Planning for the Future of our Strategic Growth Areas

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Banner showing images of Peterborough including the Market Hall, aerial views, and street views from downtown Peterborough

The City of Peterborough is developing a Secondary Plan and Community Planning Permit System for the City’s Strategic Growth Areas, as identified in the City’s New Official Plan as shown in Figure 1. The City of Peterborough has identified seven (7) key Strategic Growth Areas that will be the focus of the Secondary Plan, which are:

  1. Downtown Central Area
  2. Water Street North Corridor
  3. Chemong Road Corridor
  4. Clonsilla Avenue & Charlotte Street Corridor
  5. Lansdowne Street (West) Corridor
  6. Armour Road Corridor
  7. Lansdowne Street (East) Corridor

The Strategic Growth Areas (as shown with a red outline in the figure below) were selected for this planning exercise as they are the focus for intensification over the coming years. These are the areas where the City is investing in supporting more housing supply and will need to provide the infrastructure and community facilities to support more people living, working and playing in these neighbourhoods.

Figure 1: Strategic Growth Areas in Peterborough

Map of the city showing the study area/strategic growth areas of the city


The Secondary Plan will update the Official Plan policies for the City’s Strategic Growth Areas and will be implemented using a new tool for the City, through a new Community Planning Permit By-law (CPP By-law). The Secondary Plan will establish the long‐term vision, built form, permissions, and priorities for growth. This will provide the foundation needed to implement the vision by establishing development thresholds, criteria, community benefits and conditions that will be implemented through a CPP By‐law. With the two planning tools coming forward together, the City will be able to achieve optimal results ‐ good planning with accelerated implementation and approvals. This project is in support of the overall Official Plan vision and supports the key goals of increasing housing supply and supporting greater connectivity and neighborhood level planning in these strategic areas.

Community Engagement

The CPP By-law is intended to facilitate a positive change in how development approvals are processed in the Strategic Growth Areas, so it is important that the community understands what is changing and has an opportunity to share feedback through this process before the By-law is finalized and implemented. The planned engagement approach is built around five main themes of the project with seven rounds of engagement, each with unique objectives as outlined in Figure 2 and in the Project Timelines section of this page.

Figure 2: Engagement Process

Infographic of project phases and engagement process

The engagement stages will directly inform the development of the following key deliverables of the project, which include:

  1. A Secondary Plan for the Strategic Growth Areas;
  2. Community Planning Permit By-Law; and,
  3. Implementation support including:
    • Training materials; and,
    • Training for City Staff and developers.

Community Engagement Activities including in person events and online survey are scheduled for late October and early November. Details on upcoming community engagement opportunities are outlined in the 'Get Involved' tab below.

We are also looking for two (2) residents of Peterborough to join the Community Advisory Group and share your perspectives, suggestions and input as the project progresses. Please view the 'Apply to Join the Advisory Group' tab below for more details.

The City of Peterborough is developing a Secondary Plan and Community Planning Permit System for the City’s Strategic Growth Areas, as identified in the City’s New Official Plan as shown in Figure 1. The City of Peterborough has identified seven (7) key Strategic Growth Areas that will be the focus of the Secondary Plan, which are:

  1. Downtown Central Area
  2. Water Street North Corridor
  3. Chemong Road Corridor
  4. Clonsilla Avenue & Charlotte Street Corridor
  5. Lansdowne Street (West) Corridor
  6. Armour Road Corridor
  7. Lansdowne Street (East) Corridor

The Strategic Growth Areas (as shown with a red outline in the figure below) were selected for this planning exercise as they are the focus for intensification over the coming years. These are the areas where the City is investing in supporting more housing supply and will need to provide the infrastructure and community facilities to support more people living, working and playing in these neighbourhoods.

