2021/10/14
MOTION 1 – INTENSIFICATION AND WALKABLE NEIGHBOURHOODS
WHEREAS the Growth Management strategy in the new Official Plan calls for 92,000 dwelling units to be produced by intensification in the built up part of the urban area;
WHEREAS the new OP describes Ottawa as a city of neighbourhoods and Villages;
WHEREAS the new OP asserts that growth and development through intensification is about guiding the evolution of neighbourhoods into complete 15-minute neighbourhoods, which includes ensuring that the services, parks, recreational facilities, public spaces, infrastructure and other elements of a complete neighbourhood, are keeping up with the increases in population.
WHEREAS the new Official Plan is said to contains bold policies to encourage the evolution of neighbourhoods into healthy, inclusive and walkable 15-minute neighbourhoods with a diverse mix of land uses, including a range of housing, shops, services, local access to healthy and affordable food, schools, employment, mature trees, greenspaces and pathways.
WHEREAS the new Official plan describes healthy, walkable, 15-minute neighbourhoods as compact, well-connected places with a clustering of a diverse mix of land uses including a range of housing types and affordability, shops, services, access to food, schools and local child care, employment, greenspaces, parks and pathways, and as complete communities that support active transportation and transit, reduce car dependency and enable people to live car-light or car-free;
WHEREAS the revised draft Official Plan proposes to support 15-minute neighbourhoods by directing intensification to Hubs and Corridors as well as the portions of Neighbourhoods within a short walk to those Hubs and Corridors;
WHEREAS the revised draft Official Plan allocates the vast majority of Residential intensification within 15-minute neighbourhoods so defined;
WHEREAS highly intensified major corridors would create long linear strips of intensification which cut off and isolate neighbourhoods, while continuing to serve their main purpose for quick transit by motor vehicles;
WHEREAS major corridors are and will remain car-centric, attracting car-centric businesses that challenge viable models for small walkable shops.
WHEREAS such an approach does not enhance the experience nor the safety of pedestrians and active transportation users;
WHEREAS such an approach would cleave neighbourhoods into a very dense built up part, totally out of character of the neighbourhood, and a remnant of the former neighbourhood;
WHEREAS this pattern of growth would perpetuate car-dependence in these remnant neighbourhoods and impede their eventual evolution towards 15 minute neighbourhoods; and,
WHEREAS modelling demonstrates that intensification through permitting of new building typologies can provide the number and type of intensification units required by the Growth Management strategy without significantly changing neighbourhood fabric,
BE IT RESOLVED that the following policies be amended to better balance intensification between Hubs, Corridors and Neighbourhood, including existing and new suburbs, such that the benefits of 15 minute neighbourhoods are more widely enjoyed and supported by residents across the city, thereby establishing a long term trend towards a more compact city of neighbourhoods and villages;
Section 5.2.4 (1) c
“Provides for a low-rise built form, by requiring in Zoning a minimum built height of 2 storeys while permitting a built height as of right, Transect wide, of 3 storeys on neighbourhood streets within a Transect, of 2 1⁄2 storeys on streets that are predominantly 2 1⁄2 storeys, and 3 1⁄2 storeys on streets that are predominantly 3 1⁄2 storeys, to allow for higher-density low-rise residential development;
Allow, as of right, built height of 3 or 4 storeys on lots on neighbourhood streets identified through a Local Plan as a Local Commercial Destinations, half a storey higher than surrounding residential streets”.
{Note: “Local Commercial Destinations” are defined as commercial retail/services usages that primarily serve the local neighbourhood/community, and do not require permanent on-site parking as they are in walkable locations.}
5.2.3 (2)
b) On sites that front on segments of streets whose right-of-way is narrower than 30 metres, generally up to 9 6 storeys except where a secondary plan or area-specific policy specifies different heights; and
c) In all cases,
(i) The wall heights directly adjacent to a street, and the heights of the podiums of High-rise buildings, where permitted, shall be proportionate to the width of the abutting right of way, and consistent with the objectives in the urban design section on Mid-rise and High-rise built form in Subsection 4.6.6, Policies 8) and 9); and
(ii) The height of such buildings may be limited further on lots too small to accommodate an appropriate height transition.
3) Along Minor Corridors, permitted building heights are as follows, subject to appropriate height transitions and stepbacks: Generally, not less than 2 storeys and in the maximum height range between 4 to 6 storeys of 4 stories, except where a secondary local plan or area-specific policy specifies different heights;
5.3.4 (1)
c) Generally provides for up to 3 storeys height permission, and where appropriate 4 storeys height permission to allow for ground oriented higher density Low-rise residential development; Provides for a low-rise built form, no minimum built height while permitting a built height as of right, of 2 1⁄2 storeys on streets that are predominantly 2 1⁄2 storeys, and 3 1⁄2 storeys on streets that are predominantly 3 1⁄2 storeys, to allow for higher-density low-rise residential development;
Allow, as of right, built height of 3 or 4 storeys on lots on neighbourhood streets identified through a Local Plan as a Local Commercial Destinations, half a storey higher than surrounding residential streets”.
