As part of our ongoing efforts to educate residents about growth and development across the city, we’re pleased to let you know that we’ve refreshed the City’s Development Application sign that are required to be installed on properties subject to Draft Plans of Subdivision, Official Plan Amendment and/or Rezoning applications.
We redesigned the sign with our residents in mind. We’ve made the information easier to understand with:
- plain language and icons to describe the proposal
- prominent titles to help group information
- a development rendering and map
- clear online and in-person options for providing feedback
The sign also aligns with the City’s new active development applications website. A QR code makes it easy for residents to find more information about the proposed development online.
The extra funding will help get 3,600 new rental units under construction including 545 with more affordable rents.
City building | April 14, 2026
Council has 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 grants must be spent by July 31, 2027.
The additional funding for the program will come from the City’s third instalment of the federal Housing Accelerator Fund.
Strong interest in the program
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, to help offset the costs of shovel-ready rental projects with affordable units.
Developers and homeowners have shown strong interest in the CIP since it was adopted in July 2024. The new funding is expected to help get more than 3,600 new purpose-built rental units under construction, including 545 with more affordable rents.
Council also approved an additional $1 million to the CIP to help continue to fund gentle density rebates. To date, the CIP has funded over $562,000 in rebates for homeowners who added second, third and fourth units in neighbourhoods. It has supported over 580 additional residential units and three fourplex applications.
The success of the CIP underscores the City’s ongoing leadership to improve housing supply and make affordable rentals more accessible for residents with moderate incomes.
Building more homes, faster
The CIP is one part of the City’s broader efforts to bring down the cost of renting or owning a home and make it easier to build more housing.
In January 2025, Council adopted the Mayor’s motion to further reduce development charges (DC) in Mississauga. Under the City’s incentives program, DCs for purpose-built rental apartments have been reduced by 100 per cent for 1-bedroom + den, 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom units. All other residential units benefit from a 50 per cent DC reduction.
Mississauga Official Plan 2051 sets a strong vision for the future of the city and brings new policies that will allow for the construction of more than 370,000 new residential units city-wide by 2051.
The CIP aligns with the City’s goals to support affordability, accessibility and aging in place. Building more purpose-built rental units fulfils key actions under the City’s Action Plan for New Housing and recommendations from the Mayor’s Housing Task Force.
The newly-approved Official Plan sets the vision for the City to 2051.
March 26, 2026
On March 24, 2026, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing issued a Notice of Decision to approve the plan. This means Mississauga Official Plan 2051 is now in effect, replacing the City’s former Official Plan and amendments. All new development applications will now be required to be consistent with the new plan.
What’s in Mississauga Official Plan 2051?
Mississauga’s new Official Plan sets a vision for the future of our City. It helps guide growth in a way that supports vibrant neighbourhoods, strong communities and a high quality of life.
The policies in the new plan aim to:
- Encourage more housing by allowing permissions for more than 370,000 new residential units city-wide by 2051, including more housing along transit corridors and gentle density in neighbourhoods.
- Create more mixed-use communities by connecting residents to the services and amenities they rely on most.
- Support job and economic growth by allowing for a broader range of uses in key employment areas, while protecting industrial uses from residential conversion.
- Enhance transportation options by expanding infrastructure for walking, cycling and transit to reduce congestion and improve connectivity.
- Strengthen environmental, cultural and heritage protections.
The Official Plan also outlines where development should occur and how essential services, infrastructure and amenities will come together to support a complete and livable city.
From vision to action
Under the Ontario Planning Act, the City is required to review and update its Official Plan every 10 years. The Official Plan review included extensive public engagement. City planners and staff heard from thousands of residents and businesses on key priorities, including housing, transit, job creation, heritage, diversity, infrastructure and environmental protection.
The Official Plan was adopted by City Council on April 16, 2025. It was then submitted to the Province for approval as required by the Planning Act.
