Grants and Incentives | City of Peterborough

Community improvement plans

To assist with the creation of affordable housing and missing middle housing and to encourage downtown redevelopment and revitalization projects, the City of Peterborough has three (3) community improvement plans that allow for financial incentives for certain types of projects. The plans are called the Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan, Missing Middle Community Improvement Plan and the Central Area Community Improvement Plan.

Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan

Through the Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan, we provide financial incentives to stimulate the construction of affordable housing in our community.

Providing affordable housing is a major social issue and a priority for most urban communities across Ontario. By providing relief on fees for planning approvals, development charges, and property taxes, we can help lower rents, creating more affordable housing for residents. The Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan also embraces home ownership models.

There are several programs under the Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan, including:

Municipal Incentive Program – refunds municipal fees such as planning application fees, parkland fees, and cash-in-lieu of parking fees for affordable housing projects.
Development Charges Program – refunds development charges for any new affordable housing units, subject to available funding.
Tax Increment Grant Program – an annual grant to property owners, reimbursing a portion of the municipal property tax increase resulting from increased assessment over a period of nine years.

Please see our Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan application package that outlines the programs and provides the application form for the available incentives.

The City is updating the Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan to expand the area of the City that is eligible for the Plan's programs, revise the municipal incentive program, remove outdated programs under the program, and incorporate legislative changes related to Development Charge exemptions.

Updated Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan (2025) Staff Report: Modernization of the Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan

Missing Middle Community Improvement Plan

The City is providing property owners with financial incentives to encourage gentle intensification into existing neighbourhoods through the Missing Middle Community Improvement Plan (MMCIP).

Missing middle housing refers to medium-density housing types that fill the gap between low-rise, detached homes and mid-rise apartment buildings. This includes housing forms such as duplex dwellings, rowhouses, townhouses, triplexes, fourplexes, and small apartment buildings.

Council also recently approved changes to the City’s Zoning By-law that permit up to 4 units on a lot in the Residential R.1 and R.2 Zoning Districts and is incentivizing the creation of purpose-built multi-unit residential units with this plan, to assist in addressing housing demand and affordability within the City.

Currently, one active program is offered under the MMCIP: the Development Charge Rebate Program. This program provides a rebate on development charges (DCs) for the creation of second, third and fourth units for eligible missing middle infill projects, subject to funding availability and program criteria.

By offering relief on development charges, the City aims to reduce construction costs and support a broader range of housing forms and tenures within established neighbourhoods.

For general information about the program and available or upcoming incentives, please refer to our Missing Middle Community Improvement Plan Information Brochure.

A printable application form is now available.

For more information, please contact City staff at planning@peterborough.ca or 705-742-7777 ext. 1501.

Missing Middle Community Improvement Plan Missing Middle Community Improvement Plan Brochure Development Charge Rebate Program Application Form - Printable

Central Area Community Improvement Plan

Through the Central Area Community Improvement Plan, we provide financial incentives to stimulate private-sector investment and revitalization of the Central Area (Defined as the Schedule A of By-law 25-046). We provide grant programs to:

We provide grant programs to:

help improve the appearance and the structure of commercial buildings;
encourage the conversion of upper floor space for residential use; and
to stimulate the environmental clean-up and redevelopment of older, abandoned industrial and commercial sites that may be contaminated.

Our Central Area financial incentives brochure provides an overview of the Central Area Community Improvement Plan and other financial incentives available to support downtown development.

Central Area Community Improvement Plan application packages

Note: Application packages now have the option to be electronically filled out using Adobe Acrobat Reader. Physical signatures are required as part of a submission.

Heritage Property Tax Relief

Owners of designated heritage properties in the Central Area may be eligible for tax relief in the amount of 40% for residential properties or 20% for commercial properties.

For more information on this program, please contact us at 705-742-7777 ext. 1489#.