Line drawing of a city skyline with tall skyscrapers and various buildings.
Line drawing of a city skyline with tall skyscrapers and various buildings.

Planning, explained.

A growing library of planner-created resources that make Ontario planning easier to understand.

Planning affects everyone.

Whether you're researching a property, building your planning knowledge, or trying to better understand how your community is changing, Parcel is designed to help.

Property Owners | Realtors | Planning Students | Investors | Neighbours

Planning Resources

  • A diagram of a vacant commercial property lot adjacent to a sidewalk and street, with zoning and key standards information displayed on the right, and a site plan map showing the property's location and boundaries in relation to surrounding zones.

    What is a Zoning By-law?

    Understand how zoning by-laws regulate land use and development, including permitted uses, setbacks, building height, parking, and lot coverage.

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  • Comparison of existing and proposed zoning standards for side yard setbacks. The existing setback is 1.2 meters, meeting zoning requirements, while the proposed setback is 0.6 meters, requiring a minor variance. The image shows a side yard with a wooden fence and grass between two houses, with a patio and outdoor furniture in the proposed plan.

    What is a Minor Variance?

    When a property doesn’t quite meet the zoning rules. Learn what a minor variance is, when one may be needed, and how it’s evaluated.

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  • Side-by-side comparison of a shopping center parking lot before and a mixed-use development after. The before shows a strip mall with retail stores and a parking lot. The after depicts a modern, multi-story building with residential units, retail shops, cafes, and landscaped surroundings, with a street intersection in front.

    What is an Official Plan?

    See how a municipality plans for growth and change — and what that can mean for a property or neighbourhood over time.

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