The plan came into effect following the Province’s Notice of Decision; however, City staff are consolidating modifications issued by the Ministry as part of its approval. A final, consolidated version of the plan will be posted on the City’s Official Plan website in the coming weeks.
Mississauga’s new Official Plan will guide planning decisions across the City. It will help ensure growth is thoughtful, coordinated and aligned with the needs of residents today and in the future.
Quotes
“Mississauga’s new Official Plan maintains a thoughtful approach that will guide us into the future. The Province has endorsed our vision. This recognition marks an important milestone for us. I want to thank the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for confirming that our plan sets a clear framework to encourage growth, deliver more housing, support jobs and build livable communities now and into the future.” – Mississauga Mayor, Carolyn Parrish
“This is a proud moment for Mississauga as our new Official Plan is approved and the review process comes to a close. I’m confident that as development moves forward in line with this plan, it will help strengthen our economy, protect our environment and create a more complete, livable city for generations to come.” – Andrew Whittemore, Commissioner, Planning and Building
Getting more homes built and making them more affordable is one of Council’s top priorities.
March 12, 2026
The program, which was launched in January 2025 and enhanced in February 2026, offers the following development charge reductions for residential properties:
- 50 percent for all residential unit types
- 100 percent for purpose-built apartment rental units
- Applies to 1-bedroom plus den, 2-bedroom or 3-bedroom units
- 25-year rental tenure agreement required
When the program launched, it included a November 13, 2026 deadline to pull building permits. Now, to be eligible for the incentives, developers have until December 31, 2027 to pull a building permit. These incentives are designed to help drive new housing construction while advancing overall housing affordability.
Today’s motion builds on the City’s ongoing efforts to get more homes built and make them more affordable in Mississauga. In January 2025, following the release of the Mayor’s Housing Task Force report, Mississauga became one of the first municipalities in Ontario to reduce and/or eliminate development charges for residential housing. For more information, visit Mississauga.ca/housing-taskforce.
The third installment of the Housing Accelerator Fund will help the City continue to get more homes built and make them more affordable.
March 10, 2026
The HAF is designed to support the delivery of new homes, including important housing enabling-infrastructure. The City will use the third installment of the HAF to:
- Support the funding available for grants under the City’s multi-residential stream of the Affordable Rental Housing Community Improvement Plan. This program offers incentives to private and non-profit developers. It’s designed to get shovel-ready rental housing projects with affordable units under construction as soon as possible.
- Offsetting shortfalls resulting from reductions to development charges and fees. The City’s development charges incentives program – which was recently expanded to provide deeper incentives for purpose-built rental apartments – is helping kick-start construction to make housing more affordable.
Stimulating housing construction
The City has made significant strides in changing the housing landscape since receiving its first HAF installment. In January 2025, following the release of the Mayor’s Housing Task Force report, Mississauga became one of the first municipalities in Ontario to reduce and/or eliminate development charges for residential housing. Other important actions include:
- Tax relief for new multi-residential development: In response to a motion by Mayor Parrish, Peel Region approved a resolution adopting a new municipal Multi-Residential Property Tax subclass to help encourage the development of much-needed rental housing. The new subclass provides a 35 per cent property tax reduction for eligible properties.
- Incentives for additional residential units and fourplexes: The City’s gentle density incentive program provides grants to cover city fees and development charges (if applicable). The City also offers pre-approved garden suite design plans that residents can use free of charge and has partnered with the federal government on its Housing Design Catalogue.
- Making it easier to build housing in neighbourhoods: Council approved updates to the City’s Official Plan and Zoning By-law to allow fourplexes as well as semi-detached homes and homes on smaller lots in residential neighbourhoods.
- Simplifying planning approvals for housing near transit: Mississauga is moving forward with pre-zoning lands in the City’s Protected Major Transit Station Areas. Mississauga is one of the first municipalities in Ontario to pre-zone lands of this scale. When fully implemented, this will help speed up the construction of new housing while ensuring meets the City’s vision for new development.
