Guelph City Council has approved two complementary policy changes designed to accelerate high-rise development in the city’s primary growth corridors—Downtown and the Stone Road/Edinburgh Road area—while protecting heritage assets and streamlining approvals.
On April 10, 2025, Council enacted an Official Plan Amendment allowing up to 24 storeys in strategically selected peripheral blocks of the Downtown Secondary Plan, with protections for historical streetscapes.
At the same time, a new Community Planning Permit bylaw merges zoning amendments, minor variances and site-plan approvals into a single application process with a legislated 45-day decision timeline, reducing red tape and uncertainty for major projects. Under this streamlined framework, mixed-use buildings can now rise to 18 storeys and high-density residential towers to 14 storeys, provided each proposal delivers affordable housing units or other city-prioritized community benefits.
Purpose of the Amendments
Both amendments align with Guelph’s mandate to grow to 208,000 residents and 116,000 jobs by 2051. They are also aimed at supporting federal Housing Accelerator Fund commitments and the City’s Housing Affordability Strategy by offering density bonuses and faster approvals to boost supply, all while preserving the city’s historic character and infrastructure capacity. A Downtown Building Heights Study further guided the placement and design of taller structures, to optimize sunlight, minimize shadows and ensure context-sensitive massing throughout the core.
Policy Change Overview
City Council approved the Official Plan Amendment for the Downtown Secondary Plan Area, authorizing taller buildings in strategically defined peripheral zones, while preserving historic streetscapes and key heritage vistas, as well as a new Community Planning Permit Bylaw and accompanying Official Plan Amendment for the Stone Road/Edinburgh Road corridor, using Ontario’s Community Planning Permit System tool to guide growth, expedite approvals and coordinate infrastructure planning.
Downtown Guelph: Strategic Height Increases
The maximum permissible height has increased from 12 storeys (under previous zoning) to 24 storeys in identified peripheral blocks, stimulating the development of high-rise residential and mixed-use projects proximate to the central transit station. The amendment explicitly protects the iconic view of the Basilica of Our Lady from Macdonell Street, ensuring new towers do not disrupt this heritage landmark. By concentrating bulk outside the historic core, the policy balances intensified land use with cultural and architectural conservation.
Stone Road/Edinburgh Road: Enhanced Density and Streamlined Process
Under the previous zoning regime, mixed-use buildings were capped at six storeys and residential towers at 10 storeys; the CPPS bylaw raises these limits to 18 and 14 storeys, respectively, unlocking substantial additional floor area for market-rate and affordable housing. The CPPS framework merges zoning amendments, minor variances and site-plan approvals into a single application, promising regulatory certainty and a legislated 45-day review timeline for major developments.
Implications for Development
Under the new Community Planning Permit Bylaw for the Stone Road/Edinburgh Road area, developers will submit one consolidated application, combining zoning bylaw amendments, minor variances and site-plan approvals, rather than three separate processes, simplifying processes and providing clarity in the approval pathway. Projects taking advantage of the increased height limits must deliver affordable housing units or other city-identified community benefits as an integral component of their proposals.
This streamlined approval mechanism is one of eight initiatives in Guelph’s Housing Accelerator Fund action plan and also implements an action in the City’s Housing Affordability Strategy to ensure that higher-density developments contribute directly to the City’s targets for housing supply.
The City of Guelph projects that these changes will generate incremental tax revenue and attract private investment into compact, transit-oriented developments.