Figure 1: Strategic Growth Areas in Peterborough

Map of the city showing the study area/strategic growth areas of the city


The Secondary Plan will update the Official Plan policies for the City’s Strategic Growth Areas and will be implemented using a new tool for the City, through a new Community Planning Permit By-law (CPP By-law). The Secondary Plan will establish the long‐term vision, built form, permissions, and priorities for growth. This will provide the foundation needed to implement the vision by establishing development thresholds, criteria, community benefits and conditions that will be implemented through a CPP By‐law. With the two planning tools coming forward together, the City will be able to achieve optimal results ‐ good planning with accelerated implementation and approvals. This project is in support of the overall Official Plan vision and supports the key goals of increasing housing supply and supporting greater connectivity and neighborhood level planning in these strategic areas.

Community Engagement

The CPP By-law is intended to facilitate a positive change in how development approvals are processed in the Strategic Growth Areas, so it is important that the community understands what is changing and has an opportunity to share feedback through this process before the By-law is finalized and implemented. The planned engagement approach is built around five main themes of the project with seven rounds of engagement, each with unique objectives as outlined in Figure 2 and in the Project Timelines section of this page.

Figure 2: Engagement Process

Infographic of project phases and engagement process

The engagement stages will directly inform the development of the following key deliverables of the project, which include:

  1. A Secondary Plan for the Strategic Growth Areas;
  2. Community Planning Permit By-Law; and,
  3. Implementation support including:
    • Training materials; and,
    • Training for City Staff and developers.

Community Engagement Activities including in person events and online survey are scheduled for late October and early November. Details on upcoming community engagement opportunities are outlined in the 'Get Involved' tab below.

We are also looking for two (2) residents of Peterborough to join the Community Advisory Group and share your perspectives, suggestions and input as the project progresses. Please view the 'Apply to Join the Advisory Group' tab below for more details.

  • The City of Peterborough is forming a Community Advisory Group (CAG) as one of the key components of the overall engagement strategy as we plan for the future of our Strategic Growth Areas. We are looking for residents of Peterborough to join the CAG and share your perspectives, suggestions and input as the project progresses. The CAG will also have representatives from local community organizations involved in a range of issues including housing, homelessness, natural heritage, arts and culture, Indigenous rights and heritage, sustainability, and more.

    We need your participation to add to the diversity of ideas and perspectives and work closely with the City and Consulting team throughout the project process. 

    Read more about the CAG below, and if you are interested in participating, please fill out the form below and submit it by October 4th, 2024. Members of the public who live and/or work in one of the Strategic Growth Areas are invited to apply to participate as citizen-at-large members, and will receive compensation in the amount of $30 per hour for attendance of meetings and review of project materials. 

    The first meeting of the CAG will be held on October 17th, 2024 from 2-4pm. If you are selected to participate in the CAG, a member of the City's project team will be in contact.


    The CAG’s purpose is to provide a forum for feedback, where members can provide informed input and bring forward the perspectives of their organizations/communities for the duration of the project. The CAG is a non-political advisory committee. The CAG is anticipated to provide advice to the project team on the study, to provide feedback on the development of the public consultation process and engagement materials, and to provide insight into the key issues related to the study.  A copy of the Terms of Reference (TOR) is provided here

    Roles and Responsibilities: CAG Members

    The role of CAG members is to work cooperatively with the City’s project team through the planning process and development of the Secondary Plan and Community Planning Permit System relating to the Strategic Growth Areas in our city. Roles and responsibilities of CAG members are to:

    • Attend CAG meetings through to the full term of the project;
    • Review information provided in advance of CAG meetings;
    • Participate fully, bringing the perspective of the organization/community they represent to the discussion;
    • Provide feedback and advice on information presented from their organization/communities’ perspective;
    • Provide input into the development of materials for public consultation events;
    • Help the CAG operate effectively by bringing suggestions and alternatives to issues, concerns and problems;
    • Liaise with the organization/community represented and disseminate information where appropriate; and
    • Participate in other consultation events, when available


    Apply to join
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Page last updated: 24 Sep 2024, 07:45 AM