Mississauga updates Green Development Standards
Mississauga City Council has approved updated Green Development Standards (GDS) for new construction projects.
The standards include mandatory and voluntary metrics for developers to consider when designing new residential and non-residential developments to lower greenhouse gas emissions and ensure new developments are more resilient, energy-efficient and sustainable.
The updated GDS also support the city’s goal of becoming a net-zero community.
“Buildings in Mississauga are responsible for around 50 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from our city. However, these emissions can be greatly reduced through better building and site design, and through the updated GDS in our site plan process,” said Acting Mayor Matt Mahoney. “Our updated Green Development Standards provide clear direction to the development industry on how to design buildings that will help us achieve the objectives set out in our Climate Change Action Plan.”
The City conducted extensive consultation on the draft mandatory and voluntary metrics with residents, industry representatives and the development industry as part of the Green Development Standards update. Staff also reviewed best practices from other Ontario municipalities to ensure the updated GDS aligned – an important factor for the development industry.
“Our updated GDS will help the local building industry cut down on harmful emissions and better prepare for climate change impacts, ensuring that new buildings under site plan control are better for everyone – nature, people, and our local economy,” said Andrew Whittemore, Commissioner, Planning and Building. “Mississauga is doing what we can, within our jurisdiction, to tackle climate change through better building design and operation."
The updated GDS establishes a tiered structure that includes mandatory and voluntary developer requirements. The requirements are divided into three tiers: tier one, which contains mandatory requirements, and tiers two and three, which include voluntary and higher performance standards. Over time, the initial voluntary tiers will become mandatory to achieve the goal of new near net-zero developments by 2030.
The city says it will conduct a feasibility study to determine what incentives it may adopt to increase uptake of the tier two and tier three voluntary metrics.
The updated standards take effect on March 1, 2025.