Official Plan Review

There have been many changes at the provincial and regional level since the Official Plan review project began. For example, Niagara Region’s role in planning changed on March 31, 2025 and has been shifted to the Town. This means that at this time Grimsby has two Official Plans (Grimsby Official Plan and the Region’s Official Plan) that will be incorporated into the Draft Official Plan.

Figure 1: Revised Official Plan Timeline. Please note that these dates will be updated as the Official Plan process unfolds.

The fourth phase of Grimsby's Official Plan Review is about drafting and refining the Official Plan to make sure that it will:

• Align with Council and Community priorities while conforming with
  provincial plans and policies
• Incorporate relevant policies from the Region’s Official Plan
• Consider the feedback received to date
• Make the Official Plan easier to read and use for everyone
• Plan for the way that Grimsby will grow and evolve

Once this phase is complete, a copy of the Draft Official Plan will be made available on https://www.letstalkgrimsby.ca/officialplan.

Phase 2 of Grimsby's Official Plan review has concluded.

Phase 2 - also known as Policy Directions - focused on getting your input on topics included in the Official Plan through various engagement opportunities. The Phase 2 What We Heard Report is available now under the Documents widget on the right side of this webpage.

Figure 1- An overview of public engagement throughout Phase 2, also known as Policy Directions (Phase 2 What We Heard Report, page 5).

As a part of this phase, policy direction reports that consider topics included in the Official Plan, outline matters of provincial conformity, and discuss emerging policy ideas were made available through https://www.letstalkgrimsby.ca/officialplan.

The third phase of the project, Preparing the Plan is already underway. Once the draft Official Plan is complete, it will undergo technical review and will be shared with the public through this webpage.

Activities and events aimed at gathering your feedback on the draft Official Plan will be the focus of Phases 4 and 5.

Figure 2 - Revised Official Plan Timeline (October, 2024).

Stay tuned to Let's Talk Grimsby for more information and project updates!

All policy direction reports are available now! You can find the reports under the Documents widget on the right side of this webpage.

Policy direction reports consider topics that will be included in the Official Plan, outline matters of provincial conformity, and discuss emerging policy ideas.

Polls and surveys are available on this webpage to gather your input on topics such as neighbourhoods, community facilities, housing, and more. Your responses will inform the Official Plan review. Polls and surveys will close on September 13, 2024.

Have more input? Email your comments or questions to grimsbyop@grimsby.ca

Thank you to all those who participated in the Public Information Centre (PIC) on June 18, 2024! This joint event included information about various projects including the Official Plan review, the Transportation Master Plan, and the Parks Master Plan.

For the Official Plan review, this event focused on gathering your input on various topics such as housing, workplaces, the environment, downtown and more.

Figure 1: A diagram with the pillars of Grimsby’s complete community (from Pillars of Grimsby’s Complete Community PIC Board).

If you were unable to participate in this event, the display boards presented at the PIC can be found on the right side of this webpage, under the Public Information Centre (June 18) widget. If you would like to provide comments about the policy directions on these boards, please email grimsbyop@grimsby.ca.

The feedback received will inform the creation of the draft Official Plan.

Stay tuned to this page as project updates, policy direction reports, surveys, and polls are made available.

The Town is currently undertaking three major planning projects that will help shape the future of the Town - the Official Plan Review, Parks Master Plan and the Transportation Master Plan. These three studies are interrelated and will inform each other with respect to policy and future direction.

Residents, business owners and members of the public are invited to join us for a drop in at Public Information Centre (PIC) to learn and ask questions about the various projects.

The PIC is being held at the Grimsby Town Hall from 6-8 pm on June 18^th.

What is your experience living in Grimsby?

Join us for a community conversation about housing needs, access, and affordability that will inform the Official Plan review. This event will include a brief presentation from Town Staff, small and large group conversations where residents can ask questions and share their views. This event is free and does not require registration.

The Housing & Affordability Community Conversation will take place on June 13 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Elizabeth Street Pump House (447 Elizabeth Street).

