Ottawa's Official Plan Update

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by ponyboycurtis

Saw a wild turkey there last summer.

I've seen wild turkeys going door to door down the street in New Edinburgh and Vanier.

[Uhuniau]

Also marketing tip: maybe mark the "national lands" that are planned for building on in a colour that isn't as emotionally charged as black?

[vtecyo]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Why should there be a buffer, other than to soothe the fee-fees of those neighbouring property owners?

Because a linear park in that area would be good for everyone. Especially if there's a MUP connecting Riverside to McCarthy. And because honey works better than vinegar.

No matter how much you want to irritate the NIMBY's - it doesn't actually get you anywhere to do it for no reason. There's plenty of space in that area for housing and parkland.

[rocketphish]

Ottawa's rezoning could develop over significant NCC greenspace, community groups fear
A stretch of land set to be rezoned 'development reserve' includes the 37-kilometre Poets' Pathway on both sides of the Rideau River.

By Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen
Published Dec 17, 2025 | Last updated 18 minutes ago | 5 minute read

Two swatches of NCC land on both sides of the Rideau River could be rezoned as “development reserve” — and that has both nature-lovers and poetry buffs worried about the future of greenspace as the city overhauls zoning bylaws.

The land includes two stretches of the 37-kilometre Poets’ Pathway, which uses existing walking and bike paths and public green spaces to form a trail from Britannia Beach to Beechwood Cemetery, with a southern loop in the middle, connected by the Hunt Club Bridge.

It’s two portions in this southern loop that have raised concerns. On the west side of the Rideau River is the Woodroffe-Merivale stretch. On the east side of the river is the Lower Rivergate Corridor, in the area of McCarthy Woods.

Paul Johanis, chair of the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital, said he learned about the potential rezoning only after combing through before-and-after maps in a massive package of amendments to zoning bylaws, to be presented on Wednesday at a meeting of the joint planning and housing and agriculture and rural affairs committee.

It was like someone had “taken an eraser” to the zoning maps, said Andrei Grushman, chair of the affordable housing committee with the Hunt Club Community Association.

“Normally, there would be public meetings and consultations,” said Grushman. “The core issue here is that the change was made suddenly and without a bit of in-depth analysis. It just kind of happened overnight.”

The NCC says the land was acquired decades ago for a transportation corridor that never happened.

<more>

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/ottaw...ncc-greenspace

[dougvdh]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Ottawa's rezoning could develop over significant NCC greenspace, community groups fear
A stretch of land set to be rezoned 'development reserve' includes the 37-kilometre Poets' Pathway on both sides of the Rideau River.

By Joanne Laucius, Ottawa Citizen
Published Dec 17, 2025 | Last updated 18 minutes ago | 5 minute read

Two swatches of NCC land on both sides of the Rideau River could be rezoned as “development reserve” — and that has both nature-lovers and poetry buffs worried about the future of greenspace as the city overhauls zoning bylaws.

The land includes two stretches of the 37-kilometre Poets’ Pathway, which uses existing walking and bike paths and public green spaces to form a trail from Britannia Beach to Beechwood Cemetery, with a southern loop in the middle, connected by the Hunt Club Bridge.

It’s two portions in this southern loop that have raised concerns. On the west side of the Rideau River is the Woodroffe-Merivale stretch. On the east side of the river is the Lower Rivergate Corridor, in the area of McCarthy Woods.

Paul Johanis, chair of the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital, said he learned about the potential rezoning only after combing through before-and-after maps in a massive package of amendments to zoning bylaws, to be presented on Wednesday at a meeting of the joint planning and housing and agriculture and rural affairs committee.

It was like someone had “taken an eraser” to the zoning maps, said Andrei Grushman, chair of the affordable housing committee with the Hunt Club Community Association.

“Normally, there would be public meetings and consultations,” said Grushman. “The core issue here is that the change was made suddenly and without a bit of in-depth analysis. It just kind of happened overnight.”

