Ottawa's Official Plan Update

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

This has "lawsuit against the City" written all over it.

No kidding.

I predict the politicians and developers will come to some sort of a compromise, maybe removing other, less valuable land, or land they don't own, recommended by staff in order to maintain South March.

[rocketphish]

Algonquins come out sudden winners in urban boundary vote
Staff scored Algonquins of Ontario parcel poorly for being on bad soil and far from pipes

Kate Porter · CBC News
Posted: Jan 27, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

One day after it appeared the Algonquins of Ontario would be left out entirely from the City of Ottawa's plans to expand its urban areas, city councillors voted to allot 445 hectares to the group.

The move would effectively launch a whole new outlying community of 45,000 near the Amazon warehouse, which the Algonquin and their developer partner, Taggart Group of Companies, call "Tewin."

City staff had determined the parcel was far away and scored so poorly it shouldn't even be considered for bringing inside the urban boundary. Staff had produced a map that would grow the city by way of small parcels at the fringes of existing suburbs and services.

After Tuesday's vote, however, the Algonquins of Ontario are now poised to shepherd more than a third of the total 1,281 hectares city council intends to add for future development.


Time for Tewin

Councillors on the planning and agricultural affairs committees were attracted to the idea of creating an entirely new, sustainable community from scratch — an area twice the size of Blackburn Hamlet, to start.

Even more important, they said, was to show their commitment to reconciliation with the Algonquin.

The Algonquins of Ontario have bought up parcels in that area southwest of Boundary Road and Highway 417 at fair market value from the Ontario government as they've been given right of first refusal. The process is separate from their longtime land claim negotiations, which are nearly completed.

In a presentation to councillors Monday, the Algonquins of Ontario said it needed 500 hectares to build a sustainable community of homes that aligned with Algonquin values and included a significant natural area. The Algonquins of Ontario said it waited long enough.



By Tuesday, councillors tabled motions and a dramatic shift began to bring Tewin inside the urban boundary.

Coun. Eli El-Chantiry won the vote to take 175 hectares of land that had scored well in the South March area, and redirected them to Tewin.

Coun. Tim Tierney, meanwhile, convinced colleagues to allocate 270 hectares to Tewin now, instead of doing more study for five years.


Developers decry politics over process

Several councillors expressed concerns about the site, and Catherine McKenney didn't see how councillors had the information they needed to make such a big decision.

Staff had advised marine clay soil conditions might prevent building anything higher than four storeys, which could make construction at Tewin costly and could prevent dense neighbourhoods the city wants.

Tewin received a score of zero for servicing because no water pipes are nearby.

Developers in the South March area were dismayed to have their lands suddenly set aside.

"It is incredibly surprising that in an unprecedented move that politics has taken over a prescribed scoring process and months of work by city staff and included a parcel of land with a zero score on servicing," said Claridge Homes, eQ Homes, Uniform Developments, Multivesco and Minto in a statement.

"The joint committee has taken a step backwards in their supposed step into the future with a new official plan."

No one from the Algonquins of Ontario was available to comment immediately after the decision.


Riverside South farmland to be urbanized

In a separate decision, city councillors also approved letting in a large farm parcel near Riverside South, despite having voted last May to not allow future development on any agricultural land.

The area's councillor, Carol Anne Meehan, succeeded in swapping a piece of land further south for the Urbandale property north of Rideau River Road.

Not developing that Urbandale property would leave a big field between two new O-Train stations where the city wants people living close to transit, she argued.



Coun. Scott Moffatt countered that transit should not trump agriculture, and nothing in the area had changed since council gave its word last spring to protect farmland.

The urban boundary report, with its many major changes, rises to city council on Feb. 10 for a final decision.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/algonquins-ontario-tewin-planning-arac-vote-1.5888419

[rocketphish]

Bringing Algonquin land into urban boundary shows city's commitment to reconciliation, Mayor Watson says

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Jan 27, 2021 • 25 minutes ago • 2 minute read

Bringing far-flung land owned by the Algonquins of Ontario into Ottawa’s urban boundary “is about sharing the wealth, not just the crumbs,” Mayor Jim Watson said Wednesday.

An overwhelming majority of councillors responsible for making planning recommendations are telling council to include 445 hectares of land owned by the Algonquins of Ontario inside a redrawn urban boundary.

