The Policy Context
Planning and Growth Management Department
Presentation to Planning Committee
February 7th, 2011
Agenda
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The Official Plan (30 minutes)
Community Design Plans and Urban
Design Guidelines (30 minutes)
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The Zoning By-law (30 minutes)
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Housing (30 minutes)
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The City of Ottawa
• Population - 900,000
• Area: 2,796 square kilometres (half the size of Prince Edward Island)
• 5th largest City in Canada – both in Population and Land Area
• 90 kilometres east to west
• Ottawa's area is almost 80% rural
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Planning Hierarchy
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Ottawa 20/20
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The Official Plan Overview
The Official Plan (OP) guides the physical
growth and development of the
municipality:
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Where land uses will go
Where services will be needed
What lands will be preserved from
development
What authority is delegated
How consultation will occur
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The Official Plan Overview Cont’d.
• An Official Plan is a legal document
• Authority comes from the Planning Act;
• An Official Plan cannot control:
• The closure of schools
• The cutting of trees
• The provision of social services
• The drainage of fields
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5-Year Review completed in 2009 (OPA 76)
and next one to commence in 2012
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The Official Plan Review: OPA 76
• Approved by Council June 2009
• Approved by the Minister of Municipal
Affairs January 2010
• Under appeal to OMB
• Nine hearings scheduled over 27 weeks
• Hearings to run December, 2010 –
November 2011.
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Key Strategic Directions
The Official Plan meets the challenges of
growth through to 2031 by pursuing strategic
directions in four key areas:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Managing Growth
Maintaining Environmental Integrity
Providing Infrastructure
Creating Liveable Communities
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1. Managing Growth
• Direct the majority of growth to the urban
area where services already exist.
• Support growth in the Villages.
• Urban area growth will be directed to areas
where density can be accommodated and
served with quality transit, walking and
cycling facilities.
• Downtown Ottawa will be a vibrant mix of
thriving economic and cultural activities.
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Population Projections
Projected Growth in Population City of Ottawa, 2006 to 2031
2006
Inside Greenbelt
Outside Greenbelt,
urban
Rural
Total
540,000
291,000
2021
562,000
367,000
2031
591,000
432,000
86,000
91,000
102,000
113,000
871,000
923,000
1,031,000
1,136,000
Projected Growth in Households City of Ottawa, 2006 to 2031
Inside Greenbelt
Outside Greenbelt,
urban
Rural
Total
533,000
252,000
2011
2006
228,000
88,000
2011
237,000
106,000
2021
258,000
140,000
2031
278,000
168,000
30,000
346,000
32,000
376,000
38,000
436,000
43,000
489,000
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Development Priority Areas and
LRT Stations
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Density Targets
Designation
Central Area
Mixed-Use Centres
Tunney’s-Quad
Lees
Bayview-Preston
Blair-174
Baseline-Woodroffe
Hurdman
Confederation Heights
Billings Bridge
Cyrville
Industrial
Town Centres
Orléans
Kanata
Barrhaven
Arterial Mainstreets
Richmond (north of Carling)
Carling
St. Laurent
Bank
Merivale-Clyde-Baseline
Montreal East
Community Core
Riverside South
*people and jobs per gross hectare
2006 Density*
395
207
167
142
106
96
54
73
130
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Minimum Target Density*
At 2031
Post-2031
500
250
250
200
200
200
200
200
160
120
120
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11
120
120
120
217
183
92
79
50
41
200
200
120
0
80
120
120
120
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2. Maintaining Environmental
Integrity
• Emphasizes transit, walking and cycling,
and by policies that protect forests,
wetlands and other natural environment
areas to support Air quality.
• Provincially and locally significant wetlands
and forests will be conserved.
• The City will direct land use and
development in a way and to locations that
maintain ecosystem functions over time.
• Greenspaces will be valued and protected.
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Greenspace Master Plan
Council’s objectives for urban greenspace is
to provide:
“an adequate supply of greenspace, readily accessible
to residents as a connected network of high-quality
spaces planned and maintained on a sustainable
basis”
Urban Greenspace Networks:
Increase accessibility to greenspace;
 Identify priorities for extending the network;
 Connect neighbourhoods to the network;
 Supports sustainability of natural lands.

