Welcome

The City of Niagara Falls is creating clear policies to help guide how the City may grow in the future. These policies explain what information is needed and which factors are considered when requests to expand the settlement area boundary are made. No decisions are being made about specific properties at this time. This Let’s Talk page is a place to learn more about the process, review information as it becomes available, and share your thoughts on the principles and values that should guide future growth.

About the Project

The City is undertaking a City-initiated Official Plan Amendment to establish clear, transparent, and consistent policies and evaluation guidelines for Settlement Area Boundary Expansion applications.

The proposed policies and guidelines will be used to assess future requests from private landowners and developers to expand the existing settlement area boundary, consistent with the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024.

The proposed Official Plan Amendment will not approve or refuse any specific settlement area boundary expansion. Instead, it will create a policy framework that clarifies:

• How settlement area boundary expansion requests may be considered;
• The technical studies, analysis, and information requirements needed to support an application;
• The criteria the City will use to evaluate whether a proposed expansion is appropriate, necessary, and in the public interest; and
• The intent of the amendment is to support orderly, efficient, and sustainable growth while protecting agricultural lands, natural heritage features, and municipal servicing capacity.

Public and stakeholder input is an important part of this process and will help ensure the policies reflect community priorities, growth management goals, and long-term sustainability.

Why this Matters

How the city grows affects:

• Neighbourhoods and quality of life
• Farmland and natural areas
• Transportation and infrastructure
• Jobs, housing, and services

Clear policies help ensure growth decisions are made fairly, consistently, and transparently.

What We’re Asking

We’re looking for general feedback on the overall direction of the policies, including:

• Key principles that should guide future growth decisions
• Community values that should be considered
• Factors that matter most when evaluating potential boundary expansions