Study of Small-Scale Infill Housing in Mature Neighbourhoods
 

The City has started a very interesting study looking at infill in existing older neighbourhoods. Check out the visual survey findings in the link below.

http://ottawa.ca/residents/public_co.../index_en.html


Study of Small-Scale Infill Housing in Mature Neighbourhoods

In the spring of 2010 a number of community associations and individual community members expressed their concerns to the City that recent, small-scale, infill housing projects in their neighbourhoods were incompatible with the character of the neighbourhood and were making a negative contribution to the community. They asked what the City could do to prevent this pattern from continuing.

To better understand the issue in these neighbourhoods, staff from the Community Planning and Urban Design Unit assembled a list of building permits issued for infill detached, semi-detached, multiple attached dwellings and stacked dwellings between January 2005 and the end of June, 2010 in Wards 12, 14, 15 and 17. These wards were selected because they are seeing the largest amount of small-scale infill. Many of the neighbourhoods in these wards were developed pre-war, are well established and have a distinctive character. Over 400 properties were studied during the summer of 2010.

The purpose of the survey was to:

• determine how the new home fits within the specific context of the street and neighbourhood in which it is built
• characterize the infill in order to understand how it contributes to or detracts from the street and neighbourhood
• determine if there are any trends in infill construction
• determine if steps need to be taken to improve the nature of infill development

Based on the survey findings, the Planning and Growth Management Department has been working with other City Branches and Departments to explore possible solutions to address types and patterns of infill housing that appear to have a negative impact on neighbourhoods.

Public Meetings
The public is invited to attend one of the following public meetings and provide input on possible solutions:

Monday, February 7,
7 to 9 pm
St. Bartholomew’s Church,
125 MacKay Street

Thursday, February 17,
7 to 9 pm
Connaught Public School (Gym),
1149 Gladstone Avenue

Tuesday, February 22,
7:15 to 9:15 pm
St. Mathew’s Anglican Church (Main Hall),
217 First Avenue

Thursday, February 24,
7 to 9 pm
Ottawa City Hall, Festival Control Plaza (First Floor, Laurier Entrance),
110 Laurier Avenue West

* Note that the same content will be presented at each of these meetings.

Following these meetings, the public input will be analysed and evaluated and the City anticipates hosting one final consultation session at a later date. A report on the issue will be brought to Planning Committee in the spring of 2011.

For more information, contact:
Selma Hassan, Planner
Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability Department
110 Laurier Ave. West
City of Ottawa
Ottawa ON K1P 1J1
Tel: 613-580-2424, ext 25192
Fax: 613-580-2576
E-mail: selma.hassan@ottawa.ca





Also here are a couple of Spacing posts on the subject

http://spacingottawa.ca/2011/02/01/t...-ottawa-south/

http://spacingottawa.ca/2011/01/31/t...-in-on-infill/

as noted in another thread, there is an upcoming open house on Wednesday to discuss the findings of the study and possible solutions
http://ottawa.ca/residents/public_co.../index_en.html

here is a very detailed list of proposed changes
http://blog.westwellington.ca/wp-con...ber-1_2011.pdf

I love the map of the NIMBY Zone.

Okay, so I've taken the map of the study area, and overlaid the boundaries of the various chapters of NIMBY International:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KAgpVp0LsU.../NimbyZone.png

Left to right, the community associations are...

Blue - McKellar Park, Hampton-Iona, Hintonburg, Centretown**, New Edinburgh*

Red - Westboro, Wellington Village, Glebe, Lowertown

Yellow - Champlain Park, Civic Hospital, Old Ottawa South, [Action] Sandy Hill

Green - Westboro Beach, Dalhousie**, Old Ottawa East*

Where streets are used to define the CAs, unless directed otherwise, I project those street lines into the rivers where appropriate.

Note a couple of potentially CA-free zones in the west end; the residential area just east of Tunney's, and a vague no-man's land just south of Westboro Transitway station that isn't included in any of the CA boundary descriptions.

Not shown: Island Park Community Association. The neighbouring CA boundary descriptions use Island Park as the dividing line. The Island Park CA is kinda like the west end's version of Andorra.

Kitchisippi Ward is home to at minimum nine Community Associations. Now I know why I call it Bitchissippi.

+ + +

* There is some vagueness in the self-appointed boundary descriptions for these community associations. In the case of New Edinburgh, it doesn't matter, since it only affects an unpopulated area of Rockcliffe Park the park. Old Ottawa East is a bit more difficult of a case; I've just used the boundaries of the neighbouring CAs to define it by subtraction. Sure would be good if all the CAs would publish their constitutions or by-laws.

** There's a two long-block strip claimed by both Dalhousie and Centretown, between Bronson and Bay. Rumour has it this territorial dispute will be settled by a jello wrestling match between CAM and ED. Also, Dalhousie's self-described southern and eastern boundaries don't actually meet, setting up another potential brutal turf war with the blue-hairs in the Glebe.

The residential area east of Tunney's is represented by the Laroche Park Community Association...I don't believe they believe in the Internets

I think the country-comparison you want is The Gambia.

As a Mechanicsville resident, I've put some effort into locating the Laroche Park Community Association, and I've come to the conclusion that it's no longer a going concern. The email address of the last known president doesn't exist, there are no meetings held/announced, etc....

Not thinking in terms of shape, but rather in terms of role, as in how Andorra has that joint sovereignty thingie with the President of France and the King of Spain.

I'm wondering the same thing about two others, just outside the NIMBY Zone boundary: Dows Lake Residents Ass'n, and South of Beechwood What About Our Children's Sunshine Committee.

Keith Brown is still running this thing, I have no contact info, but have seen him around.

I was at the meeting last night. Staff did a good job presenting and answering the questions (many of which were self-serving).

Generally, people felt that the location of parking on infill lots was still too restrictive and idea of parking in rear yards to satisfy a prohibition on front yard parking (especially on streets where that is occurring now) or gaining access via lane was not the way to go.

This is scheduled to go to PAC etc in the fall.

Can't park in the front.

Can't park in the back.

Can't park in a garage.

Can't park in the street.

Where can you park? In a tree?

A carriageway....you needed to be at the meeting.

In some ways staff are allowing more areas on a property to be locations for parking but as one staff member noted quite correctly there are unique circumstances to every property and they will try and work with applicants...I'm not trying to defend staff on this but they did seem genuinely wanting to work with residents and builders on many of the issues.

I was quite surprised, however, that wheelchair ramps and their location had not been considered.

Did you go to the meeting?

I try not to go to such things any more. Too head-explodey. And besides, I don't live in the NIMBY Zone. :)

summary of stakeholder input
http://ottawa.ca/residents/public_co...holder_en.html

staff report
http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/cit...%20Housing.htm

Hopefully they satisfied the complaints of the Hintonburg woman who was forced to live with a neighbour's house being 18 inches higher than hers.

Man, and you thought Vietnam was bad....

Here's a link to the Open File/Travis Boisvenue mini documentary on infill homes in Hintonburg.

http://ottawa.openfile.ca/ottawa/tex...ill-hintonburg

Also known as a condominium. Really.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condomi...ernational_law)

this went to council today

lots of amending motions.. apparently carried on consent without non-councillors really knowing what went on based on David Reevely's livetweeting today (although community members had seen the changes beforehand)

here's the staff report
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa...%20Housing.htm

and here's the disposition where you can find all the amending motions
http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/cit...position34.htm