City of Ottawa: Official Plan Update

 

View in browser City Builders News and Reviews New Official Plan: Discussion Papers Everyone will face the challenges of the future together. We are preparing for the future with a brand new Official Plan -the strategic document that guides our city’s growth and development. The review of the Official Plan is a three-year project with opportunities to provide comments throughout the process. Following adoption by Council, the Plan will be sent to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The Ministry would then take up to six months to review and approve the Official Plan. Approval by the Ministry is expected by mid-2022. What are some of the biggest issues facing the city? Nine discussion papers outline some of the main themes of the Official Plan review and identify ideas for moving forward: The Building Blocks for a Healthy Ottawa Climate Adaptation and Resiliency The Economy Energy The Greater Ottawa-Gatineau Area Housing Infrastructure and Water Management Natural Ottawa Rural Ottawa Discussion Paper Highlight: The Building Blocks for a Healthy Ottawa Health starts in our communities. Through the Official Plan, we can plan, build and use our communities so that people have more opportunities to lead healthy lives. Areas of focus are as follows: Neighbourhood Design: Building compact, well-connected neighbourhoods that include different types of housing, shops and services, schools, employment and greenspaces can make it easier to meet daily needs by foot or by bicycle and reduce dependence on driving. Transportation: The way we design our roads and transportation networks affects how we decide to travel and live our lives. Housing: Having access to affordable and safe housing that is suitable to your stage of life and supports various life situations is important for physical and mental health. Food: Lack of nutritious food can lead to chronic diseases like heart disease. Ensuring that people can access local, healthy food easily and safely by walking, biking and transit supports healthy eating. Natural Environments and Greenspaces: Nature and greenspaces affect physical and mental health in many ways. Climate change will make our communities hotter in the summer. Greenspaces, including recreational spaces and parks, with trees and vegetation can help filter and cool the air, reduce stress, promote physical activity, and buffer noise. What’s important in your neighbourhood? How can we make the city better? The OP’s online feedback form will be open until May 31, 2019. For more information on the new OP, please visit the webpage.

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Westboro-Dominion Planning Study: Comments Due May 31

From the City:

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Westboro-Dominion Planning Study 

Good morning,

This email is to let you know that the City of Ottawa is undertaking a review of planning policies and zoning for lands near the Westboro and Dominion Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations. You can visit the project website, Ottawa.ca/WestboroDominionStudy for more information including a short Discussion Paper on the main issues we’ll be reviewing.

(Please note: this study should not be confused with the the planning study currently underway for the area south of Byron Avenue, as a result of Interim Control By-law 2018-362. For information on that study, please contact Robert Sandercott atrobert.sandercott@ottawa.ca.)

The Richmond Road-Westboro Secondary Plan (RRWSP) was adopted in 2008 and provides planning guidance to a large area extending from Island Park Drive in the east to the Sir John A. MacDonald parkway in the west. However, in recent years, development pressure on lands close to the new Westboro and Dominion Light Rail Transit stations has underscored the need for more clarity in that area.

Accordingly, the Westboro-Dominion Planning Study will address in greater detail those lands that are generally:

• West of Island Park Drive
• North of Byron Avenue
• East of Dominion Street, and
• South of the Transitway and Lanark Avenue.

The Westboro-Dominion Planning Study will not seek to replace the broader Richmond Road-Westboro Secondary Plan (RRWSP.) Rather, it will review, amend and/or expand the policies of the Richmond Road-Westboro plan only as they relate to the lands described above.

 

Contact

For more information, provide comments, or sign up for updates on this project, please contact us:

By mail at:

Westboro-Dominion Planning Study

c/o Tim J. Moerman, MCIP, RPP

Ottawa City Hall, mail code 01-15

110 Laurier Avenue West

Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1

 

By phone at (613) 580-2424 ext. 13944

By fax at (613) 580-2459

By email at westboro-dominion@ottawa.ca or tim.moerman@ottawa.ca

City of Ottawa: New Official Plan

From the City of Ottawa:

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The City of Ottawa Official Plan provides a vision for the future growth of the city and a policy framework to guide the city’s physical development. In 2019, the City of Ottawa will begin a multi-year process to develop a new Official Plan.

More information, including how to be involved, can be found by clicking here.

 

OttawaCitizen.com: Councillor almost convinces council to block builder adding units to Westboro triplexes

Councillor almost convinces council to block builder adding units to Westboro triplexes

JON WILLING

Updated: May 8, 2019

A councillor on Wednesday came up just short of convincing council to send a message to builders about being upfront with neighbours.

Falsetto Homes, the owner of the triplexes at 348 and 350 Winona Ave. in Westboro, wants to add a fourth unit to each. The buildings are southwest of the Westboro transit station.

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper told council that the city’s reputation on defending zoning rules was on the line and he wanted colleagues to reject the application for the fourth units.

According to Leiper, the developer built the triplexes with the community of adjustment’s approval. The fourth units were roughed-in, with the developer knowing it would eventually come back to the city for permission to add the fourth units, Leiper said. However, the community was told they would only be triplexes.

The planning committee last month heard from a consultant representing the property owner who said triplex developers are using a two-step process to quickly generate revenue before going through with a costly planning approval process to get the fourth units. They do this knowing full well they might not get the fourth-unit approval from council.

Leiper warned councillors that the developer strategy won’t be a problem only affecting his central-west community.

“This is an issue that’s coming to your ward soon,” he told them.

Council voted 13-10 to allow the fourth units.

Innes Coun. Laura Dudas, who was the acting mayor while Jim Watson recovered from an eye procedure, voted at council to approve the fourth units after voting in opposition with Leiper and Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower at planning committee.

“I want to send a clear message to developers that they have to be forthcoming to our community,” Dudas said after the council meeting.

“They have to respect our communities, but at the end of the day, is this something we have to stand up for? Yes, most certainly, but I know that we also need to have infill in our communities. We need to build up around our transportation systems. We need to make sure that we’re providing people places to live close to transit priority areas. At the end of the day, after speaking with staff and seeking that clarification, I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision. We still need to be firm with developers and make sure they understand that having that dialogue with our community is essential, but I wanted to make the best decision for our city and for that community.”

Councillor almost convinces council to block builder adding units to Westboro triplexes

 

From the City: Westboro-Dominion Planning Study

Please see the following information from the City:

**********************************************************************

This email is to let you know that the City of Ottawa is undertaking a review of planning policies and zoning for lands near the Westboro and Dominion Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations. You can visit the project website, Ottawa.ca/WestboroDominionStudy for more information including a short Discussion Paper on the main issues we’ll be reviewing.

Please note: this study should not be confused with the the planning study currently underway for the area south of Byron Avenue, as a result of Interim Control By-law 2018-362. For information on that study, please contact Robert Sandercott at robert.sandercott@ottawa.ca.

The Richmond Road-Westboro Secondary Plan (RRWSP) was adopted in 2008 and provides planning guidance to a large area extending from Island Park Drive in the east to the Sir John A. MacDonald parkway in the west. However, in recent years, development pressure on lands close to the new Westboro and Dominion Light Rail Transit stations has underscored the need for more clarity in that area.

Accordingly, the Westboro-Dominion Planning Study will address in greater detail those lands that are generally:

• West of Island Park Drive
• North of Byron Avenue
• East of Dominion Street, and
• South of the Transitway and Lanark Avenue.

The Westboro-Dominion Planning Study will not seek to replace the broader Richmond Road-Westboro Secondary Plan (RRWSP.) Rather, it will review, amend and/or expand the policies of the Richmond Road-Westboro plan only as they relate to the lands described above.

Contact

For more information, provide comments, or sign up for updates on this project, please contact us:

By mail at:

Westboro-Dominion Planning Study

c/o Tim J. Moerman, MCIP, RPP

Ottawa City Hall, mail code 01-15

110 Laurier Avenue West

Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1

By phone at (613) 580-2424 ext. 13944

By fax at (613) 580-2459

By email at westboro-dominion@ottawa.ca or tim.moerman@ottawa.ca

City of Ottawa Courses: Planning Primer

From the city of Ottawa:

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Planning Primer

Registration for the Planning Primer I: Legislative Background and Policy Documents

 

January 26 and 28, 2019 (Offered in English)

Location:    

City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West

Colonel By Boardroom, Second Floor

8:30 a.m. to noon

 

January 27, 2019 (Offered in French)

 

Location:

City Hall, 110 Laurier Avenue West

Colonel By Boardroom, Second Floor

9 a.m. to noon

 

You can register for the course online until January 25, 2019. Seating is limited to 40 residents per session.

The Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department offers the Planning Primer Program to help residents become more aware of, and more involved in, the land-use planning process.  The program is a series of half-day courses.  Please see our schedule for other Primer courses.The content of these Primer courses is the same as those offered in previous years.

 

Please send your questions to primer@ottawa.ca.

cbc.ca: Mayor’s committee picks challenged

Mayor’s committee picks challenged

9 councillors vote against list that’s usually rubber stamped

Joanne Chianello · CBC News · Posted: Dec 12, 2018 12:09 PM ET | Last Updated: 42 minutes ago

For the first time since he was elected in 2010, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson’s personal choices for committee membership have undergone a serious challenge.

Nine councillors voted against the committee nominations Wednesday, throwing a wrench into a process that’s normally rubber-stamped by city council.

Their main concern: representatives of urban wards have been largely shut out of key committees, especially planning and finance.

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper is the only representative from the city’s core appointed to the planning committee, even though many of the most contentious rezoning files, including infill and highrise developments, take place downtown.

He moved to add Capital Coun. Shawn Menard and River Coun. Riley Brockington to planning, as both councillors had ranked the committee as their No. 1 choice when asked where they wanted to serve.

Watson recommended against the change, however, and the motion failed 9 to 15.

The mayor did support adding Cumberland Coun. Stephen Blais to planning — the east-end councillor’s second choice — because Blais had apparently been left off the committee by accident.

Shawn Menard@ShawnMenard1

I voted against and dissented on this Council’s picks for our standing committees, transit commission and FEDCO for one reason: This was not about the City of Ottawa, it was about one man and power. #ottvote #ottnews #ottawa

Some councillors were also upset that the finance and economic development committee, which decides on major budget items and acts like Watson’s cabinet, includes no urban councillors, but all the rural ones. Also, only three of the 12 members of the committee are women, two of whom are new councillors.

Catherine McKenney

✔@cmckenney

I voted against the recommendations for Standing Committees, Transit Commission, & Sub-Committees because it does not represent the diversity & unique needs of the city. It is about power and not real representation. #ottcity

Nine councillors voted against Watson’s report on committee nominations, including:

• Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney.
• Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury.
• Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Tobi Nussbaum.
• Capital Coun. Shawn Menard.
• Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper.
• River Coun. Riley Brockington.
• Bay Coun. Theresa Kavanagh.
• College Coun. Rick Chiarelli.
• Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Diane Deans.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/mayor-jim-watson-picks-challenged-1.4942702