The land is west of Carlsbad Springs, south of Highway 417.

The Algonquins of Ontario, which represents 10 communities in land claim negotiations with the provincial and federal governments, is partnering with Taggart Investments on a major residential development called “Tewin” using the guidance of Algonquin values.

The land scored poorly in an assessment by city planners tasked with determining which lands should be brought inside the urban boundary to satisfy the city’s growth projections. However, planners also gave councillors the option of studying the Algonquin land over five years to see if it could be developed as a new community.

A joint planning and agriculture affairs committee this week voted to remove Kanata-area South March lands proposed to be included inside the urban boundary to allow the Algonquins of Ontario to pursue the rural-east development.

The companies which own the South March lands decried the decision, saying “politics has taken over a prescribed scoring process and months of work by city staff.”

Watson said the city needs to be flexible when it comes to deciding which lands should come inside the urban boundary, even when there’s a council-approved scoring system for lands.

The mayor said the city needs to take action when it comes to reconciliation with Indigenous communities.

“We’re always very good at reading the statement of our respect for First Nations, but this will really be the first time the City of Ottawa has done anything of a very substantive and tangible fashion that will allow our First Nations brothers and sisters an opportunity to create some economic growth and opportunity for their people through employment and through investment,” Watson said.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...ment-to-reconciliation-mayor-watson-says

[J.OT13]

Overview of expansion lands as per City staff recommendations.

Beige was recommended for approval.
Orange was under consideration to make-up the short-fall in prime land.
Green was recommended for rejection.


http://kitchissippiward.ca/content/tewin-and-my-urban-boundary-vote-week

[OTSkyline]

In this, Orleans, Kanata, Barrhaven and Riverside South all seem to have available yet unused land currently. Why are we rushing to add/expand when there's still available land to build on currently?

Land at south/east of Terry Fox (Kanata)
Land between Kanata/Stittsville
Barrhaven south of Strandherd
Lots around Riverside South
Orleans south of Innes

[CityTech]

Looking at the map, it's remarkable how close to the city limit Tewin is. Russell Township is practically next door.

[Marshsparrow]

Seeing it pictured like this the amount of underutilized land within the greenbelt is remarkable. I get that we have to have various housing types and inventory but cmon.

[Williamoforange]

Originally Posted by Marshsparrow

Seeing it pictured like this the amount of underutilized land within the greenbelt is remarkable. I get that we have to have various housing types and inventory but cmon.

Go check Geo Ottawa and Google Earth for a better picture, the road map shown is out of date by my guess is from 2014.

It's missing stuff in Riverside South and the area between Stittsville and Kanata, and South Orleans.

As for underutilized land issue the Greenbelt (other then train yards) is industrial or park land.

[rocketphish]

Reconciliation adds twist to city's strategy for growth in a shifted urban boundary
Mayor Jim Watson's enthusiastic support for Tewin's inclusion in the urban boundary has virtually sealed council's approval on Feb. 10.

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Feb 01, 2021 • 6 hours ago • 4 minute read

There was a moment during a joint committee meeting last week when Coun. Scott Moffatt questioned if public transit trumps agriculture in approving land development on the edge of an expanded urban boundary.

But minutes later there was another tricky dichotomy in play, one that many councillors didn’t see coming.

Does reconciliation with Indigenous peoples trump urban sprawl?

The overwhelming answer, if you go by the committee vote, was yes.

Mayor Jim Watson’s enthusiastic support for Tewin’s inclusion in the urban boundary has virtually sealed council’s approval on Feb. 10 to allow the Algonquins of Ontario, in partnership with Taggart Investments, to plan the new community west of Boundary Road in the southeast part of rural Ottawa.

Some councillors who had votes on the joint planning and agriculture and rural affairs committee clearly struggled with the decision.

Coun. Jeff Leiper wrote an extensive explanation on his website about why he voted against including the Tewin land in the urban boundary. He said he voted “for good planning and the greatest possible mitigation against climate change.” Moffatt and Riley Brockington were the only other two councillors in opposition.

The churn of Ottawa’s municipal government is usually predictable. Bureaucrats line up recommendations on a conveyor belt and council, almost always, spits out the approvals.

