Planning Policies & Guidelines

Update: This page contains information about a project that is in development. Some of the guidelines hosted on this page are in effect and can be used, while others are not in effect and are posted to support review and commenting by impacted stakeholders. The What’s Next section below and the tabs of each phase contain more detailed information about the status of each collection of guidelines.

What are Development Application Guidelines?

Applications submitted for proposed developments typically include various studies, reports or other materials to support the review of the application. The requirement for submitting specific supplementary materials depends on the type of application and contextual factors. These requirements are set out in Schedule I of the Urban Hamilton Official Plan (UHOP) and Schedule H of the Rural Hamilton Official Plan (RHOP).

It is a common business practice for staff and approval authorities to provide guidelines, or terms of reference, to establish clear, consistent expectations for the contents and specifications of these supporting materials, in order to support consistent and clear administration of development applications.

The guidelines vary in their specific content to suit the relevant context, but each guideline typically includes a description of the purpose, content, preparation, and staff contacts for each supplementary study/material.

Providing Comments and Feedback

The Development Application Guidelines are technical in nature and are generally intended for use by staff, applicants and the applicants’ consultants. Accordingly, the individuals impacted most directly are industry professionals using the documents to support the preparation and submission of their application materials. The documents contain technical language and information to guide work in specialized fields, and as such, staff are primarily seeking feedback from industry professionals. If you have any comments, questions or feedback, please contact the project team via [email protected].

The Development Application Guidelines are being established in phases. Each tab for each phase below provides more detail. In summary,

Phase 1 has received draft approval for interim use from Council and will be presented to Planning Committee for final approval on July 7, 2026 through Report PED26012;
Phase 2 will be presented to Planning Committee for draft approval on July 7, 2026 through Report PED26012; and,
Phase 3 is intended to be presented for draft approval in Q1 of 2027, and will be published for review and comment on this page prior to being presented to Planning Committee.

Phase 1 - INTERIM

Phase 1 - PROPOSED

Phase 2 - DRAFT

Interim Draft Development Application Guidelines (Terms of References) were approved for interim use by Planning Committee on November 29, 2022 via Report PED22112(d). The guidelines contained below can be utilized for guiding studies and application material submitted in support of a development application until Phase 1 receives final approval.

Phase 1 Development Application Guidelines (Terms of References) below are published for review and comment by stakeholders and have not been approved for final use. The guidelines contained below will be presented to Planning Committee for final approval on July 7, 2026 through Report PED26012. To view interim guidelines which are in effect, navigate to the Phase 1 - DRAFT tab. If you have any comments or questions, please send them to [email protected].

Terms of References (Development Application Guidelines) Phase 1 Change Summary

The purpose of this summary is to identify changes made to the Phase 1 Terms of References (Development Application Guidelines) between granting of interim approval from Planning Committee on November 29, 2022, and the presentation of Phase One final Terms of References presented to Planning Committee on July 7, 2026. This summary is intended to identify key changes efficiently to support stakeholder review and input. All stakeholders are welcome to contact the staff project team via [email protected] for any assistance, or to provide input on the terms of references.

Changes Made to All Terms of References

Changes have been made to each term of reference document for one or more of the following purposes:

To revise titles and structures to align with changes to Schedule I of the Urban Hamilton Official Plan (UHOP) and Schedule H of the Rural Hamilton Official Plan (RHOP);
To improve consistency of heading titles of sections and the content within each section;
To improve consistency of language, grammar, formatting and style;
To clarify and simplify content;
To add hyperlinks where absent, update hyperlinks, and add or update staff contact information;
To update references to City of Hamilton guidelines;
To update references to provincial legislation;
To remove the following sentence, or similar, wherever it appears, as it has become redundant following policy changes: “Failure to adhere to the guidelines may result in a submission being considered unsatisfactory and a submitted application being deemed incomplete”;
To standardize qualification and submission requirements for consultants preparing material, including Professional Engineers; and,
To add greater detail respecting when a study or material is required, in alignment with the Urban and Rural Hamilton Official Plans.

Changes Made to Specific Terms of References

In addition to the changes identified above, certain changes for specific Terms of References have been noted below. If a Phase One Term of Reference is not listed below, then all changes made are captured by the description above of changes made to all Terms of Reference. Changes captured by the description above are generally not repeated below.

Affordable Housing Report / Rental Conversion Assessment

In the Purpose section, it confirms that the guidelines are specific to the Downtown Hamilton Secondary Plan area, and that these areas are not subject to the City of Hamilton’s Rental Housing Protection By-law 24-109; and,
In the Contents section, tenant consultation record requirements, as well as tenant relocation and assistance requirements, have been removed.

Complete Application Compliance Summary / Summary Response to Formal Consultation Comments

This document was expanded to address Complete Application Compliance Summary, in addition to Summary Response to Formal Consultation Comments.

Concept Plan

In the Contents section, it requires that Concept Plans identify;
Conservation Authority-regulated areas;
Additional natural heritage features;
Cycling infrastructure; and,
Transit connectivity.
In the Contact section, contact information for the applicable conservation authorities was added.

Cycling Route Analysis

In the Contents section, further clarity is provided for the technical expectations for a Bicycle Parking Analysis and Cycling Demand Assignment.

