Amended Heritage Community Improvement Plan

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Overview

The intent of the Heritage Community Improvement Plan is to encourage the restoration, rehabilitation and integration of buildings designated under the Ontario Heritage Act to ensure their conservation and continued contribution to a broad understanding of Ottawa’s history. The Heritage Community Improvement Plan program encourages the restoration of designated heritage properties and their specific heritage attributes through redevelopment proposals. These benefits are encouraged by offering a financial incentive in the form of a Tax Increment Equivalent Grant. The grant is equivalent to a portion of the increase in the municipal property taxes directly attributed to the restoration. These Tax Increment Equivalent Grant grants are “self-financing” or in other words, funded through the property tax increase associated with the qualified restoration improvement. 

Grants are paid only after restoration and development is completed, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation has reassessed the property, any property assessments appeals have been settled, and property taxes have been paid in full.

For approved projects, the City will reimburse successful applicants in the form of an annual grant equal to 75 per cent of the increased municipal property tax increment resulting from the project. Grants would extend for up to 10 years after project completion to a maximum of $500 thousand, but not exceeding the total costs of the restoration work.

Application requirements

In order to submit an application to the Heritage Community Improvement Plan Program, the following items are required:

  1. Pre-application consultation with Heritage Planning and Economic Development staff
  2. Completed Application Form
  3. Rationale that the project meets the Council-approved Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada and applicable Heritage Conservation District Plans
  4. Heritage Permit application submission (including a Heritage Impact Assessment and Conservation Plan)
  5. Independent tax study by a qualified consultant, having an Accredited Appraiser Canadian Institute (ACCI) designation or an AIMA (Associate) or MIMA (Accredited) designation from the Institute of Municipal Assessors, which provides an estimate of the property assessment increment related to the heritage restoration improvement.

Eligible costs

Eligible costs for the Heritage Community Improvement Plan program include the following: 

  • Restoration of heritage attributes (as identified by heritage staff when no heritage attributes are documented). All projects must conform to the Council-approved Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada. 
  • Costs associated with hiring a heritage consultant/architect to oversee the work.
  • Heritage reports (e.g., Heritage Impact Assessment, Conservation Reports). 
     

Eligibility checklist

Disclaimer:

The information set forth in this checklist is provided solely as general guidance about the eligibility requirements of the Amended Heritage Community Improvement Plan. It is not intended to constitute or replace the relevant By-laws and program documents. No information contained in this checklist, or any oral or written communication, should be relied upon as a representation or warranty as to any matter related to the Amended Heritage Community Improvement Plan and no liability shall attach to any person or entity as a result of such information. This checklist is indicative only. Complete information is contained in By-laws No. 2024 – 176 and 2020-40 designating all lands within the geographic boundary of the City of Ottawa as the Heritage Community Improvement Plan Project Area and associated program documents.

The following criteria will be used to determine whether a project is eligible for the Heritage Community Improvement Plan:

  • Properties must be designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act or be Contributing (Category 1, 2, 3 or Grade I) properties designated under Part V under the Ontario Heritage Act.
  • Projects must demonstrate the highest standards of heritage conservation.
  • Projects must include the integration of the heritage resource into the development and result in mixed-use or multi-unit residential buildings.
  • Projects must result in an increase in the number of housing units on the site.
  • Projects must create a property tax uplift to the City of Ottawa.
  • Applicants cannot receive concurrent funding for the same project through the Heritage Grant Program for Building Restoration.
  • The Heritage Community Improvement Plan Program may be combined with the Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan but no other Community Improvement Plan programs.
  • Applications for the Heritage Community Improvement Plan must be submitted concurrently with an application for permit under the Ontario Heritage Act as required. Projects where a heritage permit was issued prior to the passage of this by-law and where construction has not yet begun, will remain eligible to apply for the program.

When multiple applications are received, the following criteria will be used to further evaluate and prioritize applications for the Heritage Community Improvement Plan, within the annual budget:

  • Urgency of the project (i.e., restoration/rehabilitation requirement)
  • Contribution to the public good (e.g., contribution to the public realm, other Official Plan goals such as housing affordability and sustainability)
  • Project is located within a Design Priority Area
  • Projects that also achieve sustainability goals such as deconstruction, material salvage and re-use, or green building retrofits
  • Projects that result in the largest increase in housing units on site

For more information, please contact:

Ashley Kotarba
Heritage Planner
Planning, Development and Building Services
City of Ottawa
613-580-2424, extension 23582
Ashley.Kotarba@ottawa.ca