Employment and Industrial Lands Study

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The County of Prince Edward County is undertaking an Employment and Industrial Lands Study to strengthen how it plans for employment land needs.

Prince Edward County is a rural community with a broad economic base that includes tourism, agriculture, food and beverage production, trades, creative industries, and small-scale industrial activity. As such, the municipality must ensure that its land use framework supports both current and future employment growth.

Why is the study needed?

The municipality is completing the study in response to changes at the local, regional and provincial level.

Recent provincial policy changes, particularly the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 (P.P.S., 2024), have introduced a narrower definition of employment areas with a focus on industrial uses as the primary use. This development has created the need to reexamine the County’s designated employment lands. Many employment lands no longer align with provincial criteria, as some contain small-scale offices, commercial, institutional, and mixed-use activities.

At the same time, labour market trends, evolving business models, hybrid work patterns, and heightened demand for flexible, multi-tenant industrial/commercial space are influencing both the quantity and distribution of employment land required in Prince Edward County. This study is required to assess the County’s existing supply, evaluate future needs, identify gaps or opportunities, and determine whether new or expanded employment designations are required.

Key objectives

The key objectives of the study include:

  • Assess the existing inventory of employment and industrial lands across the County.
  • Examine employment trends, key sectors, and emerging economic influences that affect the demand for employment lands, while integrating stakeholder and public feedback into the overall study findings.
  • Consider how hybrid work and reduced office demand affect future land needs.
  • Confirm the County’s ability to meet employment forecasts to 2038 with current land supply.
  • Identify lands that are surplus, underutilized, or not aligned with provincial definitions.
  • Recommend locations for new or expanded employment or industrial designations.
  • Ensure the work aligns with the P.P.S., 2024, the municipality's Official Plan and Comprehensive Zoning By-law, and local economic strategies.
  • Provide strategic policy direction, updated mapping, and land use recommendations.
  • Establish an implementation and monitoring framework to track absorption, vacancy, and job creation.
  • Implement the results of the Employment and Industrial Lands Study through the drafting of an Official Plan amendment

Stakeholder and public engagement

This project will include a variety of engagement activities to ensure that the Employment and Industrial Lands Study is informed by a broad range of perspectives and grounded in local context. A primary objective of stakeholder and public engagement is to identify and address any concerns related to the planning and future use of employment lands before initiating any amendments to the municipality's Official Plan.

The County of Prince Edward County is undertaking an Employment and Industrial Lands Study to strengthen how it plans for employment land needs.

Prince Edward County is a rural community with a broad economic base that includes tourism, agriculture, food and beverage production, trades, creative industries, and small-scale industrial activity. As such, the municipality must ensure that its land use framework supports both current and future employment growth.

Why is the study needed?

The municipality is completing the study in response to changes at the local, regional and provincial level.

Recent provincial policy changes, particularly the Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 (P.P.S., 2024), have introduced a narrower definition of employment areas with a focus on industrial uses as the primary use. This development has created the need to reexamine the County’s designated employment lands. Many employment lands no longer align with provincial criteria, as some contain small-scale offices, commercial, institutional, and mixed-use activities.

At the same time, labour market trends, evolving business models, hybrid work patterns, and heightened demand for flexible, multi-tenant industrial/commercial space are influencing both the quantity and distribution of employment land required in Prince Edward County. This study is required to assess the County’s existing supply, evaluate future needs, identify gaps or opportunities, and determine whether new or expanded employment designations are required.

Key objectives

The key objectives of the study include:

  • Assess the existing inventory of employment and industrial lands across the County.
  • Examine employment trends, key sectors, and emerging economic influences that affect the demand for employment lands, while integrating stakeholder and public feedback into the overall study findings.
  • Consider how hybrid work and reduced office demand affect future land needs.
  • Confirm the County’s ability to meet employment forecasts to 2038 with current land supply.
  • Identify lands that are surplus, underutilized, or not aligned with provincial definitions.
  • Recommend locations for new or expanded employment or industrial designations.
  • Ensure the work aligns with the P.P.S., 2024, the municipality's Official Plan and Comprehensive Zoning By-law, and local economic strategies.
  • Provide strategic policy direction, updated mapping, and land use recommendations.
  • Establish an implementation and monitoring framework to track absorption, vacancy, and job creation.
  • Implement the results of the Employment and Industrial Lands Study through the drafting of an Official Plan amendment

Stakeholder and public engagement

This project will include a variety of engagement activities to ensure that the Employment and Industrial Lands Study is informed by a broad range of perspectives and grounded in local context. A primary objective of stakeholder and public engagement is to identify and address any concerns related to the planning and future use of employment lands before initiating any amendments to the municipality's Official Plan.

Page last updated: 05 Oct 2026, 02:47 PM