The City is undertaking an Employment Land Review. The study is being managed by Planning Services, and the City has retained a consultant team led by Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. to undertake the study. The purpose of the study is to undertake a comprehensive review of both City-owned and privately-owned employment lands within the City and recommend a long-term vision and strategy to ensure the provision of an adequate supply of jobs for the City’s growing population. This work is being done in conjunction with the Population, Housing and Employment Projections Study, and the Commercial Land Review.  

An update to this Study is conducted approximately every five years to provide the foundation for the City's long-range planning. The Employment Land Strategy Review Study was last completed by Watson and Associates Economists Ltd. in association with Dillon Consulting Limited in March 2015. The recommendations of the study were implemented through the City’s five-year Official Plan Update in 2017. 

Review of the City’s Official Plan 

In 2022, the City requested all owners of designated Employment Lands to complete a property information form and also accepted requests to convert employment lands to a non-employment use via the form. Requests for conversion do not guarantee that those lands will be converted or that the request will be supported through the Official Plan review process. Conversion requests will be reviewed through the Employment Lands Review in the context of all applicable Provincial and municipal policies, as well as holistically within the context of the review of the supply and demand of Employment Lands across the municipality. Ultimately, the final decision on any new Official Plan policies or amendments will be under the jurisdiction of Kingston City Council and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The overall timing of the Official Plan review is not currently defined, with a potential completion date towards the end of 2026.