Planning & Development

The City of Mississauga is reviewing and updating its urban design program. This work will help ensure that the program reflects the needs of those who plan, design and build our city, as well as the people who call it home.  

The City is working to create vibrant, well-designed communities while making it easier to build more housing and improve affordability. We want to hear your ideas. Watch a short video to learn more about urban design and tell us what matters most to you.  

How does urban design affect you? 

Think about a building that stood out or how walkable your neighbourhood is – that is urban design in action. It shapes how we live, from our buildings and streets to the parks and public spaces in between. Whether you’re getting around in the city, spending time at a park or enjoying an outdoor event, urban design shapes the everyday experience of life in Mississauga.  

Mississauga has a variety of urban design guidelines that help shape the way our city is designed and built. The Urban Design program review is looking at how we can improve the program so that it meets with the needs of residents today and into the future.

We’re starting the conversation 

During the first phase of the Urban Design Program review, we want to understand what matters most to you. That’s why we’ve launched a virtual, on-demand engagement to gather your feedback. Tell us what’s working and where we can improve.  

As you take part, think about: 

• What are your favourite places in the city? What makes them stand out? 

• What do you think makes good design, or not? 

• How does urban design affect you in your everyday life? 

Your input will help ensure new development fits well into our communities.  

It’s easy to tell us what you think  

What:  

• Visit the project website. 

• Watch the short video.  

• Complete a quick survey.  

• Ask our team a question or share a comment.  

When:  

On demand, 24/7, from Monday, June 22 to Friday, July 31, 2026.

Where: 

Online at mississauga.ca/urbandesign  

Who:  

• Residents in Mississauga.

• Industry professionals.

• Students.

• Anyone interested in urban design.

Background 

The Urban Design Program review is part of the City’s ongoing efforts to make Mississauga a great place to live, work, play and visit. The review supports recommendations from the Mayor’s Housing Taskforce and will align with the City’s new Mississauga Official Plan 2051.  

The City celebrates excellent urban design through the Mississauga Urban Design Awards. Explore the 2025 winning projects.

The by-law, first enacted in 2019, was updated to better support tenants during the redevelopment process. It applies to approximately 360 rental buildings in Mississauga with six or more units.

Redevelopment expected to rise

More than 85 per cent of Mississauga’s rental buildings (with six or more units) were built before 1990. While these apartments typically offer more affordable rents, the age of the buildings can make them more likely to undergo redevelopment. Regulating this activity allows the City to balance tenant protection with the need to increase overall housing supply.

The approved amendments introduce stronger supports for eligible tenants living in affordable units affected by rental housing redevelopment. The protections include:

• Compensation to cover the difference between tenants’ current rent and market rent during construction, if needed.
• Moving cost assistance ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 per move.
• Help finding temporary housing, with developers required to provide support services.

Tenants will also continue to have the right to return to replacement units at similar rents, with increases limited to provincial rent guidelines.

Keeping replacement units affordable

To better reflect today’s housing market, the by-law updates also address affordability requirements. The updated by-law:

• Continues to require that replacement units remain affordable at similar rents for at least 10 years – and that they remain rental units for at least 20 years.
• Lowers the threshold for protected units from 175 per cent average market rent ($3,500 for a 2-bedroom unit in 2025) to 125 per cent of vacant unit average market rent ($3,100 for a 2 bedroom unit in 2025). This means the rules apply to more moderately priced units.
• Introduces income-based tenant matching – this means that if the original eligible tenants don’t move back to a replacement unit, the vacant retained units will be offered to people whose incomes meet the affordability threshold for the similar affordable rents. This approach ties affordability protections directly to the physical unit and ensures that tenants who need affordable rents have access to affordable units.

In addition, under the updated by-law, replacement units must also be comparable in size to the original unit.

Other ways the City is supporting tenants

The by-law updates approved today are part of the City’s broader efforts to support tenants and make it more affordable to rent in Mississauga.

Protecting tenants from ‘renovictions’

Council approved the new Rental Repairs and Renovations Licensing By-law to protect Mississauga tenants from unlawful renovation-related evictions.

The by-law, which takes effect September 1, 2026, increases protections for tenants who face eviction when their landlord requires them to move out for extensive renovations or repairs. It requires landlords to obtain a license, clearly inform tenants of their rights and provide financial supports for tenants.

Building more affordable rental housing

In April, Council also approved an increase in funding for the Affordable Rental Housing Community Improvement Plan (CIP) from $44 million to $70 million. The CIP offers grants for developers who want to build rental buildings with affordable units.

The CIP is designed to quickly increase the supply of rental housing, including affordable and below-market units. The program provides financial incentives for private and non-profit developers, including grants and the waiving of certain fees. This helps offset the costs of shovel-ready rental projects with affordable units.

Council also approved an additional $1 million to the CIP to help continue funding gentle density rebates for people building second, third and fourth units in neighbourhoods.