The joint committee meeting, held to decide which properties should become development lands inside a larger urban boundary, veered off the usual course.

The Algonquins’ Tewin project required more land than the 270 hectares that the city still needed to add to the urban boundary. So, the committee removed a chunk of staff-recommended development land in South March and assigned it to Tewin, bringing the total up to 445 hectares, just shy of the 500 hectares the Algonquins said they needed, though they’re satisfied with the 445 hectares.

The controversy mostly lies in the staff analysis of the Tewin land, which didn’t receive a passing grade for inclusion in the urban boundary, mostly because of its isolated location far away from existing and planned city services. The Tewin project team says it can mitigate the heavy costs of developing the satellite community.

It should be noted, city planners didn’t outright dismiss the Tewin project in their work to identify development lands inside a new urban boundary. In fact, they gave councillors the option to study the lands, along with two other clusters in Riverside South and South March, over five years to see if any of the sites should be folded inside the urban boundary.

The joint committee voted to go all-in with Tewin, and do it now.

The walk-on motions at the joint committee that ultimately recommended allowing urban land for Tewin were lined up as if a strategy had been in the works for days, though council members knew about the unique project for months. The Algonquins of Ontario and Taggart revealed the Tewin proposal in October, booked meetings with the municipal politicians and explained to them that the city would need to bring the land inside the urban boundary.

The Tewin twist has potential to place in competition key interests of the progressive wing of council: preventing climate change and urban sprawl versus attempting to reconcile with an Indigenous community.

Leiper, whose politics lean to that progressive side, was in a pickle at the joint committee meeting, having to suddenly vote on either refusing far-flung development or backing an effort at Indigenous reconciliation.

Angela Keller-Herzog has appeared as a public delegate numerous times at committee meetings on behalf of Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability to push councillors on climate protection. Keller-Herzog is also a social justice advocate.

When it comes to Tewin, Keller-Herzog said the test will be the energy requirements and, specifically, if gas pipelines will be installed for a community promoted as a One Planet Living project, which calls for “zero carbon energy.” (Tewin’s promotional materials, including website information, have described “low carbon living.”)

Keller-Herzog said a zero-carbon community would be “pretty brilliant” and support the city’s climate change goals, but “we shall see if the developers are willing to walk the talk soon enough.”

Ecology Ottawa, perhaps the most prominent environmental advocacy group focused on local issues, was still discussing the Tewin matter internally.

Back at city hall, council members who didn’t have a vote on the joint committee have more than a week to dig deeper into the reports, ask questions to staff and get more information from the Algonquins of Ontario before recording their votes. Of course, committee members can always change their votes at council.

Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples has emerged as a key narrative at city hall in the early weeks of 2021.

Council has stripped the name of Langevin Avenue in the Lindenlea neighbourhood, changing it to Commanda Way, both condemning Hector-Louis Langevin’s support for the terrible residential school system and honouring the late Algonquin elder, William Commanda.

Watson wants to change the name of the Prince of Wales Bridge to Chief William Commanda Bridge.

And the city’s first director of gender and race equity, inclusion, Indigenous relations and social development services is about to join the municipal government.

Land development in the outer suburbs — and beyond — could come with multi-generational impacts to the transportation network and future costs to provide city operations.

On the other hand, council is faced with the opportunity to make a big legacy move: supporting Indigenous-led economic development and boldly going above and beyond the goals in the city’s 2018 Reconciliation Action Plan.

Any planning consequences can be another council’s problem.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...y-for-growth-in-a-shifted-urban-boundary

[J.OT13]

Following John Willing and Kate Porter during this messy Council meeting on the ubran boundary expansion.

Menard and Deans want to delay the report, so Watson criticizes them saying it would be a "massive vote of non-confidence in planning staff" which is ironic, because the Watson Club then precedes to throw out staff's report by eliminating the high scoring South March Lands and approving unconditionally the low ranking Tewin Lands AND rejecting the Gold Belt concept.

Somehow Steve Willis thinks that the Gold Belt was the most controversial matter in front of Council today. I can think of at least one other FAR more controversial item. Can you?

[Lakeofthewood]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Menard and Deans want to delay the report, so Watson criticizes them saying it would be a "massive vote of non-confidence in planning staff" which is ironic, because the Watson Club then precedes to throw out staff's report by eliminating the high scoring South March Lands and approving unconditionally the low ranking Tewin Lands AND rejecting the Gold Belt concept.

