Planning Committee backs mid-rise zoning for about 755 more Hamilton properties and extra units in semis and townhouses

What the committee approved

Hamilton's Planning Committee held a statutory public meeting on September 29, 2026 on two City-initiated amendments to the city-wide Zoning By-law No. 05-200, and approved both, recommending that Council enact the draft by-laws. The City gave notice of both amendments on September 18, 2026.

Mid-rise zones extended to more properties

Council introduced three Mid Rise Residential Zones in October 2025, giving about 3,000 properties, mainly along arterial roads, as-of-right mid-rise permissions, according to staff Report PED23069(c). Phase 2 would bring about 755 more properties in the urban area, outside secondary plan areas, into those zones. Staff say most of them have site-specific zoning and were left out of Phase 1 because those permissions needed closer review; most of the older site-specific permissions are not being carried forward because they are no longer relevant, the sites are fully built, or the city-wide by-law already covers them.

The amendment also replaces legacy zoning from the former City of Hamilton Zoning By-law No. 6593 in the Durand, Stinson and Corktown neighbourhoods. The report says some downzoning has occurred in the interiors of those neighbourhoods to better match existing buildings, while properties placed in the Mid Rise Residential – Small Scale (R3) and Mid Rise Residential (R4) zones there would also keep low-density residential uses. On some properties now used for offices and medical clinics, office uses are retained and a modified medical clinic use is introduced through site-specific permissions.

Other strategic changes in the package extend a soft-landscaping requirement to low-density residential uses, update townhouse rules in the Downtown Residential (D5) zone, and add multiple dwelling townhouses to the Major Institutional (I3) zone. Staff were also directed, once the by-law is finally approved, to amend any affected neighbourhood plans.

More units in semis and townhouses

The second amendment changes the rules for additional dwelling units (separate, self-contained units inside the main home) and additional dwelling units – detached (separate, self-contained units in a detached building). Staff Report PED26188 says that since Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022, the Planning Act has barred a zoning by-law from restricting an urban residential lot to fewer than three residential units in the combinations the Act specifies, such as three internal units where there is no detached unit.

Under the current by-law, a semi-detached home or street townhouse on its own divided lot can have one internal additional unit and one detached unit, but not two internal units. The report also notes that townhouse units that are not end units cannot add a detached unit because of the by-law's unobstructed-path-to-street requirement. The amendment would let each semi-detached unit and each street townhouse unit contain up to two additional dwelling units, while capping a divided semi-detached or townhouse lot at three units in total. Staff say this brings the by-law into conformity with the Planning Act.

What was said at the meeting

According to the committee minutes, on the mid-rise amendment one delegate spoke in favour and the Durand Neighbourhood Association made a written submission in favour with concerns. On the additional dwelling unit amendment, one registered delegate spoke in support with concerns and the West Hamilton Home Builders Association made a written submission in support. No other members of the public came forward on that item.

What happens next

The committee's report and two zoning by-laws, Bill 178 for the Mid Rise Residential zones and Bill 179 for additional dwelling units, were listed on the agenda of Council's October 7, 2026 meeting. The City's notices say that, under the Planning Act, appeals of these amendments to the Ontario Land Tribunal may be made only by specified persons, public bodies or registered owners of land to which the amendment applies, and only if they made oral or written submissions before the by-law was passed.