Design Review Panel Summary of Advice and Response

The Design Review Panel Summary of Advice and Response was previously combined with Urban Design Report/Brief and has been re-organized into its own distinct document with expanded content throughout;
In the Purpose section, the expanded Design Review Panel geographical applicability is confirmed for design priority areas; and
In the Contents section, the Design Panel Review Submission Package is expanded with a focus on the submission requirements for a Design Brief and applicable Supporting Documents.

Environmental Site Assessment and/or Record of Site Condition

In the Purpose section, the guidelines specifically distinguish between Phase 1 and Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessments.

Farm Economics Report

Added Contents section, with requirements that the proposal aligns with the policies of the Rural Hamilton Official Plan.

Housing Report

In the Contents section, the list of requirements for a Housing Report was modified to include additional criteria for analysis.

Landscape Plan (Including Conceptual)

In the Purpose section, it includes the minimum requirement of a Conceptual Landscape Plan for the submission of an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment as per the Urban Hamilton Official Plan and Rural Hamilton Official Plan;
In the Contents section, expanded technical requirements are listed with a stronger integration of existing Urban Forestry guidelines and new requirements; and,
In the Contents section, expanded technical requirements are listed with new Urban Design requirements.

Modern Roundabout and Neighbourhood Roundabout Analysis

In the Contents section, an analysis of pedestrian accommodations and cyclist accommodations were added as additional requirements.

Neighbourhood Traffic Calming Options Report

Additional considerations and details noted for preparation of the study in the Contents section; and,
Additional resources added to the Other Information section.

Parking Analysis/Study

In the Contents section, details respecting provision of bicycle parking have been added as requirements for site plan drawings forming part of the study; and,
A new sub-section has been added to outline the cash-in-lieu of parking process, under Other Information.

Pedestrian Route and Sidewalk Analysis

Under Contents, added details respecting assessing age-friendliness of existing infrastructure and meeting or exceeding Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act standards when considering mobility needs of persons with disabilities.

Planning Justification Report

In the Other Information section, Transit Assessment and Transportation Assessment have been added to the list of other information and materials which may be included as part of Planning Justification Report instead of as a separate document.

Pre-Technical Conservation Authority Review

Added a Prepared By section which identifies requirements for individuals preparing supporting material;
Added an Other Information section which links to related legislation, guidelines and policies; and,
Added a Reviewed and Approved By section identifying conservation authorities as relevant reviewers.

Roadway/Development Safety Audit

Added an Other Information section which links to related guides produced by the Transportation Association of Canada; and,
Added identification of equity-deserving demographics in certain areas as a potential requirement for studies.

Site Lighting Plan

Under the Purpose section, additional goals respecting crime prevention through environmental design, and promotion of pedestrian and cycling safety have been added.

Sun/Shadow Study

In the Purpose section, clarifying language ties the requirement to 20 meters (6 storeys), rather than 6 storeys;
In the Prepared By section, an additional sentence indicates the specific experience expected of the consultant;
In the Technical Criteria sub-section of the Contents section dates and times have been revised and expanded;
In the Impact Criteria and Considerations sub-section of the Contents section:
- Additional specific physical features have been identified;
- The method of measuring impact has been revised; and,
- A new sub-section for Residential Private Outdoor Amenity Spaces has been added; and,
In the Shadow Model sub-section of the Study Format sub-section, a requirement respecting a scale supporting legibility has been added.

Survey Plan

In the Contents section, additional requirements for horizontal and vertical datums, the source of topographic information, and limits of wetlands / hazard areas / Conservation Authority regulated areas have been added; and,
In the Other Information section, a statement has been added indicating existing survey plans obtained through the resources listed may not be sufficient for application purposes.

Transit Assessment

In the Contents section, added and expanded potential requirements to include additional accessibility considerations.

Transportation Assessment

The title has been revised from “Transportation Impact Study / Traffic Impact Study” to “Transportation Assessment” and a note respecting references to this study has been added;
In the Prepared By section, certain membership requirements for the consultant have been removed; and,
The Contents section has been expanded to include Trip Generation Letter/Memo contents and add additional detail to the Transportation Assessment contents.

Tree Management Plan/Study (City-owned trees and/or within 3 metres of ROW)

The Purpose section has been expanded to identify additional goals and expectations; and,
In the Contents section, the list of required information has been reorganized and expanded.

Tree Protection Plan (Private trees)

In the Contents section, identification of a specific staff review fee for a Tree Protection Plan has been added.

Urban Design or Architectural Guidelines

In the Contents Section, additional considerations, including cycling and emergency vehicle access, have been incorporated.

Wind Study

The Qualitative Study sub-section has been modified to remove Qualitative Desktop Study as an option and to require using Computational Fluid Dynamics;
In the Mitigation Measures sub-section, landscaping mitigation measures have been removed; and,
Considerations for cycling infrastructure have been added in various sub-sections.

Phase 2 Development Application Guidelines (Terms of References) below are published for review and comment by stakeholders and have not been approved for interim use. The guidelines contained below will be presented to Planning Committee for draft approval on July 7, 2026 through Report PED26012. If you have any comments or questions, please send them to [email protected].

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Date modified

July 03, 2026