I am so sick and tired of the pettiness and childish behaviour of the Mayor and his club members. The audacity of him to say something like that, just because members of council oppose what he wants to do. It's disgusting and embarrassing that this is who runs the capital city of Canada.

[GeoNerd]

Originally Posted by Lakeofthewood

I am so sick and tired of the pettiness and childish behaviour of the Mayor and his club members. The audacity of him to say something like that, just because members of council oppose what he wants to do. It's disgusting and embarrassing that this is who runs the capital city of Canada.

Agreed. I think anyone that has been remotely paying attention to city politics over the last number of years cannot wait to see Watson retire. The toxic environment he has created at city hall is revolting.

[Lakeofthewood]

Originally Posted by GeoNerd

Agreed. I think anyone that has been remotely paying attention to city politics over the last number of years cannot wait to see Watson retire. The toxic environment he has created at city hall is revolting.

That's the biggest thing for me. It would be one thing if I just disagreed with his policies and decisions, but it's how he goes about his business that is the worst part. And sadly that attitude has filtered through to many of the other councillors, and it's just an embarrassment to the city at this point.

[waterloowarrior]

Taggart had a brilliant strategy to stay out of the limelight and let the Algonquins take the lead. A large Toronto-based planning consultant was also used rather than a local firm. I like the committee addition of the 416/Fallowfield land (assuming Council agreed, didn't follow that vote). The vote for a LEAR for Riverside South was interesting, traditional allies didn't seem to vote the same way.

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Taggart had a brilliant strategy to stay out of the limelight and let the Algonquins take the lead. A large Toronto-based planning consultant was also used rather than a local firm. I like the committee addition of the 416/Fallowfield land (assuming Council agreed, didn't follow that vote). The vote for a LEAR for Riverside South was interesting, traditional allies didn't seem to vote the same way.

I'm sure they were working the back room channels. On files like this, few local firms want to take them on and prefer it be handled by an out of town firm.

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by Lakeofthewood

That's the biggest thing for me. It would be one thing if I just disagreed with his policies and decisions, but it's how he goes about his business that is the worst part. And sadly that attitude has filtered through to many of the other councillors, and it's just an embarrassment to the city at this point.

When deputations or councillors are presenting and it is something that Watson doesn't agree with or has been told by lobbyists he doesn't agree with it, then he reminds deputations/councillors that they have one minute left etc in their alloted five minute time period. If they are in agreement with his position or stroking his ego he forgets about the stop watch.

[rocketphish]

Council allows Algonquins of Ontario 'Tewin' site inside a new urban boundary
The Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) and Taggart want to a build a suburb called Tewin west of Carlsbad Springs.

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Feb 10, 2021 • 12 hours ago • 3 minute read

A new satellite community in rural southeast Ottawa created by the Algonquins of Ontario and Taggart Investments will be included in an expanded urban boundary, city council decided Wednesday.

Council’s job was to approve 1,281 hectares of land that would be brought into the urban boundary as part of the city’s growth management strategy in the next official plan.

But 445 hectares pitched as an isolated community based on Algonquin values have drawn the strongest public reaction.

The Algonquins of Ontario (AOO) and Taggart want to a build a suburb called Tewin west of Carlsbad Springs. They envision an eco-focused community of up to 45,000 residents developed with the guidance of Algonquin values and have vowed to pay for infrastructure costs, such as water and wastewater services to the site.

The Tewin land didn’t get included as a the staff-recommended site for urban expansion, but staff opened the door to the possibility of the site being established as a new community through a five-year study.

Instead, the joint planning and rural affairs committee last month voted to remove proposed expansion land in the South March area, combine it with expansion area that still had to be determined and immediately assign the total 445 hectares of land to Tewin.

Council on Wednesday accepted the recommendation with a 16-8 vote.

Voting in favour were councillors Tim Tierney, Jan Harder, Laura Dudas, George Darouze, Jean Cloutier, Jenna Sudds, Allan Hubley, Eli El-Chantiry, Glen Gower, Catherine Kitts, Scott Moffatt, Carol Anne Meehan, Rick Chiarelli, Matthew Luloff, Keith Egli and Mayor Jim Watson.

