Omnibus 2 Official Plan Amendment

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Project status
Underway

Official Plan amendment proposal summary

File No: D01-01-23-0016

Summary of proposal

The City of Ottawa has initiated an Official Plan Amendment to implement a series of policy and mapping updates to the Official Plan. The updates are intended to ensure that the Official Plan aligns with Provincial legislation, is accurate, and is effective. This will be the second in a series of Omnibus reports. 

Proposal details 

The modifications proposed in this report include changes to both text and schedules (mapping). The changes are either corrections of errors or omissions, clarifications to improve implementation, or updates based on changes to legislation, Council direction, or to better align with the overall intent of the Plan. The proposed amendments include the following:

  • One amendment in the Strategic Directions section to replace bulleted lists with lettered lists for ease of reference. 
  • Seven amendments in the Growth Management Framework Section, including updates to align terminology with Bill 23 and clarifications to improve legibility and consistency in the Plan. For example, ensuring that a policy uses the correct table name when making reference to it. 
  • Seven amendments in the City-Wide Policies Section. These include the following:
    • Correcting and clarifying language in the table for pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure.
    • Updates on where Heritage Impact Assessments may be requested near Federal heritage sites or buildings. 
    • Flexibility to allow for shorter building stepbacks for mid-rise buildings.
    • Deleting a word that was incorrectly added to the policy intended to protect wetlands.
    • Ensuring that land use activities are considered prior to the City selecting a location for a new drinking water system.
    • Other wording clarifications.  
  • Ten amendments in the Transects Section. These include the following:
    • Clarifications to Minor Corridors in the Outer Urban Transect to align with the modifications made by the Minister when the Plan was approved.
    • Flexibility to allow for shorter building stepbacks in the Suburban Transect.
    • Clarifications to policies relating to the Future Neighbourhood Overlay.
    • Clarifications to policies relating to the Evolving Neighbourhood Overlay.
    • Re-numbering of several policies.
    • The addition of a reference to an Annex that was incorrectly omitted from the Plan.
  • Seven amendments in the Urban Designations Section. These include:
    • Updating the type of roads that mini-storage warehouses may front onto in Hubs.
    • Removing minimum lot coverage requirements in Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSAs).
    • Clarifying the intent of a policy for when taller buildings may be permitted in the neighbourhood designation. 
    • Updating the general height permission policy to provide flexibility for low- and mid-rise buildings in Special Districts. 
    • Clarifying how Corridors and Special Districts interact.
    • Correcting two errors in the Kanata North Economic District policies.
  • One amendment in the Protection of Health and Safety Section to align terminology with Bill 23.
  • Three amendments to the implementation policies. These include the following:
    • Expanding the scope of a policy intended to address design issues for minor variances. 
    • Allowing for an alternative notification process for changes made to the Official Plan to reflect provincial changes to the Planning Act.
    • Aligning pre-consultation meeting requirements with the changes made by the Province through Bill 185.
  • Seven changes to the Local Plans Section, including updates and clarifications regarding area-specific policies and Official Plan amendments, and increased flexibility to the policy for evaluating Official Plan amendments. 
  • 19 mapping corrections or updates.
  • Three corrections to the Road Classification and Rights-of-Way Schedule (C16).
  • On applicable Official Plan schedules, addition of the Council-adopted expansion areas, the related urban boundary, and transect boundary adjustments currently shown on Schedule C17.
  • The deletion of the schedule currently showing the Council-adopted expansion areas, the creation of a new Annex to show the same areas and labelling them for ease of reference. 
  • A new area-specific policy to formalize a landowner’s agreement. 
  • Implementing two Council directions. 
  • A definition for “Historical Settlements” within the Rural Transect in the Definitions Section. 
  • A new area-specific policy to allow the potential for the extension of legacied rural country lot subdivisions that have received draft approval but will soon lapse.

To view the application, the full table of proposed amendments, or any information or materials related to the application, please contact the undersigned planner, or go to Ottawa.ca/devapps.

Timelines and approval authority

The target date for consideration of the Official Plan Amendment by the City’s Planning and Housing Committee is August 28, 2024

Submission requirements 

Official Plan amendment

The Planning Act restricts rights of appeal for this application to “specified persons” and “public bodies” (both defined in section 1 of the said Act). If a specified person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the City of Ottawa before approval is given, the specified person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision of the Council of the City of Ottawa to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

If a specified person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the City of Ottawa before approval is given, the specified person or public body may not be added as a party to the hearing of an appeal before the Ontario Land Tribunal unless, in the opinion of the Tribunal, there are reasonable grounds to do so.

Stay informed and involved

  1. Register for future notifications about this application and provide your comments by August 13, 2024 either by mailing the notification sign-up form in this package or by e-mailing the undersigned and adding File No. D01-01-23-0016 in the subject line.
    1. Please note, comments will continue to be accepted and considered after the initial comment period due date noted above. However, comments received after the above date may not be reflected in the staff report.
  2. Access the table detailing the proposed amendments online at ottawa.ca/devapps.
  3. If you wish to be notified of the decision on the application, you must make a written request to the undersigned.
  4. Should you have any questions, please contact the undersigned.

Ben Morin
Policy Planner
Planning, Development and Building Services Department
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West, 4th Floor
Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1
Tel.: 613-580-2424, extension 830021
ben.morin@ottawa.ca