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3. Providing Infrastructure:
Transportation Master Plan
The Official Plan directs the Transportation
Master Plan to implement the following
policies:
Transportation Demand Management
Transportation System Management
Walking
Cycling
Transit
Roads and Rights-of-Way Protection
Other Rights-of-Way Protection
Parking
Movement of Goods
Transportation Terminals
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Providing Infrastructure:
Infrastructure Master Plan
The Official Plan directs the Infrastructure
Master Plan to implement the following
policies:
Water supply and treatment;
Wastewater collection and treatment;
Stormwater collection and release;
The IMP sets policy to support intensification
through Capacity Management Strategies for piped
infrastructure
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4. Create Liveable Communities
• Growth will be managed in ways that create
complete communities;
• Provide rural and urban economic activities in
suitable locations;
• Maintain high quality of life;
• Familiar landscapes and heritage buildings will be
maintained;
• Rural communities will continue to be valued for
their distinct economies and lifestyles;
• Increase the supply of affordable housing;
• Create attractive communities;
• Community building will be open and inclusive;
• Agricultural lands, natural areas will be protected
and mineral resources will be protected for
extraction.
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How We Make the Official Plan
“Real”
Through the Development Review Process:
If there is a request for height or density is it near rapid transit?
Are we achieving our density targets?
Are we achieving a mixed use to encourage “live, work, play”?
Will the proposal respect the neighbourhood’s character?
Is there adequate servicing capacity in the area?
Are the environmental tenets of the Official Plan being
respected – how can we make the project more sustainable?
Are we providing an array of housing supply - affordability
How can we best incorporate good urban design?
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How We Make the Official Plan
“Real”
Through undertaking transportation planning studies
Based on the prioritization of the Transportation Master Plan
Through examining other servicing alternatives and public
works implications
Through protecting or acquiring environmentally sensitive
lands
Environmental Impact Statement
Urban Natural Features Strategy
Considering municipal budget implications
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How We Make the Official Plan
“Real”
Through plans and strategies:
• Community Design Plans and
Secondary Plans
• Urban Design guidelines
• Zoning By-law
• Specific development applications
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Community Design Plans
Community Design Plans (CDPs) are developed to
translate the principles and policies of the Official
Plan (OP) to the community scale. They are
developed where significant change might occur:
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Town Centres
Mixed-use Centres
Traditional and Arterial Mainstreets
Developing Communities (Greenfield Areas)
Villages (if expansion is planned)
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Community Design Plans
completed
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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•
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Barrhaven South
Beechwood
Carp Road Corridor
Village of Carp
Village of Constance Bay
Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy
East Urban Community (Phase 1)
Fernbank
Greely
Leitrim
Richmond Road/Westboro
Riverside South
South Nepean Town Centre
St. Joseph Boulevard
The Escarpment Area District Plan
Uptown Rideau
Village of Richmond
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Proposed CDP’s:
The following CDP’s are proposed to be completed in this
term of council:
Carling-Bayview, West Wellington, Old Ottawa East,
Mid-Centretown, Scott Street/Tunney’s Pasture, East Urban
Community (Phase 2), Bank Street (Rideau River to Ledbury)
and Stittsville Mainstreet.
Also, the following Transit-oriented development plans will
be completed over this term of council:
Via Station, Hurdman, Lees, Blair, Cyrville.
In addition, the zoning on several Mainstreets will be
examined.
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Secondary Plans
Secondary Plans provide specific policies for areas
identified within an Official Plan as requiring more
detailed direction on topics such as land use, urban
design and transportation.
A Secondary Plan is typically adopted as an
amendment to the City’s Official Plan and outlines
the goals, objectives and policies governing the
development and redevelopment of land for the
area to which it applies.
There are currently 27 Secondary Plans and
equivalents in the Official Plan. (Volumes 2a,2b,2c of
the Official Plan)
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A CDP versus a Secondary Plan
Community Design Plans
The Community Design Plan is a
framework within which
decisions are made;
Provides all policies or strategies
in one comprehensive plan;
Adopted as a Council Policy;
Listed, but not part of the OP;
Cannot be appealed to OMB;
Implemented through the
Zoning By-law;
Changes to an CDP require
Council approval and may
require changes to the Zoning
By-law;
Lower cost to amend.
