Heritage Planning

A community's identity and civic pride is rooted in the physical and cultural links to its past. In order to celebrate Windsor's rich history, the City of Windsor is committed to recognizing, conserving and enhancing heritage resources.

The City's Official Plan sets the goals for heritage planning, which are to identify, recognize, protect, enhance and properly manage the City's heritage resources. Heritage resources include buildings, structures, archaeological and historic sites, landscapes and landmarks, either individually or in groups, which are considered to be of significant architectural and/or historic value.

Pursuant to the Ontario Heritage Act, the City of Windsor has the authority to grant legal recognition to properties of historic and/or architectural importance by means of a heritage designation. This designation helps to ensure the protection of these properties so that future generations are able to recognize and appreciate them as symbols of our history and our civic pride.

The Development and Heritage Standing Committee is responsible for providing a recommendation to Council on the identification, recognition, protection, enhancement and proper management of heritage resources in the city. This includes recommending properties suitable for designation. Individual citizens may recommend designation as well.

Heritage conservation is incorporated into the planning process in Windsor by utilizing site plan control, zoning amendment, secondary plan, and other approval processes to ensure that any proposed development does not negatively impact heritage resources. An archeological assessment may be required when development will affect known or potential archeological resources.

Please consult with Planning Department staff to determine if your proposed development has the potential to impact heritage resources.

For more information on Heritage Planning please visit the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport’s Heritage Site.