As part of our ongoing work to enable housing to reach the market more quickly, the City of Waterloo is developing a tool to streamline development approvals in the Uptown Primary Node and Erb Street Corridor. This tool is called a Community Planning Permit System (CPPS) and is a land use planning tool which combines Zoning By-law Amendments, Minor Variances and Site Plan applications into one single application and approval process, enabling housing to reach the market more quickly.
Upfront public input is critical to the success of this initiative as once the CPP By-law is in effect, there are no third-party appeals. This means that only the applicant, the Minister, and certain public bodies can appeal decisions made by municipalities regarding the issuance of community planning permits.
Second Draft Community Planning Permit By-law and Urban Design Guidelines Released
A second draft of the Community Planning Permit (CPP) By-law and Urban Design Guidelines is now available for review and commenting. The new draft includes feedback received on the first draft and adjustments to align with the City’s Official Plan.
View the second drafts below. Comments on these drafts are due by September 12, 2025 to inform the final by-law and guidelines.
A high-level overview of modifications made in response to comments received are outlined in Council report IPPW2025-037 which went to Council for information on July 14. A more comprehensive overview of which comments have or have not resulted in modifications to the second draft is available in the updated Public Engagement Summary of Comments and Responses.
Public engagement session videos and slides are available on this page. The slides for July 22 and August 7 are similar.
Key actions:
- Develop a Community Planning Permit System (CPPS).
- Establish Urban Design Guidelines.
- Propose an Official Plan Amendment for community and Council consideration.
- Propose a Community Planning Permit by-law for community and Council consideration.
- Train staff, communicate new by-law and implement.
Net new units: 50
Implementation timeline: December 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026
Project Location (click map for interactive features)
Background
When developing the first draft of the CPP By-law, the intent was to carry forward the City’s existing Zoning By-law 2018-050 regulations as a foundation, with updates as appropriate, and to enable CPPS permissions as afforded by the Planning Act. This included replacement of “zones” with “precincts”; more flexibility by introducing discretionary uses that define how land can be used if certain conditions and criteria are met, conditions of approval; ability for staff to approve more types of development applications (Class 2); enhanced process controls (e.g. complete application and pre-consultation meeting abilities, ability to address site plan-level details); ability to secure community benefits; and urban design guidelines that complement the development regulations. The CPP By-law and Urban Design Guidelines have been further refined based on feedback received on the first drafts.
In 2022, the City had a CPPS Background Study undertaken, which produced the following deliverables that have informed this project (PDFs):
• Community Planning Permit System Study Report
• Community Planning Permit System Education Booklet
• Draft Waterloo Official Plan Policies
*Return to City of Waterloo Housing Accelerator Fund page.