Secondary Plans
It is a set of detailed land-use
policies and designations within the
jurisdiction of the Planning Act;
Provides only land use policies; i.e.
very defined in scope;
Adopted as part of OP;
Part of the OP;
Can be appealed to OMB;
Implemented as a separate legal
document;
Changes to a Secondary Plan
require an OP Amendment and may
require a Zoning By-law
amendment;
Higher cost to amend.
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Wellington CDP Example
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Urban Design Guidelines
Urban Design Guidelines are used for reoccurring
development types to assist in providing upfront
expectations to developers and to provide consistent
direction to similar development applications:
Large-Format Retail
Drive-Through Facilities
Gas Stations
Greenfield Neighbourhoods
Rural Villages
Traditional Mainstreets
Infill Housing
High-Rise Housing
Arterial Mainstreets
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Guidelines Example – Large
Format Retail
Objectives of Design Guidelines:
To achieve interesting, high-quality architectural
design for large-format retail buildings;
To enhance landscaping, public open space, and
environmental performance of such developments;
To create comfortable and attractive pedestrian
environments;
To enhance the streetscape along public streets and
contribute to a high quality public space
To protect and enhance the character and quality of
the districts and neighbourhoods where large-format
retail developments are located;
To promote development patterns that allow for
future intensification.
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Zoning By-Law
Zoning By-laws assist in carrying out the
planning objectives of Council, expressed
through the Official Plan.
The Zoning By-law is a set of regulations that
controls development in a specific
geographic area
Zoning By-laws are enabled by the Ontario
Planning Act
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Zoning By-Law in Effect
• June 25, 2008 - City Council enacted a new
Comprehensive Zoning By-law for the City
• October 23, 2008 - the Ontario Municipal Board
approved the initial provisions of the
Comprehensive By-law. As of October 2010, 95% of
the new By-law is now in effect.
• Ontario Municipal Board will render decisions on
remaining appeals in 2011
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Zoning By-law
Your source for:
Definitions of different residential, commercial, and industrial
zones and heights and densities in those zones
Performance standards, e.g. setbacks from the lot lines and
distances between buildings
Parking requirements
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Zoning By-law and the Official Plan
The following are some of the changes to zoning permissions in
order to support implementation of policies of the Official Plan.
• Central Area:
 Elimination of Floor Space Index restrictions that existed under former
Ottawa on almost all areas designated Central Area.
• Mixed Use Centres:
 Minimum height requirement of 6.7 m near rapid transit stations
introduced.
• Traditional Mainstreets:
 Maximum front yard setback introduced to bring buildings near front lot
line.
• Arterial Mainstreets:
 Substantial increase in height to 20 and 25 metres in many arterial
mainstreet areas .
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Zoning By-law and the Official Plan
• Policies Related to Intensification in the designated General
Urban Area (outside Development Priority Areas):
 Addition of land use permissions for mid-high rise residential uses on
existing shopping centres such as St. Laurent SC, Carlingwood SC, Billings
Bridge SC).
• Policies Related to Employment Areas:
 All stand-alone retail uses previously permitted under former zoning bylaws were eliminated.
• Protection of Heritage Resources:
 Application of heritage overlay zoning provisions to all 120 individually
designated properties (excluding Rockcliffe Park) outside old Ottawa.
• Policies Related to Promoting Alternative Modes of
Transportation:
 Shared parking reductions applied City wide, for all sites where mixed
uses are developed
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Zoning By-law and the Official Plan
• Policies Related to More Efficient Use of Land:
 Driveways to parking lots in traditional and arterial mainstreet
developments need not be located on site, can be shared with other
adjoining properties
• Policies to Maintain Environmental Integrity and Protection
from Hazards:
 Eliminate non- agricultural uses on lands designated Agriculture
• Policies related to Sustainable Land Use Planning and
Community Greening:
 Permit community gardens as a land use in most zones
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Requests for Zoning By-law
amendment
When the City receives a request for a Zoning By-law
amendment, we review the request based on its impact on:
Change of use and externalities of the proposed use
Will a change in density impact the character of the
neighbourhood?
Will there be adequate buffering between environmentally
protected lands and neighbouring properties?
Will there be adequate parking provided?
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Zoning By-Law Amendment
Example
R3A
R3A
R2C
R1O
R3A
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Affordable Housing
Context
• Over 350,000 Households
• 60% Own, 40% Rent
• The vacancy rate has been traditionally low, currently at 1.5%.