Today was the final day of the Greater Downtown Planning & Design Charrette.

Thank you to everyone who joined us throughout the week for the Walk 'n' Talk Tours and the Greater Downtown Think Tank!

More events that focus on gathering your input are planned for June, including a Public Information Centre (PIC).

Stay tuned to letstalkgrimsby.ca/officialplan for more updates!

Today's events - including the Greater Downtown THINK TANK - focused on understanding and formulating a vision for Downtown Grimsby.

The Greater Downtown THINK TANK: Interactive Exhibit and Experience

The Greater Downtown THINK TANK was designed to gather public input on the future of the greater downtown area and how it might evolve over the next 25+ years. The results of the THINK TANK will be considered as part of the review of the Official Plan.

Figure 1 - Visitors at the event space located at 35 Main Street West.

Figure 2 - Visitors interacting with the floor map. Visitors used stickers to identify their vision for where a particular feature could or should be located.

Have more feedback? Email grimsbyop@grimsby.ca and join us for a public information centre in June!

Day two of the Greater Downtown Planning & Design Charrette began with a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats (SWOT) Analysis, and finished with a Walk 'n' Talk Tour.

SWOT Analysis

What is a SWOT Analysis?

A SWOT Analysis is an exercise that involves identifying and analysing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in order to develop plans and strategies for the future. The analysis identifies some topics related to these themes in Downtown Grimsby. These topics will continue to evolve with public input and inform the Official Plan review.

Figure 1 - Initial pin-up of a SWOT Analysis of Downtown Grimsby. The topics identified with each theme will continue to evolve with further public input.

Figure 2 - Drawing identifying some of the strengths of Downtown Grimsby.

Walk 'n' Talk Tour: Public Realm & Circulation

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the second Walk 'n' Talk Tour! This tour focused on the public realm and circulation in Downtown Grimsby and was lead by Sarah Sweeney (Director of Parks, Recreation, and Culture) and Harold Madi (Director of Planning and Building).

The Walk ‘n’ Talk Tour: Public Realm & Circulation pamphlet can be found in the Documents widget on letstalkgrimsby.ca/officialplan.

The next event for the Greater Downtown Planning & Design Charette is the Greater Downtown THINK TANK: Interactive Exhibit and Experience on May 30^th from 3:00pm to 8:00pm. This event will take place at 35 Main Street West.

See you there!

The Greater Downtown Planning and Design Charrette kicked off with a Walk 'n' Talk Tour about the history and culture of Downtown Grimsby.

Walk ‘n’ Talk Tour: History & Culture

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for the first Walk ‘n’ Talk Tour! The tour was lead by Bianca Verrecchia (Intermediate Heritage Planner), Wayne Mullins (President of the Grimsby Historical Society), Sara Nixon (Chair of Heritage Grimsby Advisory Committee), Janet Oakes (Grimsby Museum Manager/ Curator) & Garrett France- Wyllie (Heritage Planner).

A special thank you to the Grimsby Historical Society and Wayne Mullins for sharing photos from their collections for the purpose of this tour.

Some key locations included in the tour can be seen in the historical images below.

Figure 1 - The Village Inn (1907-1973) was a central gathering place for socializing and entertaining for several decades. It was located at the corner of Main Street West and Mountain Street.

Figure 2 - Jonathan Woolverton’s House was built in 1839. This photo was taken in 1909 and showcases the Victorian additions from the 1880s. This building is still standing in Downtown Grimsby today.

Figure 3 - Adelaide Street is located within one of Grimsby’s oldest neighbourhoods. As the area developed and industry flourished – including Merritt Bros. Basket Factory seen above - many of the single family homes were turned into multi family dwellings.

The Walk ‘n’ Talk Tour: History and Culture pamphlet can be found in the Documents widget on letstalkgrimsby.ca/officialplan.

The next Walk ‘n’ Talk Tour, focusing on the public realm & circulation in Downtown Grimsby is May 29^th from 6:00pm to 7:00pm. This tour will begin at the Coach House located at 13B Mountain Street.

See you there!