Back to SearchThe Council of the Corporation of the City of St. Catharines, at its meeting on April 27th, 2026, refused a request for an application to amend the Garden City Plan (Official Plan) under Section 17 of the Planning Act and to amend Zoning By-law No. 2013-283 under Section 34 of the Planning Act for lands municipally known as 704 Niagara Street.
The applicant was seeking approval to amend the City’s Official Plan and Zoning By-law to facilitate the construction of an apartment building with a total of thirty-one (31) dwelling units.
The Official Plan designates the subject lands majority Neighbourhood Residential and the remaining southwest portion Natural Areas on Schedule D1. Schedule E2 further designates the property as Low Density Residential, in part, and Natural Areas within the Natural Extent Line, in part, on Schedule E2. The applicant proposed to redesignate the subject lands to Neighbourhood Residential in Schedule D1 and Medium Density Residential in Schedule E2 to facilitate the proposed development.
The Zoning By-law zones 704 Niagara Street majority Low Density Residential – Suburban Neighbourhood (R1) and the remaining portion Conservation/Natural Area (G1). The applicant proposed to rezone the subject lands to Medium Density Residential (R3) with a special provision to establish site specific zoning provisions to facilitate the proposed development. The Special Provision requested to reduce the minimum required front yard setback, parking spaces, and landscape buffer for a parking area abutting a residential zone.
The Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments for 704 Niagara Street were denied for reasons and explanations stated and expressed at the City’s Council Meeting on Monday, April 27th, 2026.
All written and oral submissions related to the application that were made at the public meeting have been taken into consideration by Council as part of its deliberation and final decision. This included concerns regarding traffic volumes, sightlines, privacy and overlook, flooding, street parking, density and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood.
Legal Notice
The last day for filing a notice of appeal is May 21st, 2026, at 4:30 PM. The notice of appeal must be filed with the Clerk or submitted through the Ontario Land Tribunal’s (OLT) e-file portal. It must set out the reasons for the appeal and be accompanied by the fee required by the OLT. More information on fees can be found on the OLT’s website: www.olt.gov.on.ca/fee-chart
The decision of council is final if a notice of appeal is not received on or before the last day for filing a notice of appeal.
For more information about this matter, including information about appeal rights, please contact Kevin Macdonald, Planner, Planning & Building Services Department, at (905) 680-6944, via email at kmacdonald@stcatharines.ca or at the City’s TTY number (text telephone) at (905) 688-4889.
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