To learn more visit Mississauga.ca/housing.
The City is working to remove unnecessary housing barriers while continuing to encourage healthy, well-designed and vibrant communities.
February 24, 2026
The review is also addressing recommendations from the Mayor’s Housing Task Force, which includes more than 30 representatives from Ontario’s private and not-for-profit building and development industry. The Task Force noted that some urban design requirements have made it harder – and too expensive – to get housing built without meaningful results for the community.
Updating urban apartment zones
In late 2024, Mississauga introduced two urban apartment zones in the zoning by-law. The regulations are designed to help speed up development approvals for apartments in urban areas. Staff are now proposing updates to the City’s urban design requirements for these areas. Recommendations include:
- Replacing ‘angular plane’ requirements with simplified setbacks: Many communities across Canada are revisiting policies that require buildings to ‘step back’ as they increase in height. This requirement removes floorspace that could be used for housing – without providing a meaningful impact on the quality of life in these urban communities. It also drives up construction costs by requiring heavier structures, transfer systems and inefficient layouts.
- Reducing minimum tower distances: Setting a minimum distance between towers helps protect privacy, sky views and mitigates wind impacts. Staff recommend reducing the required distance from 30 to 25 metres which is more typical for urban areas. This helps buildings fit more naturally on a site, supports practical building layouts and avoids leaving portions of a site underused – especially on smaller or irregularly shaped properties.
Other urban design-related recommendations include providing more flexibility for amenity areas for residents, ground-floor windows and street-level building entrances.
Next steps
As the City’s urban design review advances, staff will engage with developers and community members to help shape updates to the program. Changes to Urban Design Guidelines and Design Reference Notes will be presented to Council for endorsement.
The proposed zoning changes for the City’s urban apartment zones and amenity areas will go to City Council for approval in April, subject to further comments that may be received prior to the meeting.
Quote
“Housing supply and affordability remain key issues facing Mississauga residents. Reviewing our urban design program will help remove housing barriers without compromising the standards that make our communities great places to live. Cities are not static. As planners, we must be ready to respond to changing demographics, infrastructure needs and economic conditions.” – Andrew Whittemore, Commissioner, Planning and Building
The City continues to take action on development charges to help kick-start construction and make homes more affordable.
February 11, 2026
The motion eliminates development charges, effective immediately, for one-bedroom plus den and two-bedroom units. To be eligible, developers must pull a building permit before November 13, 2026.
Today’s motion builds on the City’s efforts to encourage more housing construction in Mississauga. In January 2025, following the release of the Mayor’s Housing Task Force report, Mississauga became one of the first municipalities in Ontario to reduce and/or eliminate development charges for residential housing. The Region of Peel passed a motion to match the City’s incentives in June 2025.
Other important City housing actions include:
- Funding for affordable housing: Mississauga’s $44 million affordable rental housing incentive program, made possible through federal funding, offers financial incentives to help stimulate the creation of new affordable rental housing. The application window for the second round of funding is open until February 13, 2026.
- Making it easier and less expensive to build housing in neighbourhoods: Council approved an update to the City’s Zoning By-law to allow semi-detached homes and homes on smaller lots in residential neighbourhoods. The City’s gentle density incentive program provides grants to cover City fees and development charges (if applicable) for fourplexes and additional residential units. The City also offers pre-approved garden suite design plans and materials lists that residents can use free of charge.
- Simplifying planning approvals for housing near transit: Mississauga is moving forward with pre-zoning lands in the City’s Protected Major Transit Station Areas. Mississauga is one of the first municipalities in Ontario to pre-zone lands of this scale. When fully implemented, this will help speed up the construction of new housing while ensuring it meets the City’s vision for new development.
- Streamlining City processes: Mississauga is continuing to remove housing barriers by reviewing and making updates to the City’s urban design requirements and launching improvements to the condo plan approvals process.