Councillors Jeff Leiper, Theresa Kavanagh, Mathieu Fleury, Catherine McKenney, Rawlson King, Shawn Menard, Riley Brockington and Diane Deans voted in opposition.

The updated official plan is scheduled to be considered by council later this year. Council’s decision on the official plan will be final, unless the minister of municipal affairs or a court steps in.

There were attempts by some councillors during the daylong meeting to delay the Tewin question.

Menard asked for a year-long delay, while McKenney asked council to reverse the committee’s decision when it came to the South March lands and send staff to review Tewin.

However, most of council clearly arrived at the meeting already knowing where their votes would go.

Gower accused council of avoiding making tough, bold decisions and saw no point in delaying a decision about Tewin. He won council’s support to make sure staff confirm the viability and municipal cost of the Tewin project.

“Let’s get on with the most important project we’re doing…for the rest of this century,” Harder, the planning chair, told council while backing Tewin’s inclusion inside the urban boundary.

Watson scoffed at the notion of delaying the matter for years.

“That’s really not leadership in my way of thinking,” Watson said.

On the other side of the vote, Coun. Diane Deans blasted colleagues for not listening to many Algonquin people who have warned the city about adopting the Tewin project as a signal of Indigenous reconciliation.

“This is poor planning based on a false promise of reconciliation,” Deans said, calling it “an embarrassment to our city.”

Algonquin communities that aren’t part of AOO, including several in Quebec, have criticized the city for allowing Tewin in the name of reconciliation. Those communities, which accuse AOO of not representing true Algonquins, don’t see it that way.

AOO represents 10 communities in land-claim negotiations with the federal and Ontario governments. Only one of the AOO communities, Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, is federally recognized.
Pikwakanagan Chief Wendy Jocko defended the AOO communities, both status and non-status, as being “real Algonquins” in a 10-minute videotaped message to council posted before the meeting.

The Tewin matter was just one of the big controversial issues in front of council when it comes the urban boundary.

Council removed the staff-proposed “gold belt” of protected agricultural land on the request of Kitts, who said the idea caused “undue confusion” in rural Ottawa.

Existing land designations already protect rural villages and agricultural properties and the gold belt proposal was just a manner of applying new terminology, city staff acknowledged.

There was a wrong perception that government was going to expropriate land in the gold belt to create something like a second greenbelt, council heard. Planning general manager Stephen Willis said it was a “communications problem.”

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...o-tewin-site-inside-a-new-urban-boundary

[J.OT13]

Council removed the staff-proposed “gold belt” of protected agricultural land on the request of Kitts, who said the idea caused “undue confusion” in rural Ottawa.

Existing land designations already protect rural villages and agricultural properties and the gold belt proposal was just a manner of applying new terminology, city staff acknowledged.

There was a wrong perception that government was going to expropriate land in the gold belt to create something like a second greenbelt, council heard. Planning general manager Stephen Willis said it was a “communications problem.”

Sounds like some Councillors don't think the farming community is "smart enough" to understand the concept of the Gold Belt. "oh it's too confusing for the simpletons, so let's not even try!".

Me thinks developers already own (and overpaid for) some of that land and lobbied a few Councillors to eliminate the concept from the official plan.

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Sounds like some Councillors don't think the farming community is "smart enough" to understand the concept of the Gold Belt. "oh it's too confusing for the simpletons, so let's not even try!".

Me thinks developers already own (and overpaid for) some of that land and lobbied a few Councillors to eliminate the concept from the official plan.

Wow..you are cynical I don't believe much of any of the land being remotely considered for urban boundary inclusion is in the ownership of actual farmers anymore. Lots of numbered companies own it.

Now the City staff are going to have to justify the unjustifiable. What a mess and all that work done by City staff is somewhat down the drain.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

Wow..you are cynical I don't believe much of any of the land being remotely considered for urban boundary inclusion is in the ownership of actual farmers anymore. Lots of numbered companies own it.

Now the City staff are going to have to justify the unjustifiable. What a mess and all that work done by City staff is somewhat down the drain.

I was referring to the Gold Belt land, not the expansion lands. It's strange that we didn't hear anyone complain about the Gold Belt concept (unless I missed something) and yet, it was deemed the most "controversial" aspect and immediately scrapped.