The NCC says the land was acquired decades ago for a transportation corridor that never happened.

<more>

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/ottaw...ncc-greenspace

I'm confused. Both these parcels are currently zoned 'Development Reserve'. I get that they are trying to get them permanently protected from development, but I feel like there is a bit of misinformation being presented here.

[Williamoforange]

Meh, not surprising considering who's involved with this and where the information is coming from.

community associations are kinda known for this b.s, remember Larga Baffin.

[lrt's friend]

I guarantee there are going to be all kinds of unintended consequences when they approve the zoning revisions across the board. Does the city not understand that developers could put up pockets of dense housing in transit deserts? This will put additional financial pressure on the city. This is already happening in New suburbs where density is being placed where there is little or no transit. And where little onsite parking is offered, the neighbourhood streets will be flooded with parked cars.

[FrostyMug]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I guarantee there are going to be all kinds of unintended consequences when they approve the zoning revisions across the board. Does the city not understand that developers could put up pockets of dense housing in transit deserts? This will put additional financial pressure on the city. This is already happening in New suburbs where density is being placed where there is little or no transit. And where little onsite parking is offered, the neighbourhood streets will be flooded with parked cars.

And then the city will send bylaw around to enforce the 3 hour parking limit!

[rocketphish]

City committee votes to protect greenspace NCC is eyeing for housing
NCC could simply ignore city efforts to protect Poets' Pathway

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News
Posted: Dec 18, 2025 8:45 AM EST | Last Updated: 18 minutes ago

Ottawa city councillors voted Wednesday to keep protecting two stretches of greenspace the National Capital Commission (NCC) is eyeing for housing, but city officials warn there's little they can do block federal plans.

The decision came as a joint meeting of the city's planning and rural affairs committees considered a sweeping rewrite of Ottawa's zoning rules.

Members heard hours of impassioned pleas from neighbours, conservationists and even poetry enthusiasts who urged them to reject changes that could break up the Poets' Pathway snaking through much of the central part of the city.

The 35-kilometre loop linking Britannia Beach in the west to Beechwood Cemetery in the east is marked with 14 bronze plaques that honour Canadian poets.

Wednesday's debate centred on two corridors and pathway sections that run along rail tracks. One stretches from the Airport Parkway to the Rideau River, surrounding a forest known as McCarthy Woods. The other connects Merivale Road and Woodroffe Avenue along the Beachburg rail line.

Ben Glossop said rezoning the lands for development will “cut the strands that hold this necklace together.”

The lands currently aren’t zoned for housing, rather a mix of industrial, institutional and greenspace uses.

The city's top planner said the NCC asked for a change and recent drafts of the zoning bylaw altered the zoning to “development reserve.” That marks lands intended for future urban development.


<snip>


Planning and housing committee chair Jeff Leiper warned that councillors are standing in the way of the NCC's housing plans and simply don't have the power to back that up in a showdown with the federal government.

"They ultimately have the ability to develop this land as they choose with or without municipal blessing," said the councillor for Kitchissippi.

"So I think it’s important for residents to understand that this land will be developed. That's not a choice that the city is going to make. That’s a choice that the federal government can make — and has.”

Marcia Wallace, the city's general manager of planning, development and building services, confirmed that the NCC has the power to develop the lands over the city's head.

"They can say, 'We’re not going to follow your rules. We’re just going to move ahead and do what we want on our own land,'” she said.

Leiper said the NCC wrote to councillors urging them to retain the "development reserve" zoning. He said some of the lands are already in a federal inventory that lists lands for housing development.

"I don't want to be the one telling the prime minister that, after the federal government has invested $578 million in housing in Ottawa, we're going to throw hurdles in the way of developing federal lands," he said.

