The Planning and Housing Committee today approved the Lincoln Fields Secondary Plan. This long-range policy document would guide growth and development on the lands surrounding Lincoln Fields Station over the next 25 years. The area would evolve as a transit-oriented community, anchored by an O-Train transfer station, future rapid transit on Carling Avenue, active transportation routes in the Pinecrest Creek valley, and a new main street and park space on the site of the former Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre.
The concept plan for the former shopping centre proposes 11 high-rise buildings, with about one hectare of parkland. A new north-south main street would connect Richmond Road and Carling Avenue, with separated pedestrian, cycling and vehicle facilities.
The secondary plan area includes the Pinecrest Creek valley – the large NCC-owned greenspace that includes Kichi Zībī Mikan and the ramps at Carling Avenue. The plan proposes to reconfigure the Kichi Zībī Mikan/Carling Avenue intersection, removing the ramps and building a new signalized intersection.
Removing the ramps also presents opportunities for more high-rise housing near Lincoln Fields Station. The City and NCC have identified four areas in the Pinecrest Creek valley that could be redeveloped, including lands where the ramps are located, both north and south of Carling Avenue. The reconfigured intersection would also ensure safe cycling connections and wider sidewalks along Carling Avenue.
For properties along the west side of Edgeworth Avenue and south of Lawn Avenue, in the Woodpark neighborhood, the plan proposes to increase permitted heights. The tallest buildings would be 24 storeys and would be located at the south end of Edgeworth Avenue, nearest Lincoln Fields Station. Heights would get progressively shorter to the north, lowering to seven storeys towards Lawn Avenue.
The Committee approved amendments to the Official Plan and related policies to delegate decisions on some minor zoning applications to City staff. The changes would simplify and shorten the process for certain zoning applications following updates to the criteria for considering an amendment minor. Applications requesting a height increase up to five storeys or 25 per cent of the permitted building height would be delegated to staff, as would routine applications that occur when a lot zoned Agriculture (AG) is purchased to be used for agricultural purposes while the farmhouse lands are severed and rezoned to prohibit future residential development.
The committee approved a set of zoning amendments for several City-owned properties to allow for future residential development that would include new affordable housing. The six sites have the potential to accommodate at least 60 dwelling units:
- 2 Pretty Street – up to 10 units in Ward 6
- 40 Beechcliffe Street – 30 to 40 units in Ward 9
- 261A Hinchey Avenue – up to four units in Ward 15
- 185 Hawthorne Avenue – up to 10 units in Ward 17
- 2548 Cléroux Crescent – approximately 10 units in Ward 2
- 2060 Lanthier Drive – Ward 19, no unit count available
All sites would be zoned for low-rise development except for the Lanthier Drive property, which could accommodate a mixed-use development up to seven storeys. The City aims to undertake a disposal process to select a suitable nonprofit housing provider for each property.
Official Plan and zoning amendments were also approved for two high-rise apartment buildings, south of the Transitway and east of Roosevelt Avenue. Council had previously approved amendments for a design that included two 12-storey and two three-storey buildings. The owner now plans to provide the land originally intended for one of the three-storey buildings to the City, as parkland. To mitigate the loss of dwellings, the zoning amendment would allow the two 12-storey buildings to increase to 13 and 14 storeys.
The committee also approved Official Plan and zoning amendments to facilitate development of an eight-storey, 58-dwelling residential building on Churchill Avenue North, at Byron Avenue. Existing zoning allows height that typically equates to eight storeys, and the amendments are primarily needed to permit an additional four metres of height. Some land from the site would also be provided to the City for a future protected intersection at Churchill and Byron avenues.
In Orléans, the Committee approved zoning to facilitate a commercial development northwest of Trim Road and Saint Joseph Boulevard, near Trim LRT station. Three one-storey buildings are proposed, including one with a restaurant and drive-through, one with a restaurant and four future personal service or office uses, and one with an automobile service station. Concentrating these businesses close to public transit will help Orléans become a more walkable, 15-minute neighbourhood.
To help address the housing crisis, Council committed to providing home builders enough opportunities to build 151,000 quality market homes by 2031 – or 15,100 per year. If Council approves, the land-use permissions that the Committee recommended today will help put applicants in a position to build 512 new dwellings in Ottawa. Visit ottawa.ca/residentialdwellings for a graphic showing quarterly progress towards Ottawa’s housing pledge targets.
Items from today’s meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, November 13.