St. Catharines City Council has approved planning changes that clear the way for a major mixed-use development at 1262-1290 Fourth Avenue, including two blocks planned for 8-storey mixed-use buildings.
At its meeting on September 14, 2026, council adopted Official Plan Amendment No. 56 and passed Zoning By-law Amendment 2026-120, according to a City of St. Catharines notice of decision. The move follows a public meeting on the applications held on August 24, 2026, at which public input was received and considered before council made its decision.
The applicant is Martin Quarcoopome of Weston Consulting, and the project site is 1262-1290 Fourth Avenue.
What the changes allow
The amendments to the City's Garden City Plan and Zoning By-law 2013-283 would permit development of the lands as two blocks for the construction of 8-storey mixed-use buildings, plus one additional block reserved for future mixed-use development.
The official plan amendment changes a Special Policy applying to the lands so that ground-floor or standalone residential uses are permitted, provided they do not occupy any part of a ground-floor public-street-facing building façade. It also requires a minimum of 48 jobs per hectare across the lands overall, calculated at a rate of 500 square feet of gross floor area per job.
The zoning amendment rezones the properties from Business Commercial Employment with Special Provision 5 and Holding Provision H3 (E1-5-H3) to a new zoning category that includes Special Provisions 199 and 200, which contain site-specific provisions detailed in the full by-law.
Holding Provision H3 remains in place, and a new Holding Provision 30 requires confirmation that sufficient water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure is available to accommodate the intended land use before development can proceed.
Related subdivision approval
The same properties are also the subject of a separate application under the Planning Act for draft plan of subdivision approval (File No. 25 113534 SA), which council approved with conditions. A notice of decision for that subdivision application was previously sent out separately.
Complete copies of both by-laws, 2026-119 and 2026-120, are available for inspection at the office of the City Clerk at City Hall during regular office hours.
Appeal deadline October 19
Only the registered owner of the land, specified persons, and public bodies as defined in the Planning Act may appeal council's decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal. The last day to file a notice of appeal is October 19, 2026.
Appeals must be filed with the Clerk or through the Ontario Land Tribunal's e-file portal, and must set out the reasons for the appeal and the specific parts of the by-law or official plan amendment being challenged. A separate notice of appeal is required for each by-law, each accompanied by the Ontario Land Tribunal fee. Fee information is available on the Tribunal's website.
If no appeal is received by the deadline, council's decision is final. People who made oral or written submissions before the by-laws were passed may be parties to any appeal hearing; others may only be added if the Tribunal finds reasonable grounds to do so.
Residents with questions about the matter, including appeal rights, can contact Charlotte McEwan, Senior Planner with the City's Planning and Building Services Department, at 905-688-5601 ext. 1716 or by email at cmcewan@stcatharines.ca. The notice is dated September 29, 2026.
