The Planning and Housing Committee today received two land-survey reports showing Ottawa has ample lands to support growth projections set out in Ottawa’s Official Plan.
The Official Plan categorizes Ottawa’s urban area as either built-up area or greenfield area, which are urban lands that have not been developed previously. The Greenfield Residential Land Survey monitors the residential land supply within that greenfield area. The report received today indicates that Ottawa has enough supply to allow for more than 15 years of development. The new Official Plan that came into effect in 2022 also introduced additional lands to Ottawa’s urban area. With those lands, Ottawa can accommodate growth well beyond the 15-year horizon required by the Province.
The Committee also received the Vacant Industrial and Business Park Land Survey, which outlines the supply of vacant industrial and business park lands in Ottawa. The report shows the existing inventory would be enough to accommodate roughly 31 years of industrial development in the urban area and 33 years in the rural area. This satisfies the Province’s intent that the City accommodate industrial development throughout the time horizon of the Official Plan, or beyond 2046.
The Committee approved zoning to facilitate development of two 14-storey residential towers on North Bowesville Road, off of Uplands Drive. The development promises a diverse mix of housing options in the Hunt Club community, with 392 dwellings planned, ranging from studios to options with two bedrooms plus a den. The amendment would allow the building to be constructed to the current maximum permitted height but would remove the maximum floor space index, which would have restricted the size of the development. That change aligns with Official Plan policies that support higher density and intensification in built-up portions of the urban area. The amendment would also reduce required parking to encourage residents to be less dependent on private vehicles.
In Orléans, zoning for a more modest two-building development was also approved, targeting the rental market. Two three-storey apartment buildings planned northwest of Tenth Line Road and des Épinettes Avenue, across from the Ray Friel Recreation Complex, would add 27 one-bedroom rental units to the area. The amendment would change the site’s parent zoning to add low-rise apartment as a permitted use and reduce required resident parking by two spaces.
If Council approves, the land-use permissions that the Committee recommended today will help put applicants in a position to build 426 new dwellings in Ottawa. To help address the housing challenge, Council committed to providing home builders enough opportunities to build 151,000 quality market homes by 2031. Visit ottawa.ca/residentialdwellings for a graphic showing quarterly progress towards Ottawa’s housing pledge targets.
Recommendations from today’s meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, January 24.