The City of Toronto’s Development Review Service Excellence Charter, outlined below, builds upon the overarching City of Toronto’s Service Promise. It establishes a unified set of principles, commitments and expectations that guide a coordinated and transparent approach to how development applications progress through Toronto’s development review system.
The accompanying set of Service Standards articulate more specific commitments for how we will ensure consistency, efficiency and accountability throughout all stages of the development review process.
Development Review Service Excellence Charter
Shared Principles
An effective development review service relies on solution-oriented alignment amongst many internal and external partners, including members of the public, applicants, members of Council, other levels of government, public agencies and institutions, and other City of Toronto divisions.
The following principles guide our collaborative approach to development review with our partners and support our shared goals of building vibrant, high-quality, inclusive and sustainable complete communities for all Torontonians.
- Efficiency, Effectiveness and Clarity:
Everyone’s time should be used efficiently and effectively. Information should be easy to find, simple to understand, and accessible to all.
- Mutual Understanding and Respect:
We will work together to address complex challenges through collaboration and problem-solving and will treat each other with respect, even when consensus cannot be reached.
- Transparency, Predictability and Responsiveness:
Predictable and transparent processes with clear accountabilities and communication will help everyone navigate towards aligned outcomes more easily.
Our Commitment to Applicants
Our service delivery approach will reflect our commitment to be:
- Collaborative and Outcome-Focused:
We will focus on outcomes as we collaborate with our partners to resolve issues early, develop solutions together and get to approvals faster, whenever possible.
- Professional and Unbiased:
We will strive to understand diverse perspectives and treat every applicant with courtesy, empathy, fairness and impartiality. We will welcome and value feedback as we continuously improve our processes, technology and service delivery.
- Consistent and Transparent:
We will provide clear, accessible and actionable guidance about application requirements, processes and decisions. We will strive to apply policies and procedures equitably and consistently across applications and districts.
Our Expectations of Applicants
In return, we expect applicants to:
- Collaborate with Trust:
Work with City staff to address issues as they arise and co-develop effective solutions. Allow staff reasonable opportunity to resolve matters before escalating.
- Submit Suitable Materials:
Ensure that application materials are clear, accurate and complete. Respond to requests for additional information in good faith and in a timely manner.
- Be Patient and Adaptable:
Understand the policy, legislative and procedural context that staff are working within. Embrace new streamlined processes, policies and technology and provide constructive feedback to support continuous improvement.
Development Review Service Standards
Building upon the broader City of Toronto Service Standards, the Development Review Division has created a set of division-specific service standards to support implementation of the Development Review Service Excellence Charter. We will also continue to work with our divisional partners within the City administration to strengthen internal alignment towards these commitments.
Target Timelines for Most Applications
Working together with applicants, we will aim to achieve the following target timelines for most applications. However, review/response timelines are highly dependent on the quality of materials submitted by applicants; timing of support materials; compliance with applicable policies, guidelines and legislation; and ability to satisfactorily resolve issues in a timely manner.
There will continue to be situations where these timelines are exceeded so that work can continue with the applicant to get to an approval (rather than refusal). There will also likely continue to be circumstances where some applications exceed these timelines at the applicant’s request.
| Milestone |
Target Timeline |
| Pre-Application Consultation |
Complete within 40 business days |
| Complete/incomplete notice for new development applications |
Sent to applicant within 30 days
|
| Community Consultation Meeting |
Within 45-70 days of complete application date |
| Decision on Combined Official Plan and Zoning By-Law Amendment Applications |
Within 120 days of complete application date |
| Decision on Zoning By-Law Applications |
Within 90 days of complete application date |
| Issue a Notice of Approval Conditions (NOAC) for Site Plan Control Applications |
Within 60 days of complete application date |
| Draft Plan of Subdivision approval |
Within 120 days of complete application date |
| Draft Plan of Condominium approval |
Within 120 days of complete application date |
Communication
- Designated Point of Contact: Every application will have a primary contact identified on the Application Information Centre. If the designated contact is away, there will be an out of office response (outgoing voicemail and email) noting the alternate contact, with appropriate contact information.
- Status Updates: Status updates will be provided when requested and whenever there will be unanticipated delays.
- Meeting Scheduling: Meeting requests will be responded to within 5 business days.
- Complaints: When a complaint is made regarding a development application, next steps will be identified in writing within 10 business days.
- Escalations: There will be a clear protocol for who to contact when unresolved concerns need to be escalated.
Transparency & Documentation
- Clear Submission Requirements: Checklists and the Development Guide will be maintained and up to date.
- Issue Tracking and Feedback: All issues will be tracked and analyzed; feedback is encouraged, and mechanisms for logging issues and providing feedback will be made available.
- Reporting: The City will continue to regularly report publicly on key performance indicators.
