You will need to submit a request for a Site Plan Approval for most development projects, other than low density residential development in the City of Burlington. Our Official Plan designates our entire city, with certain exceptions, as a Site Plan Control Area.
Site Plan Control is part of the Ontario Planning Act and regulates the design of:
All development applications follow this process unless they are exempt from Site Plan Control requirements. See our Site Plan Application Guidelines for more information.
First, you need to book a pre-consultation meeting with City staff and the required external agencies. This meeting will let you explain your development proposal, ask questions and go over the documents you will need to submit as part of your Site Plan Application. Please complete and submit a Site Plan Application, your concept drawings and application form to planning@burlington.ca to start the pre-consultation process. Staff will determine the processing fee requirements.
Because Site Plan applications can be complex, we encourage you to consult with a professional planner or engineering consultant to help you coordinate your application documents. We also suggest that the consultants contact us to make sure that design criteria are met.
Once you have submitted your application, we will review it and deem it as either complete or incomplete. If your application is incomplete, we will place it on hold and send you a list of outstanding items. Site Plan Applications are not a formal public process so the processing is managed primarily at the staff level.
Once complete, we will circulate your application to the necessary departments and agencies for review. They will provide feedback on your development proposal.
If your application needs any changes, we will send them to you in a Summary of Comments. You will need to address all necessary comments before re-submitting your application documents. We will then review and circulate the revised documents. This process will continue until all authorities are satisfied with your application.
Council has delegated its approval authority to staff on Site Plan Approval. Once the reviews are complete, staff will issue a Conditional Approval which is an approval subject to conditions that must be met for Final Approval to be issued. Once Final Approval is issued, you can apply for a Building Permit Site Plan agreement.
As part of the Conditional Approval, you will enter into a Site Plan Control Agreement with the City. This agreement must be registered on title before Final Site Plan Approval is issued and your application for a building permit may be submitted.
There are three types of Site Plan applications in Burlington: