Council approves comprehensive new bylaw that will change how your neighbourhood looks

Ottawa councillors have approved a comprehensive new zoning bylaw that will change neighbourhoods across the city. CTV’s Kimberley Fowler has the details.

Ottawa city council approved a comprehensive zoning bylaw review on Wednesday that will change the way neighbourhoods are built and developed for years to come.

Councillors unanimously approved the final draft of the city’s new zoning bylaw, which governs everything from the height of apartment buildings to where businesses can operate. Councillors also approved 20 motions making adjustments to the new bylaw, many of them technical in nature or affecting a specific address.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe applauded the work of city staff, saying these changes will improve Ottawa’s ability to build much-needed housing.

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“What we are approving today is very bold and ambitious and it will shape the future of our city in a very positive way and that wouldn’t be possible without the hard work, the detailed work and commitment of our city staff,” he said.

The review has been years in the making. Councillors first directed city staff to develop a new zoning bylaw in 2019. After two years of policy discussions and three more years of public consultations.

“This council has had the courage to be bold and the wisdom to embrace thoughtful change,” said Sutcliffe. “We’re taking an approach that is flexible by default… We’re letting builders do what they do best, building homes based on the needs of residents, not spending months going back and forth on paperwork.”

The changes come on the heels of the city’s approval of the new Official Plan, which prioritizes building more homes to accommodate expected population growth over the next 25 years. The Official Plan calls for more urban expansion and more densification, building out and up, with more multi-unit properties and taller high-rises.

The province expects Ottawa’s population to reach nearly 1.8 million residents by 2051.

The new zoning bylaw aims to help accommodate this plan, making changes to neighbourhoods across Ottawa, though it will be several months before the changes come into effect.

“Following approval by Council, the new Zoning Bylaw will come into effect gradually as appeals to the Ontario Land Tribunal are resolved. Provisions in the new Zoning Bylaw that are not appealed will come into effect once an Ontario Land Tribunal hearing is held and the Tribunal declares the unappealed sections of the new Zoning By-law to be in effect,” staff say.

One of the most notable changes will be allowing a maximum height of three storeys in most neighbourhoods, with options to increase to four storeys where appropriate.

“A maximum height of three storeys also supports the construction of larger, family-sized dwelling units in four- to six-unit buildings,” a report prepared for council says.

On main streets, buildings will be taller and closer together, with the bylaw proposing a maximum height of 30 storeys, up from 27, and a reduction of the separation distance for the tower portion of the building from 30 metres to 25 metres. In suburban areas, the height of high-rise buildings would be limited to 18 storeys when they are located farther than 600 metres from an existing or planned transit station.

Concerns over parking requirements

Parking spaces will also be decided based on individual developments, with no minimums implemented in the new bylaw, except in rural villages, where a minimum of one space per unit will be required. Elsewhere, however, the only provision in the new bylaw is requiring one visitor parking space per 10 units.

The lack of parking minimums in the final draft of the bylaw was raised by some suburban and rural councillors on Wednesday.

“In some parts of the city, living without a car is realistic today. In much of Orléans, we’re not quite there yet until we have transit we can truly depend on,” said Orléans East-Cumberland Coun. Matthew Luloff. “Many people, including families, shift workers, and those travelling longer distances for work or services will still need a vehicle and, for them, it’s not a lifestyle choice, it’s simply the reality about how they get through their week.”

Luloff warned if parking minimums are removed in neighborhoods where car ownership is high, the demand for parking does not go away, but shifts instead to side streets and nonconventional spaces.

West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly said the current parking rules often don’t meet requirements.

“You see cars parked on lawns, people who have put interlock on their lawns so they can now park on that, and that is with the own parking minimums we had. I do shudder to think what things will look like when these developments are built without any minimum parking standards,” he said. “We have to build a city that is affordable and livable, and I think a lot of these policies will lead to that. I think we’re also responsible for building a city that is livable and navigable… I think we’ve forgotten about the many, many people who require a vehicle.”

Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster, whose ward is in the heart of downtown Ottawa, said abolishing minimum parking requirements is needed to ensure housing is affordable.

“It’s always so interesting to me that people are willing to let the market decide certain things but not parking. We know that developers will develop a pro forma that will meet the needs of who they want to attract, but we also know the cost of parking can significantly drive up the cost of housing,” she said.

“If we are building these mixed-use neighborhoods and if we want those people to work in the coffee shops and the grocery stores that are in those neighborhoods, we need that housing to be more affordable and abolishing parking minimums is one of the ways we do that.”

River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington submitted a direction to staff to study the effects of the removal of parking minimums and report back to council in 2029 with the impacts.

The subject of bicycle parking came up in the form of a motion, moved by Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower and seconded by College Ward Coun. Laine Johnson. The motion, which was approved unanimously, would require a minimum number of bicycle parking at retirement homes and residential care facilities and to require at least two inclusive spaces at libraries and community centres.

15-minute neighbourhoods

The zoning changes also include measures to make it easier to operate small businesses, particularly out of one’s home.

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“The Minor Corridor Zone provides more locations for entrepreneurs and small businesses to establish themselves and grow, while also providing services to support the day-to-day needs of nearby residents. This zone also implements 15-minute neighbourhood policies in the Official Plan,” the staff report says.

A 15-minute neighbourhood is one in which most amenities such as jobs, grocery stores, schools and daycares, and green space are within a 15-minute walk or bike of most residents.

An interactive map on the city’s website shows how neighbourhood zoning will change once the new bylaw comes into effect.