The DCRP is a key part of the Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build. This is an $8.8 billion joint initiative aimed at increasing housing supply. The program provides funding to municipalities that lower development charges by at least 30 to 50 per cent and move forward with projects that help get new homes built faster.

Projects that unlock new housing

Mississauga is submitting the following five projects for DCRP funding.

Transit maintenance and storage facility ($650 million)

A new zero-emission facility will help MiWay switch its bus fleet to cleaner technology, expand capacity and improve transit service. It will also support transit-oriented development by enabling approximately 9,900 new housing units by 2036.

Downtown transit mobility hub ($500 million)

This project will expand capacity at the City Centre Transit Terminal and prepare the network for future LRT ridership growth. It will improve connections and access to higher-order transit and make it easier to build higher-density housing in the downtown core. It is expected to help enable approximately 9,900 new housing units by 2036.

Library and community centre projects ($175 million each)

Two net-zero community centres and libraries – in Mississauga Valley and Cooksville – will help expand access to recreation and library services in some of the city’s fastest-growing neighbourhoods. These projects will help ensure community infrastructure keeps pace with significant growth and development.

Housing-enabling road infrastructure ($175 million)

A series of road and servicing upgrades across key corridors citywide will help improve capacity and support growth. These investments also help unlock development lands. They will reduce congestion and connect new communities to transit and services. The project is expected to support approximately 9,000 new housing units over the next decade.

Downtown music and convention centre ($500 million)

This project will help spur growth by attracting investment and supporting a vibrant, transit-oriented downtown. As a destination for residents and visitors, the project will make it easier to support higher-density housing and continued development. It could help enable up to 14,000 new housing units over the next decade.

The projects include a mix of housing-enabling infrastructure and city-building projects that support complete communities that prioritize homes, jobs, services and transit.

Mississauga’s housing reforms

In addition to significantly reducing development charges, Mississauga has introduced a range of housing-focused measures to support new development and improve affordability. Guided by the Mayor’s Housing Task Force report, highlights include:

• Incentives for affordable rental housing: Increased funding for the City’s $70 million affordable rental housing program to help get more affordable rental housing built.
• Encouraging more housing citywide: The newly approved Mississauga Official Plan allows permissions for more than 370,000 new residential units city-wide by 2051.
• Tools to help homeowners add new units: Mississauga’s pre-approved garden suite plans make it easier and less expensive to build a backyard suite. Grants are also available under the City’s Gentle Density Incentive program to encourage second, third and fourth rental units in neighbourhoods.
• Streamlining development processes: Mississauga is making it easier to do business with the City and simplifying approvals to help deliver housing more quickly. This includes pre-zoning lands next to major transit station areas.
• Tax-relief to encourage rental development: 35 per cent reduction applied to the municipal tax rate for new multi-residential subclass.

Next steps

The City will submit its DCRP application by the June 19, 2026 deadline. If approved, the funding could cover up to 90 per cent of eligible project costs. This would allow the City to advance key projects that support housing growth. These projects would help deliver lasting benefits for Mississauga’s residents and businesses.

To support this growth, Planning and Development Committee has approved the City’s plan to pre-zone lands in many of Mississauga’s major transit station areas. Over time, new development in these areas could support approximately 227,000 residents and 47,000 jobs.

Why pre-zoning lands makes sense

Pre-zoning sets clear rules upfront for what can be built in each area including building heights and density. It helps guide development in a way that creates more livable, connected communities that are in line with the City’s plans for growth. It also streamlines development processes by:

• Providing certainty and removing planning hurdles with clear, predictable guidelines for development along transit corridors.
• Speeding up approvals, allowing projects to move forward more quickly when they meet zoning requirements.

The pre-zoning amendments align with Mississauga Official Plan 2051, which was recently approved by the Province after extensive public consultation. It also supports recommendations from the Mayor’s Housing Task Force, including simplifying zoning rules and allowing more flexibility for building height and density around transit.

Where are major transit station areas?

A major transit station area – or MTSA – is a planning term established by the Province of Ontario. As Ontario continues to grow, the Province wants to ensure that cities like Mississauga are directing growth to MTSAs.

In Mississauga, an MTSA is the land within a 500-800 metre radius (approximately 10-minute walk) of a transit station or stop. In total, there are more than 50 MTSAs in Mississauga where higher-density, mixed-use development is encouraged. Through this project, the City is pre-zoning 35 MTSAs in locations that are expected to accommodate the most residential growth. The City’s online MTSA dashboard provides a map and more information for each MTSA.

Next steps

The proposed zoning amendments approved by Planning and Development Committee complete the City’s work to implement Major Transit Station Area policies. An implementing zoning by-law will come to a future City Council meeting for approval.

Quote

“We know people want to live in communities that are connected, convenient and close to transit. By pre-zoning lands in major transit station areas, we are creating clear, predictable rules that remove barriers, speed up approvals and make it easier to build complete communities. This approach will help us deliver more housing, support new jobs and ensure growth is thoughtfully planned along our transit corridors.”– Andrew Whittemore, Commissioner, Planning and Building