Though the majority of the committee disagreed with Leiper and backed Brockington's motion, the whole zoning bylaw package will still come back to city council for a final decision in January.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...ment-9.7020156

[Alex613]

I was surprised that the motion to downzone Rothwell Heights from N2 to N1 passed unanimously. It will now join Rockliffe Park as the only two former R1 neighbourhoods inside the greenbelt to be rezoned as N1. All others, except in floozone areas, will be rezoned N2 at a minimum, some are being rezoned as high as N4.

[Williamoforange]

Originally Posted by Alex613

I was surprised that the motion to downzone Rothwell Heights from N2 to N1 passed unanimously. It will now join Rockliffe Park as the only two former R1 neighbourhoods inside the greenbelt to be rezoned as N1. All others, except in floozone areas, will be rezoned N2 at a minimum, some are being rezoned as high as N4.

There were a couple of things that should not have passed McCarthy park thing, bike parking min (the facilities are never properly secured not accounted for in condo fees), the down zoning on Innes rd, the height cap in the suburban transect, 45 ruskin to greenspace (that area doesn't need more "greenspace" in one location), and Menards communal amenity space requirements ( let buyers decide, my personal preference is on private amenity space)

[rocketphish]

How the new zoning bylaw will reshape Ottawa's neighbourhoods
Council is poised to pass a sweeping overhaul to its outdated zoning bylaws that could change the shape of the city's neighbourhoods.

By Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Citizen
Published Jan 14, 2026 | Last updated 4 hours ago | 8 minute read

With Ottawa’s population projected to grow by more than half a million people over the next 20 years, city councillors are poised to pass a sweeping overhaul of outdated zoning bylaws that could reshape the look and feel of the city’s neighbourhoods.

Instead of expanding urban sprawl, amendments to the new bylaw would encourage developers to build upwards with 11-metre residential height allowances — about three storeys — across all urban and suburban areas.

“If we grow as we mostly did in the postwar period, by growing outward, we will repeat the mistakes of past planners,” Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper cautioned his council colleagues at a recent joint committee that approved the third and final draft of the comprehensive zoning bylaw.

“Our transit networks will become stretched out. The pipes that service new communities will get longer. Roads that are expensive to repair and replace will stretch further into lands that today are forests, farmland or wetlands,” Leiper said, leading to rising housing costs and higher taxes.

“The further you sprawl, the longer your networks get, and if you don’t have the density to support the eventual maintenance and rebuilding of those networks, it becomes very expensive for taxpayers,” Leiper said in an interview.

The bylaw also allows for larger multi-dwelling projects along major corridors and makes it easier for developers to construct highrise residential towers in corridors serviced by transit stations.

Densification and infill projects in neighbourhoods like Westboro and Hintonburg have been booming for 20 years, but Leiper said a greater impact would be felt in the city’s so-called “bungalow belt” of single-family homes in Ottawa’s older suburbs around the edges of the urban core.

<more>

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/zonin...reshape-ottawa

[Williamoforange]

The new bylaws still doesn't allow high or even mid rise buildings on residential zone land within 300-600m of every mass transit stations as per the official plan, with the notable exceptions being in the ward of the nimby councilor calling on the city to intensify in exactly the areas he had opposed for years.

Also the new zoning bylaws is still to convoluted with 37 zones just for "neighborhoods" , 3 hub zones, 2 main Street zones, 2 minor corridor zones, 1 neighborhood mixed use zone.

Then add the evolving neighborhood overlay, the thing is still going to take an expert to "divine" what may be allowable to build on private property.

[rocketphish]

New zoning bylaw that could reshape city passes unanimously at council
End of parking minimums gets some pushback, but new rules to boost density pass final vote

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News
Posted: Jan 28, 2026 1:20 PM EST | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago

Ottawa city council unanimously passed a sweeping overhaul of zoning rules on Wednesday, capping off a years-long process that’s supposed to make it easier to build housing in Ottawa.

"What we are approving today is ambitious," said Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. "It will shape the future of our city in a very positive way…. We have been doing everything in our power to say yes to housing."