• Only 7% of all housing built since 1996 has been rental
accommodation
• Over 1/3rd of renters in Ottawa pay more than 30% of their
income on rent and this is expected to grow
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Basic Allowance
$
Shelter Allowance
Maximum
$
Total
$
Average market rent 1
bedroom
Single
$216
$356
$572
$817
Parent with two children 0-12
years
$336
$607
$943
Single
$566
$454
$1020
Parent with two children 0-12
years
$709
$775
$1484
Average market rent 2
bedroom
Ontario Works (OW)
$995
Ontario Disability Support
Program (ODSP)
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•
$817
$995
The City provides shelter to over 1,100 homeless men, women and
children every night
Over 10,000 households on the centralized waiting list for rentgeared-income housing, 2,000 households placed from the
centralized waiting list each year
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Support Services
Housing
Housing and Support Services
EMERGENCY
SHELTERS
STREET
OUTREACH
HOUSING
SEARCH
AND
STABILIZATION
SUPPORTIVE
HOUSING
COMMUNITY
–BASED
AFFORDABLE
HOUSING
PRIVATE
MARKET
HOUSING
HOUSING LOSS
PREVENTION
• Branch has 64.5 FTEs
•Partners with over 150 agencies
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Existing Subsidized Housing
• 22,000+ units with 56 local housing providers (includes nonprofits, co-ops and private landlords)
• Significant public and community asset ($2.8 billion
replacement cost)
• Limited supply versus demand
• On average up to 2,000 households are housed off the
Centralized Registry List
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Affordable Housing
1. Funding Sources
2. City Incentives and Tools
3. Action Ottawa
4. Specific Projects
5. Affordable
Homeownership
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1. Funding

Approximately 1217 units funded since 2003

With 466 built and 751 under construction
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2003-2008 - $25M City / $18 M Federal / $16 M
Provincial
2009/10 $39M combined Federal/Provincial
City Funding – Capital Grants, land and
waiving/deferral of fees.
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1.2 Funding
Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program (AHP)
• Currently in year 3 of a 5 year
extension to AHP (2009 – 2013)
• Funding and program guidelines
for years 3 to 5 NOT available
(2011 to 2013)
• Funding is significant and
required to plan and leverage
City resources.
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2.1 City Incentives and Tools
Range of Tools and incentives
• Capital Funding
• Exemption and deferral of
development charges
• Access to Surplus City Property
• Exemption of Planning Fees
• Grants in Lieu of Building Permit
Fees
• New Multi – Residential Tax Rate
• Municipal Capital Facilities By-law
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3. Action Ottawa
• City’s Affordable Housing Program
• Started in 2003 to provide/bundle incentives and
capital to develop affordable rental and supportive
housing
• Planning Committee and Council to approve
priorities and Requirements to target funding
• Combines incentives such as capital grants,
accessible grants, fee relief and development
exemptions
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4. Recent Projects
Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation (CCOC)
Beaver Barracks
• Phase I (160 units) occupied
• Mixed income community
• City Land provided $1
• Partnerships with support
services agencies
• Subject to Downtown
Urban Design Review and
NCC Design Review
• Green Building Design
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4.1 Recent Projects
Shepherds of Good Hope - The Oaks
• Conversion of apartment hotel to
55 units of supportive housing
• Unique partnership between
Shepherds of Good Hope, Ottawa
Inner City Health and Canadian
Mental Health Association
• Affordable Housing worked with
Sheperds of Good Hope for 2 years
to help develop proposal
• Funded and converted in 2009/10
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4.2 Recent Projects
Cornerstone Housing for Women
• Land Purchased under the
Federal Homelessness Program
Initiative
• Capital Funding provided from
Action Ottawa and the AHP
and the Anglican Diocese
• Energy Efficient Building
Design
• Will Provide 42 supportive
apartments for women
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5. Affordable Homeownership
Programs
• City deferral of development charges at Somerset Gardens
(2007/8)
• AHP –Homeownership Component – 138 households received
federal/provincial down payment assistance since 2008
• Non-profit housing providers such as Habitat for Humanity,
CADCO and Options for Homes develop affordable
homeownership developments and increase affordability
• All loans and deferrals are secured by agreement and second
mortgage with repayment provisions and exemptions
following a 20 year period
• Subject to market fluctuations and changes to mortgage
requirements
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Housing Services Branch
Moving Forward
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