Section 28 of the Planning Act permits a municipality to identify specific areas as community improvement areas and, in conformity with an implementing Community Improvement Plan, offer grants or loans to pay for the whole or part of the eligible costs of the community improvement to property owners.
The City of Niagara Falls has approved five Community Improvement Plans (CIP) that provide guidelines and financial incentives towards physical, economic and environmental improvements within the Plan area.
- Downtown Community Improvement Plan *
- Historic Drummondville Community Improvement Plan *
- Lundy's Lane Community Improvement Plan
- City Wide Brownfields Community Improvement Plan *
- Niagara Gateway Economic Zone Community Improvement Plan
*The City has recently approved an extension Downtown, Historic Drummondville and City-Wide Community Improvement Plans to October 1, 2025. You can read the Planning Report PBD-2021-76 for more detail on the extension and the changes made to the incentive programs.
Please Note that as of October 1, 2023 certain incentive programs are no longer receiving a matching grant from the Niagara Region and the total eligible grants noted in the application guides may be affected. Contact Staff to confirm the total amount of grants you may be eligible for regarding your particular application. All incentives are subject to available funding.
Downtown Community Improvement Plan
![Downtown CIP Area Boundary]()
Application Guides
- Commercial Building and Facade Improvement Grant - To promote the restoration and improvement of the facades of commercial and mixed-use buildings and promote the maintenance and physical improvement of existing buildings and properties.
- Revitalization Grant - To provide financial incentive to help offset the increased property taxes that result from the rehabilitation of downtown residential and commercial properties.
- Residential Loan - To provide a 0% interest loan to promote the: conversion of non-residential buildings to residential use; upgrade of existing residential buildings to meet Building Code, Fire Code and Property Standards By-law; and construction of residential units on vacant properties.
- Downtown Campus Business Case Study
Historic Drummondville Community Improvement Plan
![Historic Drummondville CIP Area Boundary]()
This Plan encourages redevelopment and private sector investment in the creation of new residential units and the rehabilitation of commercial buildings.
Application Guides:
- Commercial Building and Facade Improvement Grant - To promote the restoration and improvement of the facades of commercial and mixed use buildings, and promote the maintenance and physical improvement of existing buildings and properties.
- Revitalization Grant - To provide a financial incentive to help offset the increased property taxes that result from the rehabilitation of residential and commercial properties.
- Residential Loan - To provide a 0% interest loan to promote the: conversion of non-residential buildings to residential use; upgrade of existing residential buildings to meet Building Code, Fire Code and Property Standards By-law; and construction of residential units on vacant properties.
Lundy's Lane Community Improvement Plan
This Plan encourages redevelopment and private sector investment in the creation of new residential units and the rehabilitation of commercial buildings.![Lundy's Lane CIP Boundary]()
Application Guides
Brownfield Community Improvement Plan
![Brownfield CIP Area Boundary]()
This CIP was developed to assist in the study and clean-up of former industrial properties that may contain some form of contamination in the first step towards redevelopment of the lands.
Application Guides:
- Environmental Study Grant - a grant to help offset the cost of conducting a Phase II Environmental Assessment, Remedial Work Plan, and/or Risk Assessments/Risk Management Plans.
- Rehabilitation Grant - To provide a financial incentive in the form of a freeze of property taxes for up to 5 years to help offset the costs of remediation and to provide financial incentive in the form of an annual grant for up to 10 years after Tax Assistance Program ends to offset the costs of remediation and redevelopment.
Niagara Gateway Economic Zone Community Improvement Plan
The purpose of the Gateway CIP is to stimulate new, sustainable investment by existing businesses and new businesses on employment lands in the Gateway Economic Zone.
Application Guides:
- Tax Increment Based Grant Program and Development Charge Grant Application - a tax increment based grant following completion of an eligible project involving development, redevelopment, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation or adaptive reuse of buildings and properties on employment lands where that project creates an increase in assessment.
- Municipal Employment Incentive Program - offers further incentives at the Municipal level for development that qualifies under the Tax Increment Based Grant Program including planning application Fee waivers, building permit fee rebates and study grants.
Additional Incentives:
Development Charge Exemptions
The City's Development Charges By-law offers exemptions for various types of development located within the Community Improvement Plans listed above. Please contact our Building Department for further details.
Contact and More Information
For more information, please contact:
Planning Department
905-356-7521 ext. 4330
[email protected]
or
Business Development
905-356-7521, ext. 5000
[email protected]