The bylaw will replace a nearly two-decades-old version with new rules to increase density in neighbourhoods across the city. It will grant automatic permission for more units and taller buildings, without the need for special applications to city committees.

"This zoning bylaw is about less sprawl and more housing in existing neighbourhoods. It is about addressing the housing crisis," said Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster.

"It means I don’t have to sit through another planning and housing meeting evey again where people come and say, 'I know we need more housing, but just not here. Just not on my street.'"

The new rules will allow four units on every serviced residential lot and raise height limits to three storeys almost everywhere, even in low-density suburban areas now dominated by bungalows. New buildings can be much taller closer to busy streets and near major transit stations.

Those changes got wide support, though several councillors pushed to make sure that investments in parks, transit and other infrastructure will be there to support that denser growth.

The biggest changes will come to older suburbs such as those in College ward, whose councillor warned that her residents are nervous.

"They’re nervous that the services and the infrastructure will not keep pace," said Coun. Laine Johnson, who nonetheless voted for the bylaw.

But density is only the beginning. The bylaw also looks to promote walkable communities, including by making it easier to open a business in what are now residential areas.

Councillors made a long list of minor tweaks on Wednesday, making slight zoning adjustments or increasing permitted tower heights for a handful of specific properties, for example.

But they left the broad strokes of the bylaw intact, with no councillor making any attempt to weaken its most transformative provisions.

Only one change got significant pushback: the end of minimum parking rules that force developers to provide parking spaces for residents in new developments.

City staff say the move could reduce home prices, since the cost of those spaces get passed on to tenants or homeowners. They say developers will still build parking where it’s in demand, but can save money where it isn’t.

Orléans East-Cumberland Coun. Matt Luloff said that might make sense close to LRT stations and downtown, but it isn’t realistic to live without a car in many parts of the city. He worried that those parked cars would spill onto local streets, blocking corners and endangering pedestrians.

West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly said he already sees parking mayhem when he drives through suburban areas in Kanata.

"I do shudder to think what it will look like when these developments are built without any minimum parking standards," he said. "We’ve forgotten about the people, the many many people, who require a vehicle."

Even so, that measure will go forward along with the rest of the bylaw. Some minimum parking rules will still remain in rural wards, like Kelly’s, and visitor parking will still be required in major developments throughout the city.

The bylaw is expected to take effect around September, though some provisions could be tied up in appeals.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...2026-9.7065144

[lrt's friend]

What we are approving will destroy neighbourhoods, while choking the city with traffic. What else. can happen when transit is clearly in a death spiral.

We will also be pushing a whole class of home buyers beyond the city boundaries, all driving further and further.

[Williamoforange]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

What we are approving will destroy neighbourhoods, while choking the city with traffic. What else. can happen when transit is clearly in a death spiral.

We will also be pushing a whole class of home buyers beyond the city boundaries, all driving further and further.

Why because it allows three story homes something which is also allowed on almost all new suburbs, it because they removed the parking minimum which only matters if devs think they can sell a home without parking.

The only thing driving home buyers further & further out are a lack of affordable options in the city be that in existing neighborhoods or new Greenfield dev (on that is lacking). For which if anything this new official plan doesn't go far enough. It would also help if the province would fix the building code to allow euro style single stair apartments.

Just give it a rest yeah nimby boomer.

[Williamoforange]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

New zoning bylaw that could reshape city passes unanimously at council
End of parking minimums gets some pushback, but new rules to boost density pass final vote

Arthur White-Crummey · CBC News
Posted: Jan 28, 2026 1:20 PM EST | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago

Ottawa city council unanimously passed a sweeping overhaul of zoning rules on Wednesday, capping off a years-long process that’s supposed to make it easier to build housing in Ottawa.

"What we are approving today is ambitious," said Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. "It will shape the future of our city in a very positive way…. We have been doing everything in our power to say yes to housing."

