Grounded in community. Growing with purpose. Help update the City of St. Catharines Official Plan and shape our community for the future.

The City of St. Catharines is updating its Official Plan (known as the “Garden City Plan”). The Garden City Plan provides a long-term vision for land use and development in the City. It guides where we live, work and play.

This update to the Garden City Plan is necessary to:

• Conform: Meet provincial legislation, plans and policy.
• Consolidate: Combine the policies of two Official Plans into one.
  • As of March 31, 2025, the Regional Municipality of Niagara, the upper tier municipality, does not have planning responsibilities and the Region’s Official Plan (Niagara Official Plan) became an Official Plan of the City.
• Align: Utilize recent Provincial, Regional and Municipal studies and approved plans to inform the Garden City Plan.
• Grow: Accommodate a 2051 growth horizon.
  • The new growth horizon represents more than 35,000 new residents, 18,000 new housing units and 17,000 new jobs.

On this page, you can learn more about the project, upcoming events, find links to important documents related to the Official Plan, and provide your thoughts on the future of the City.

What is an Official Plan?

An Official Plan is a document required by the Planning Act and developed by each municipality. It sets out how land is used and how employment and population growth is to be accommodated. Those policies are implemented through regulations contained within the City's comprehensive Zoning By-law.