The Town of Smiths Falls is inviting residents to review and provide feedback on the draft of its new Official Plan, a document that will shape the community’s growth and development for the next 25 years. A public open house will be held on Tuesday, September 10, 2025, from 5 – 7 PM at Town Hall. We are simultaneously preparing the Smiths Falls Transportation Master Plan, which will also be available for viewing during the open house.

Council Report #2023-116 directed staff to proceed with an update that incorporates transportation master planning, a commercial sector analysis, a housing needs study, and workshops on five key themes that emerged from public consultation: Downtown Revitalization, Housing, Sustainability, Community Spaces, and Transportation & Connections.

In March 2025, Town Council accepted a series of reports from Dillon Consulting and Town staff, including the Official Plan Visioning and Strategic Approaches Report and the Opportunity Areas Report. These guiding documents provide the foundation for the Official Plan and highlight key directions for how Smiths Falls will grow into the future. 

The new Official Plan will build on this background work, align with provincial growth policies, reflect community input, and guide where and how Smiths Falls will grow in the future. “We’re looking forward to sharing how we propose to carry forward the five key themes that will guide how we will grow and develop through to 2046. On September 10^th and the weeks following, we’re eager to hear from the community whether we got it right” noted Karl Grenke, Manager of Development Services. 

“The Official Plan is one of the most important tools we have to guide the future of our community,” said Mayor Shawn Pankow. “We encourage all residents to take part in this process, share their feedback, and help us ensure Smiths Falls continues to grow in a way that reflects the needs and values of our residents.”

For more information about the Draft Official Plan, please visit smithsfalls.ca/opupdates.

Included photo: Open House Advertisement

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Media Contact
Joanne Plontz
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
77 Beckwith Street N, Box 695
Smiths Falls, ON K7A 2B8
613-283-4124 ext. 1122
Communications@smithsfalls.ca