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Planning, Property & Development

Local Area Plans

The City of Winnipeg reminds all persons making use of this local area plan information, that it has been prepared for the convenience of the user. The City expressly disclaims any responsibility for errors or omissions.

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Introduction

Local area plans (LAPs) establish a framework that directs how an area of land is to be developed and used. This framework consists of a vision, land use concepts, policy statements and a strategy for realizing the vision of how an area shall be developed and used.

The primary function of a local area plan is to pro-actively manage change in the built environment. Local area plans direct how land in an area may be used, where buildings of various types, sizes and shapes may be located and how infrastructure can be extended into, and through, the local area. Local area plans vary by scale and level of detail. A local area plan may apply to a variety of areas, such as:

  • a neighbourhood or a group of neighbourhoods,
  • a former industrial area,
  • the downtown area,
  • a major road and the adjacent properties, or
  • an area expected to undergo significant change.

A local area plan should be concise and provide clear direction to the public, the development industry and the City of Winnipeg with respect to land use planning and development, while promoting creativity and innovation.

OurWinnipeg & Complete Communities

OurWinnipeg is the City of Winnipeg’s municipal development plan, which sets a vision for the next 25 years. OurWinnipeg is supported by four direction strategy documents, each of which has a unique focus: Complete Communities, Sustainable Transportation, Sustainable Water and Waste, and A Sustainable Winnipeg.

Complete Communities is Winnipeg’s guide to land use and development. It provides tools and approaches that complement OurWinnipeg in giving direction on how the city should be developed. Its primary focus is to describe Winnipeg’s physical characteristics and lay out a framework of the city’s future physical growth and development by introducing an urban structure, categorized into its various components, which include:

  • Downtown,
  • Major Redevelopment Sites,
  • New Communities (divided into precinct areas),
  • Mixed-Use Centres,
  • Mixed-Use Corridors,
  • Mature Communities,
  • Recent Communities,
  • Rural and Agricultural lands, and
  • Airport Area

Together, OurWinnipeg and Complete Communities provide direction that informs the creation of local area plans. Complete Communities identifies several areas in the City that need additional plans before they are developed. For example, New Communities are divided into precinct areas, each of which requires a planning process subject to requirements outlined in Complete Communities.

Several local area plans were approved before OurWinnipeg and Complete Communities came into effect in 2011. If any of these local area plans is not consistent with OurWinnipeg and Complete Communities, OurWinnipeg and Complete Communities take precedence.

Approval and Amendment Processes

Winnipeg’s City Council may approve a local area plan by:

  • adopting it as a secondary plan by-law; or
  • endorsing it as Council policy.

Approval or Amendment of a Local Area Plan as a Secondary Plan By-Law
A secondary plan is a local area plan that has been adopted by Council through a process specified in provincial law. When Council approves a secondary plan, the plan becomes a by-law. The process under which a secondary plan is approved includes a public hearing. All development proposals and other undertakings within the planning area of a local area plan that was adopted as a secondary plan must be consistent with that local area plan.

The process to amend (change) a local area plan is the same as the process to approve it unless a more stringent process is specified in the local area plan. Every local area plan that was approved before OurWinnipeg came into effect as a secondary plan. View the submission requirements for a secondary plan amendment application.

Approval or Amendment of a Local Area Plan as Council Policy
If Council approves a local area plan by endorsing it as policy, neither a by-law nor a public hearing is required to approve it. All development proposals and other undertakings within the planning area of a local area plan that was endorsed as Council policy should be consistent with that local area plan.

Approved Plans

Local area plans that are in effect are listed in the link below. To view the plan and related information, click on the name of the plan in the list.

Plans Approved as Secondary Plan By-laws

 

Plans Approved as Council Policy

Background Studies

Below are a number of background studies that contributed to (or were a result of) past planning processes. These studies may also be used to inform future local area planning in Winnipeg.

Last update: May 2, 2019