Downtown Strategy

The City reviews development applications in accordance with the provincial regulations within the Planning Act. The Act gives municipalities certain powers however, does not give the authority to regulate architectural design. The City does however have general policies in the Official Plan to encourage a variety of design components such as: durable materials within buildings, the regulation of massing, floor plate size, height, setbacks and land uses. In the Downtown Core, the City also has Built Form Standards to provide urban design direction and guidance for proposed developments. The private landowners, developers and their architects still have freedom of design of their lands within the general parameters defined within the City’s Zoning By-laws.

Thank you for sharing your feedback. The City of Mississauga recognizes that vehicle noise can be disruptive. In August, City Council took action to address vehicle noise by amending the Noise Control By-law to prohibit anyone from making unnecessary noise in stationary and moving motor vehicles and increasing the set fine. The City is also working with Peel Regional Police to address vehicle noise. During the month of July, Peel Police laid 170 charges in Mississauga for vehicle noise offences as part of “Project Noisemaker”. The City has looked into “noise cameras” as part of the Noise Control Program Review, but due to the financial impact of COVID-19, any recommendations that will involve new funding cannot be implemented until Phase 2.

Traffic calming measures, such as speed bumps, are considered if a concern is raised regarding speeding or aggressive driving. Our Road Safety Unit will conduct a study to determine the appropriate response. If there is an area of specific concern, please contact 311 with details and City staff will undertake an appropriate review. The Downtown Movement Plan will make recommendations to make Downtown streets safer and more comfortable for all.

The City recognizes the need for various housing and more affordable housing options in Mississauga and the Downtown Core. The City’s Housing Strategy (Making Room for the Middle) identifies priorities and recommendations for affordable housing. We will be supporting these policies and identifying recommendations for affordable housing through the Downtown Strategy as well as through the Official Plan Review.

A key component of the DMP will be recommendations for cycling infrastructure improvements. Also, we are continually improving the Burnhamthorpe Multi-Use Trail as opportunities come up. For example whenever extensive signal or intersection work has to be done, we’ll take the opportunity to add bicycle cross-rides, including signaling, such as when the section east of Dixie Road was reconstructed. Recently the Erindale GO station entrance was upgraded with bike signals, and the Erin Mills Parkway intersection is currently being upgraded. Future developments planned for the Downtown that affect intersections, such as the Hurontario LRT, and developments to the west will also trigger similar improvements.

The Downtown Strategy seeks to provide an update to the City of Mississauga’s Downtown 21 Master Plan, which is 10 years old. All plans in Mississauga are in line with the City’s Official Plan, the Region of Peel Official Plan and the Province’s Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2020.

Thank you for sharing your feedback and concern. The Downtown Strategy will be identifying ways to improve walkability and strengthen the network of greenspaces in the Downtown Core. We will be conducting a detailed movement study for the Downtown Core, which will help us identify areas for improvement. More details about this study will be posted here, on the project website, with further opportunities to provide input into the development of the Downtown Strategy.

We currently have a Downtown Community Improvement Plan in place, to incentivize office development in the Downtown. You can read more about that here. Through the Downtown Strategy, we are identifying potential recommendations to help grow employment and social opportunities in the Downtown.

There are currently a mix of housing sizes in the Downtown Core, including bachelor, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. With the growing number of families living in the Downtown, we are identifying opportunities to support a variety of housing options.

Our recently released Transportation Master Plan (http://mississaugamoves.ca) found that 29% of trips to, from, or within Mississauga use a sustainable mode of travel (where sustainable modes are those other than driving). An objective of the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) is to have half of Mississauga trips use a sustainable mode by 2041 (see page 83). Ninety-one Action Items are presented in the TMP and are designed to achieve the TMP’s objectives, including the City’s sustainable mode share target.

Action #11 (page 96) calls for a Mode Share Study. This study will set mode targets for specific geographic areas of the City. Although there is not a mode share target for the Downtown at this time, it is anticipated that the Downtown will be one of the first geographic areas of the city to receive one.

The City’s current vision for the Downtown is for a vibrant civic, cultural, and economic centre for Mississauga. Providing viable and attractive multi-modal options is at the heart of this endeavour. Current plans (including the Downtown21 Master Plan) aim to transform the Downtown into a high quality, pedestrian-friendly, and human-scaled environment. Auto-dependence will be reduced by introducing new dedicated transit, including the Hurontario LRT, as well as dedicated cycling facilities and an improved pedestrian network. Updates to the Downtown21 Master Plan, in part through the Downtown Strategy, are anticipated to reiterate these aims.

The City of Mississauga endorsed the new Cycling Master Plan in July 2018. The Cycling Master Plan outlines cycling infrastructure investments that the City will undertake to fully build out the cycling network over the next 27 years.

While the Cycling Master Plan does include some painted bicycle lanes as part of the proposed cycling network, there is a much heavier emphasis on physically protected bicycle lanes, protected either by barriers like curbs, planters or bollards, or protected by being above the curb at sidewalk level but dedicated for bicycles. The Cycling Master Plan proposed approximately 150 kilometres of this type of separated bicycle lane or “cycle track” across the City.

You can review the Cycling Master Plan and look at the maps of the proposed and existing network by visiting http://www.doescyclingmoveyou.ca or https://www.mississaugabikes.ca/cycling-infrastructure/.

The Downtown21 Master Plan was developed back in 2010 and set a vision for Downtown Mississauga. The Plan requires a refresh to ensure the continued development of Downtown Mississauga reflects the changing needs and aspirations of its users. The Downtown Strategy will build on the ideas presented in the Downtown21 Master Plan, but will be a new and distinct document.