Debate begins on modifying the city’s zoning bylaws

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The public will get its first look at the comprehensive amendment to Ottawa’s zoning bylaws on Monday, but it certainly won’t be the last.

The draft bylaw is one of the most important decisions facing Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and council members during this council term and will align zoning bylaws with the city’s official 2022 plan.

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At least a year and a half of debates, surveys, open houses and online forums remain before the final version of the zoning bylaw amendment is approved, expected sometime in the fourth quarter of 2025.

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Councilors will get their first kick on Monday, when the first draft is presented at a joint meeting of the planning and housing committee and the agriculture and rural affairs committee, to be held in the city council chambers.

This is the largest overhaul of Ottawa’s charter since its merger in 2001 and will forever change the way the city grows and develops.

In the 96-page draft are answers to questions such as, how many units can a developer build on a single lot? How close can a building be to the property line? How tall can it be? How much park space is required? How will the city’s tree canopy be protected from the housing construction boom? How many parking spaces should be provided in a new apartment? (The draft agreement recommends neither. Eliminating parking minimums is seen as a way to use land more efficiently and encourage residents to use public transportation or other methods of getting around instead of private cars.)

Cities are under pressure from federal and provincial governments to end so-called R1 zoning, a relic of the 1950s housing boom with single-family homes located in sprawling, car-centric suburbs. The provincial government banned single-family home zoning in 2022 when it passed the Law to build more homes faster and Ottawa responded with what planning and housing committee chair Jeff Leiper acknowledges is “a bit of a creaky bylaw” by allowing up to three units per lot.

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Developers like the Home Builders Association of Greater Ottawa are pushing for even more, with four units per lot.

The federal government has also tied payments from its $4 billion housing accelerator fund to cities that support denser development. In February, Ottawa received $176 million from the fund, which it will use to build more affordable housing. In April, it received another $37.5 million from the province as a reward for progress made toward its housing goals.

At Monday’s meeting, councilors will discuss the first draft of the comprehensive zoning bylaw amendment, which is available on the city’s website. website along with all its supporting documents. A full draft is scheduled to be published on May 31, along with one-page summaries of key parts and background “explanations” of the reasoning behind the changes.

June through October will be “active consultation” on the bylaw, according to the city, with virtual open houses, digital discussions and public comments welcomed through the participate.ottawa.ca website and by email at [email protected].

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In the fourth quarter of 2024, city staff will prepare any revisions to the bylaw that arise from public discussion in preparation for the release of the second draft toward the end of the year. You can still submit comments during this period, but the city cautions that revisions may not appear in the published document.

In early 2025, active consultation will begin again, with more virtual open houses, digital discussions and invited comments through Engage Ottawa and a final draft will be prepared in the third and fourth quarters of 2025.

The final draft of the comprehensive zoning bylaw amendment is expected to be debated and voted on in late 2025.

More to come…

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