The bylaw will replace a nearly two-decades-old version with new rules to increase density in neighbourhoods across the city. It will grant automatic permission for more units and taller buildings, without the need for special applications to city committees.

"This zoning bylaw is about less sprawl and more housing in existing neighbourhoods. It is about addressing the housing crisis," said Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster.

"It means I don’t have to sit through another planning and housing meeting evey again where people come and say, 'I know we need more housing, but just not here. Just not on my street.'"

The new rules will allow four units on every serviced residential lot and raise height limits to three storeys almost everywhere, even in low-density suburban areas now dominated by bungalows. New buildings can be much taller closer to busy streets and near major transit stations.

Those changes got wide support, though several councillors pushed to make sure that investments in parks, transit and other infrastructure will be there to support that denser growth.

The biggest changes will come to older suburbs such as those in College ward, whose councillor warned that her residents are nervous.

"They’re nervous that the services and the infrastructure will not keep pace," said Coun. Laine Johnson, who nonetheless voted for the bylaw.

But density is only the beginning. The bylaw also looks to promote walkable communities, including by making it easier to open a business in what are now residential areas.

Councillors made a long list of minor tweaks on Wednesday, making slight zoning adjustments or increasing permitted tower heights for a handful of specific properties, for example.

But they left the broad strokes of the bylaw intact, with no councillor making any attempt to weaken its most transformative provisions.

Only one change got significant pushback: the end of minimum parking rules that force developers to provide parking spaces for residents in new developments.

City staff say the move could reduce home prices, since the cost of those spaces get passed on to tenants or homeowners. They say developers will still build parking where it’s in demand, but can save money where it isn’t.

Orléans East-Cumberland Coun. Matt Luloff said that might make sense close to LRT stations and downtown, but it isn’t realistic to live without a car in many parts of the city. He worried that those parked cars would spill onto local streets, blocking corners and endangering pedestrians.

West Carleton-March Coun. Clarke Kelly said he already sees parking mayhem when he drives through suburban areas in Kanata.

"I do shudder to think what it will look like when these developments are built without any minimum parking standards," he said. "We’ve forgotten about the people, the many many people, who require a vehicle."

Even so, that measure will go forward along with the rest of the bylaw. Some minimum parking rules will still remain in rural wards, like Kelly’s, and visitor parking will still be required in major developments throughout the city.

The bylaw is expected to take effect around September, though some provisions could be tied up in appeals.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...2026-9.7065144

Got to laugh that some are congratulating Leiper over this, even though he specifically tried to reduce height restrictions on minor corridors, and specifically tried to remove a street from being a minor corridor due to the allowance of commercial entities.

And while this is good, it's only the start which will require more work from both the city & the province.. The city will need to lower is dev charges something Leiper vehemently opposes and the province will need to fix the building code & remove pst officially

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Williamoforange

Why because it allows three story homes something which is also allowed on almost all new suburbs, it because they removed the parking minimum which only matters if devs think they can sell a home without parking.

The only thing driving home buyers further & further out are a lack of affordable options in the city be that in existing neighborhoods or new Greenfield dev (on that is lacking). For which if anything this new official plan doesn't go far enough. It would also help if the province would fix the building code to allow euro style single stair apartments.

Just give it a rest yeah nimby boomer.

Look at the transit mess that has been getting worse and worse for 10 years.

We want more random density and dump parking onto the streets, which will happen, guaranteed.

Zoning planning goes. hand and hand with transport planning and this is not happening.

Not everybody wants apartment living and then you suggest single access apartments. We had that in the old days but. there were fire escapes back in those days.

Be careful what you hope for

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

What we are approving will destroy neighbourhoods, while choking the city with traffic. What else. can happen when transit is clearly in a death spiral.

We will also be pushing a whole class of home buyers beyond the city boundaries, all driving further and further.

How will it destroy neighbourhoods?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Not everybody wants apartment living

Then don't live in an apartment?