Urban design and design manuals

The Urban Design Manual provides a consolidated set of citywide urban design guidelines. It reflects the City’s commitment to good urban design and provides a consistent baseline for assessing development proposals on both public and private lands. The Urban Design Manual also contains the Terms of Reference for Urban Design Reports (Appendix A). An Urban Design Report may be required as part of a complete development application.

The Downtown Master Plan includes general design guidelines that apply to the downtown. It also includes guidelines that apply to specific streets and properties in the downtown.

The Downtown Streetscape Design Plan provides design guidelines for the visual elements of downtown streets. These elements include lighting, trees, sidewalk paving, and furniture like benches and bicycle racks.

The Colborne Street Southside Urban Design Guidelines apply to the south side of Colborne Street, from Brant Avenue to the Laurier Brantford YMCA property.

The Waterfront Master Plan has guidelines that apply to waterfront development. The Brantford waterfront is made up of the lands next to the Grand River, its tributaries, the canals, and Mohawk Lake.

The Site Plan Manual includes the Northwest Industrial Area Supplemental Site Plan Requirements in Section 4.17. These area-specific design guidelines apply to the Northwest Industrial Area and 375 and 395 Hardy Road.

The Victoria Park Square Heritage Conservation District Study includes design direction for Victoria Park and surrounding properties.

The Brant Avenue Heritage Conservation District Study includes design guidelines for Brant Avenue, from St. Paul Avenue to Colborne Street West.

The Site Plan Manual has technical design standards for development that is subject to Site Plan Control. It includes standards for site elements such as pedestrian and vehicle circulation, fire protection, parking, landscaping, lighting, and development engineering.

The Design and Construction Manual has standards for the design, construction, maintenance, operation, and retrofit of infrastructure, such as roads, watermains, sewers, and utilities.

The Facility Accessibility Design Standards are detailed design standards to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. These standards apply to new construction and renovations of facilities that are owned, operated, or leased by the City of Brantford.