.

February 7, 2019 - Council votes to re-examine policies

On Thursday, February 7, 2019, City Council voted to re-examine policies in Burlington's Official Plan, adopted in April 2018.

December 4, 2018 - City receives notice from Halton Region of non-conformity

On December 4, 2018, the City received notice from Halton Region that the adopted Official Plan did not conform with the Regional Official Plan related to certain policies and mapping.

April 26, 2018 - Council adopts Official Plan

On Thursday, April 26, 2018, Burlington City Council adopted Burlington's Official Plan.

March 28, 2018 – Official Plan (April 2018) released

A fourth version of the proposed new Official Plan, Burlington's Official Plan (April 2018) was released on March 28, 2018, for adoption.

February 9, 2018 – New mapping released by Province

On February 9, 2018, the Province announced the release of the final mapping for both the Natural Heritage System and the Agricultural System for the Greater Golden Horseshoe to support the Growth Plan. The City of Burlington incorporated the Provincial Natural Heritage System and Agricultural System mapping as released by the Province into the mapping of the new Official Plan as adopted by Council, in order to conform to the Provincial Growth Plan.

February 7, 2018, Official Plan (February 2018) released

A third version of the proposed new Official Plan (February 2018) was released on Feb. 7, 2018. It contained  revisions that were made as a result of feedback the city received at the Nov. 30, 2017 statutory public meeting, the Jan. 23 and 24, 2018 public meeting, and through written submissions.

November 7, 2017 – Official Plan (November 2017) released

A second version of Burlington's proposed new Official Plan (November 2017) was released on Nov. 9, 2017. It contained revisions to the draft new Official Plan that was released in April 2017. Feedback received from agencies, stakeholders and the public was considered in undertaking revisions to the draft new Official Plan.

April 2017 – Official Plan (April 2017) released

 In April 2017, the city released the first draft of the new Official Plan for public consultation.

Related Projects

Major Transit Station Areas (MTSA)
The City is undertaking area-specific planning for the Aldershot GO, Burlington GO and Appleby GO Major Transit Station Areas. For more information, visit Get Involved Burlington - Major Transit Station Areas.
Integrated Mobility Plan (IMP)
The Integrated Mobility Plan will guide how people and goods move in and through Burlington, focusing on providing people of all ages and abilities with more travel choices. For more information, visit Get Involved Burlington - Integrated Mobility Plan.
Housing Strategy
The Housing Strategy builds on and supports Halton Region’s Housing Strategy and sets out key actions to provide more housing options for current and future residents. For more information, visit Get Involved Burlington - Housing Strategy.
Interim Control By-law Land Use Study (ICBL)

On March 5, 2019, the City of Burlington implemented an Interim Control Bylaw (ICBL), which temporarily restricts development on certain lands while a land use study is undertaken. The ICBL Land Use Study area included the [former] Downtown Urban Growth Centre and lands around the Burlington GO Station. The purpose of the study was to:

  • assess the role and function of the downtown bus terminal and the Burlington GO station as Major Transit Station Areas;
  • examine the planning structure, land use mix and intensity for the lands identified in the study area; and
  • update the Official Plan policies and Zoning Bylaw regulations as needed.

On January 30 2020, Burlington City Council approved the final recommendations of the ICBL Land Use Study, including proposed Official Plan Amendment 119 to the Burlington Official Plan, 1997 and proposed Zoning By-law Amendment 2020.418- as brought forward through staff report PL-01-20 on January 14, 2020 and revised through the memo received by Council on January 30, 2020.

A number of appeals were filed regarding both Official Plan Amendment 119 and Zoning Bylaw Amendment 2020.418, keeping the ICBL development restrictions in place until appeals are resolved by the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT).

On Oct. 15, 2021, the OLT granted the City’s motion to lift the development restrictions on all lands subject to the ICBL except for those impacted by Zoning Bylaw Amendment 2020.418, located around the Burlington GO station.  This means that the City can issue building permits for development in the Downtown that complies with the zoning that was in effect before the ICBL, and Community Planning staff can bring forward recommendations for Council decisions on Planning Act applications in the area.

On May 29, 2022, the OLT issued a decision regarding the settlement of site-specific appeals relating to a portion of the remaining lands impacted by the ICBL, at 2243 and 2269 Fairview Street and 846 Drury Lane (“Fairview LP lands”). By operation of s. 38(6.1) of the Planning Act, the OLT ordered that the Fairview LP lands be released from Interim Control By-law No. 2019-10. A map of the remaining lands subject to development restrictions under the ICBL is available here.

You can view the status of the OLT case, scheduled hearings, and orders and decisions that have been issued by visiting the Ontario Land Tribunal's website and searching case number ''OLT-22-002483” (legacy case number PL200150).

How to keep up to date

You can stay involved and keep up to date with Burlington's Official Plan by:

  • Subscribing to this page
  • Subscribing to our news and notices
  • Following our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts

Official Plan Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Official Plan?
An Official Plan is a legal document, required by the Province of Ontario, that describes a municipality's long-term land-use strategy. It is prepared with input from the public and helps to ensure that future planning and development meets the specific needs of the community.
How does the Official Plan manage change?
The Official Plan is not a static or inflexible document. Sometimes the plan itself changes to reflect environmental, social and economic trends, to respond to special circumstances and to remove strategies that are no longer applicable. The Official Plan anticipates change and has mechanisms to manage change. For example, it contains criteria for evaluating intensification and infill proposals, and for evaluating land use conversion proposals. While it is intended to provide clear direction, it is intentionally flexible because it is a long-term plan.
How are changes made to the Official Plan?
The Official Plan can change by amending maps and/or policies. These amendments follow a process prescribed by the Planning Act and can be initiated by an applicant or the municipality.  For more information on this process, or to learn how to book a pre-consultation meeting for your project, visit our Official Plan Amendments page.
How does the Regional Official Plan relate to the Official Plan?
The Halton Regional Official Plan has policies that guide how Halton grows and develops. It addresses region-wide issues and provides a consistent vision for land use across Burlington, Halton Hills, Milton and Oakville. Halton Region approves local official plans to ensure they conform to the Regional Official Plan and Provincial policies.
How does the Zoning Bylaw relate to the Official Plan?
The Zoning Bylaw is a key document that implements the Official Plan. Where the Official Plan provides high level direction on land use, built form and density ranges, the Zoning Bylaw provides specific direction on location, orientation and form of buildings, as well as density, height, parking requirements and coverage, among other considerations. As a result, the full range of uses permitted in the Plan may not be permitted in a given zone.

The Official Plan and the Zoning Bylaw are used in combination with each other. Once an applicable policy change has been approved in the Official Plan, the Zoning Bylaw must be updated. However, until the Zoning Bylaw is amended to implement a new Official Plan policy, the existing Zoning Bylaw provisions remain in force.

Who should I contact for more information about the Official Plan?

For questions about the applicable Official Plan policies and/or zoning permissions for a specific property or site, or to inquire about a development project, contact the Community Planning Department: using the “Contact Us” information in the sidebar. 

For general questions about the Official Plan, you may email Policy and Community directly. For mail or telephone inquiries use the Community Planning Department “Contact Us” information and specify that your inquiry is for the Policy and Community section.

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