5.4.5 (1)
b) Generally provides for up to 3 storey height permission, and where appropriate 4 storey height permissions to allow for higher-density Low-rise residential development Provides for a low-rise built form, no minimum built height while permitting a built height as of right, of 2 1⁄2 storeys on streets that are predominantly 2 1⁄2 storeys, and 3 1⁄2 storeys on streets that are predominantly 3 1⁄2 storeys, to allow for higher-density low-rise residential development;
Allow, as of right, built height of 3 or 4 storeys on lots on neighbourhood streets identified through a Local Plan as a Local Commercial Destinations, half a storey higher than surrounding residential streets”.
Table 7, OP Ref. 5.2.4 (1) and 5.3.4 (1) and 5.4.5 (1)
“Low-rise: no minimum and generally, zoning will permit at least 3 storeys but no more than 4 storeys
Low rise: No minimum, zoning will permit a maximum of 2 1⁄2 or 3 1⁄2 storeys, depending upon predominant existing height, except in locations otherwise designated by Local Plans, where an additional 1⁄2 storey may be permitted to accommodate buildings in future walking shopping destinations within neighbourhoods.”
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ALTERNATIVE MOTION 1 BE IT RESOLVED
BE IT RESOLVED that the application of the Evolving Neighbourhood overlay to corridors be suspended pending the results of neighbourhood level studies that better achieve the objectives of 15 minute neighbourhoods while meeting intensification targets, the following policy being amended accordingly:
5.6.1.1 Provide built form direction for the urban area where intensification is anticipated to occur
1) The Evolving Overlay will apply to areas that are in a location or at stage of evolution that create the opportunity to achieve an urban form in terms of use, density, built form and site design. These areas are proximate to the boundaries of Hubs and Corridors as shown in the B-series of schedules of this Plan. The Evolving Overlay will be applied generally to lands 150 meters from the boundary of a Hub or Corridor designation. In the case of Corridors and Neighbourhoods, the Evolving Overlay will be tailored through neighbourhood level plans to be completed over a two year period following the adoption of this Official Plan.
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MOTION 2: PREDICTABILITY IN DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
WHEREAS The Official Plan provides specific direction guiding intensification across the city;
WHEREAS intensification targets can be attained under these directions;
WHEREAS Council has directed that the land supply and intensification targets be reviewed no later than five years after the adoption of the Official Plan;
WHEREAS local plans are tools whereby communities can participate in the planning of growth in their communities;
WHEREAS community trust is built up through such exercises but is easily destroyed when expected outcomes are breached;
WHEREAS predictability in development planning is a reasonable expectation of residents, builders and municipal officials;
WHEREAS policy 5.6.1.1(3) opens the door and incentivises applications to go beyond these directions and local plans and put at risk public confidence in development planning;
Let it be resolved that policy 5.6.1.1(3) be deleted.
Section 5.6.1.1 (3)
a) The City will be supportive of applications for low-rise intensification that seek to move beyond the development standards of the underlying zone where the proposal demonstrates that the development achieves objectives of the applicable transect with regards to density, built form and site design in keeping with the intent of Sections 3 and 5 of this Plan;
MOTION 3: COMMIT VISUAL AND NUMERICAL MODELING TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
WHEREAS modeling and modern analytical tools can be leveraged to simulate and project intensification;
WHEREAS modeling can provide numerical projections of anticipated new housing under various regulatory and policy regimes, including projections of unit sizes/ types/tenures, small business development at walking distance from homes, active vs car-centric lifestyles, resulting emissions reductions, tree canopy, net City costs or savings, and comparisons with targets;
WHEREAS 3D visualizations can illustrate the implications of proposed built form, and support community engagement;
LET IT BE RESOLVED that visual and numerical modelling be adopted as a standard development planning tool by introducing a new policy under section 11
11.10) “This plan requires that Community Improvement Plans, Local Plans, and a New Zoning By-law be supported by:
● Numerical modeling of anticipated infill housing created as a result of proposed zoning, including projections regarding unit sizes/types/tenures, and
● 3 dimensional/visualizations of modeled results, to understand the implications of proposed built form on adjacent properties, communities, and the city as a whole.”
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MOTION 4: COMMIT TO LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
WHEREAS simple, collaborative, neighbourhood-level planning builds residents’ confidence and trust in the development planning process;WHEREAS the residents are best positioned to identify desirable forms and features for missing middle multi-unit infill housing, to build support for neighbourhood transition, and to identify or locate new walkable shopping destinations and other key transitional features;
WHEREAS resident informed Local Plans can determine ideal locations for future shopping walking destinations (“Local Commercial Destinations”), ideal locations for new parkettes, park upgrades and benches, ideal programs/uses for park upgrades/acquisitions, preferred tree planting, shortfalls to neighbourhood walkability, bikeability and overall completeness.
WHEREAS Local Plans can be used to guide zoning that locates residential vs local commercial uses in neighbourhoods, provide input for infrastructure upgrade planning, provide input for municipal upgrades to recreation and social facilities, provide input for parks planning and for tree planting.
BE IT RESOLVED that local development with the active engagement of residents be entrenched in the Official Plan by adding a policy under section 11:
11.11 The City shall commit to undertaking agile, neighbourhood-level planning processes, that include a broad range of stakeholders, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining strong 15 minute neighbourhoods through Community Improvement Plans, Local Plans, the New Zoning By-law and other development planning processes.