Data Centres

Yes. The City’s Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw apply to all development in the City of Burlington, with the exception of the rural area regulated by the Niagara Escarpment Commission.

Data centres are permitted in the Official Plan in the City’s employment areas as well as in the larger commercial areas. A data centre is defined in the City’s Zoning Bylaw as being an “Information and Data Processing” use or an “Office” use. An Information and Data Processing use is permitted in the City’s employment zones.

All new employment area development, including expansions to existing buildings, are required to go through the Site Plan Control process. Site plan does not deal with the use of the property but rather focuses on how the property is developed. The Planning Act requires that Site Plan approval be delegated to City staff, and because the use is permitted by the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw, there are no requirements in the Planning Act to notify adjacent property owners when a site plan application is submitted to the City.

The site plan process deals with ensuring the proposed building complies with the setback, height and size regulations in the Zoning By-law as well as parking and landscaping. Staff also review the grading, driveway location and servicing such as water, wastewater and stormwater, as part of the site plan review process.

City staff also consult with Halton Region, Conservation Halton and Burlington Hydro as part of the site plan review. Any comments, concerns or conditions of approval from these agencies are included in the conditions of site plan approval.

A building permit is required for any new construction or alterations to an existing building. A building permit must comply with the Zoning Bylaw. A building permit must be issued once the applicant demonstrates that all requirements of the Ontario Building Code have been met.

Yes, Halton Region permits data centres. However, approvals depend on specific zoning, servicing capabilities of the municipality and other applicable agencies, provincial electricity grid evaluations.

Given there are many different kinds and sizes of data centres, not all data centre designs utilize municipal water for cooling. The data centre proposal for the Tuckers Marketplace site is for a design that will be air cooled.

Yes. The City has provided comments to the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) on ERO 025-1001 – Data Centre Electricity Requirements, and ERO 019-9300 – Electricity Infrastructure / Cost Sharing (2024).

With respect to ERO 025-1001 – Data Centre Electricity Requirements, the City indicated:

• it supports accommodating growth but highlighted some constraints in local electricity capacity.
• it recommended that all data centres (regardless of size) be evaluated in the context of available capacity.
• the need to assess land-use compatibility, employment yield (how many jobs would be created), and community benefit.
• a coordinated provincial–municipal approach to allocating capacity.

With respect to ERO 019-9300 – Electricity Infrastructure / Cost Sharing (2024), the City identified limited feeder capacity as a constraint to development, noted challenges for “first-mover” projects bearing infrastructure costs and supports provincial action to enable faster infrastructure upgrades and implement equitable cost-sharing models.

Yes. The City has received an application for site plan approval for a proposed data centre on the former Mother Tucker’s/Tucker’s Marketplace site at 3110 South Service Rd.

Site plan approval is a step in the planning process that is used when a use is already permitted in the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw. Site plan approval allows the City to review location and servicing details of the proposed building on the site, as well as proposed parking and landscaping.

No. The City has received an application for site plan approval, but no decisions have been made. The proposal will undergo a comprehensive technical review before any decisions are considered. And for clarity, the Planning Act requires that approval of site plans be delegated specifically to City staff, not Council.

Yes. A data centre is a permitted use for the property under the current Official Plan designation and applicable Zoning Bylaw.

The City's role is to review the application against applicable planning policies, technical requirements and municipal standards. Staff will assess the proposal and supporting technical reviews before making any decisions.

Depending on the proposal, external agencies such as Burlington Hydro, Halton Region, Conservation Halton and provincial agencies may review aspects of the application that fall within their respective areas of responsibility.

The proposal that has been submitted to the City is a site plan application. The Ontario Planning Act treats site plan applications differently than it treats applications for Official Plan Amendments or Zoning Bylaw amendments.

The Planning Act says that applications for Official Plan Amendments or Zoning Bylaw amendments require a public meeting for Council to consider public comments in making its decision. In the case of site planning applications, a public meeting is not required under the Planning Act and municipal planning staff may make the decision.

Since the City’s Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw already permit data centres, and this application is only for site plan approval, there is no requirement to hold a meeting to gather public input. With that said, the City always appreciates understanding community needs and concerns, generally, when it comes to our overall built environment.

The applicant has indicated the facility will require approximately 20 megawatts (MW) of electricity and has been working with Burlington Hydro regarding servicing requirements.

The City's role is to review the planning application. Electricity servicing and system capacity are reviewed by the appropriate utility providers and agencies responsible for electrical infrastructure.

The proposal is for a two-storey building on the site, with underground and surface parking onsite.

The application is in the early stages of review and more information will be shared at the appropriate time, if available.

Yes. For example, the City provided comments to the Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) related to data centre electricity requirements and electricity infrastructure and cost-sharing. The City is also reviewing the Official Plan and as part of this review staff will be engaging with the public on options for how to implement provincial policies on employment areas.

Burlington is also developing a new economic development strategy that will identify opportunities going forward, including how the City responds to technological changes that will affect future employment opportunities and economic growth.

City staff and external agencies will complete a detailed planning and technical review of the application. More information will be shared at the appropriate time, if available.