Council Planning · May 12, 2026 · Item 7.2
Defer its decision and direct staff to continue to work collaboratively with the applicant to address the outstanding policy, technical…
Deferral under the agenda item Exploring the Potential for Five Plus (5+) Units in Guelph, 2026-229
Carried (13 to 0)
13 in favour, 0 against — unanimous
This was one of 4 motions on the same item
In the order council took them. A vote makes sense next to the ones around it.
- 1/4Main motionStaff to continue evaluating the feasibility of permitting five or more residential units with the approach presented on low density residential corner lots (RL.1 and RL.2)…Defeated (6 to 7)
- 2/4Main motionStaff to take no further action in regard to the five plus units project on low density residential lots, at this time…Carried (13 to 0)
- 3/4ReconsiderationFollowing resolution passed by City Council on May 12…Carried (13 to 0)
- 4/4DeferralDefer its decision and direct staff to continue to work collaboratively with the applicant to address the outstanding policy, technical…you are hereCarried (13 to 0)
What was voted on
The motion in its exact words, as recorded in the minutes.
That Council defer its decision and direct staff to continue to work collaboratively with the applicant to address the outstanding policy, technical, and regulatory matters identified in this report. Recognizing that this is one of the City’s key growth areas and provides employment and residential growth to 2051, that staff report back to Council on September 9, 2026 to make a decision regarding the Official Plan Amendment, Zoning Bylaw Amendment, and Draft Plan of Subdivision, provided the applicant provides updated material by June 15, 2026.
Moved by Councillor Klassen, seconded by Councillor Richardson.
How the room voted
In favour (13)
- Allt
- Billings
- Busuttil
- Caron
- Caton
- Chew
- Downer
- Gibson
- Goller
- Guthrie
- Hauser
- Klassen
- Richardson
Who spoke to it
The following staff presented Exploring the Potential for Five Plus (5+) Units in Guelph, 2026-229: Emily Pitt, Planner I, Policy Planner Emily Irvine, Manager, Policy Planning and Urban Design The following delegates spoke: Dominica McPherson, Guelph & Wellington Poverty Elimination Collaborative
What council was given
The staff reports and correspondence attached to this item. The summaries are written automatically, so you can tell what a document is without opening a ninety-page PDF.
- Exploring the Potential for Five Plus (5+) Units in Guelph - 2026-229.pdf
Staff ask Council to keep studying whether five or more homes should be allowed on a single low-density corner lot, focusing on corners involving local roads and excluding corners of two busier arterial and collector roads. Draft Official Plan and zoning changes would be prepared and reported back in 2027. The work stems from Guelph's $21.4 million federal Housing Accelerator Fund agreement, which followed December 2024 approval of four units per lot.
- Attachment-1 Map of Corner Lots at Major Intersections with Potential Suitability for Five Plus Units.pdf
- Attachment-2 Map of all Corner Lots with Potential Suitability for Five Plus Units.pdf
- Attachment-3 Map of all Corner Lots with Potential Suitability for Five Plus Units Excluding at Major Intersections.pdf
- Attachment-4 Five Plus Units Council Presentation.pdf
- Correspondence - Dennis and Marlene Mortley.pdf
- Correspondence - John Lawson, OUNRA.pdf
A summary is this site’s description of a document, not the City’s. Open the document before relying on one.
The motion, the vote and the debate come from the City of Guelph’s published record, reproduced rather than interpreted. The document summaries above are the exception: those words were written for this site.