Leitrim Community Design Plan

Leitrim community design plan [ PDF 5.11 MB]

This document is the Council approved guide to the long-term growth and development of the Leitrim. The Community Design Plan provides guidelines for the day-to-day decision-making on land use planning and sets out the community's priorities for the future.

The Leitrim Community Design Plan was prepared in collaboration with the Technical Advisory Committee, land owners, landowner’s consultants, interest groups, and members of the public. We wish to thank all those that participated in the process:

Barbara Barr Fred Barrett George Barrett Joan Barrett Lois Barrett Ian Baxter Tom Breuer Jim Burghout Sandra Cadieux Vandra Candon Gilles Champoux Glenn Clarke Seth Cwinn Marc Daigneault Louis DiRaimo Russell Drummond Albert Dugal Arlene Bomback-Fortin Sandy Garland David Gladstone William Grant Lisa Headley Kennedy Johnstone Aleata Karstad Maureen Kemp Kristean Kemp Robert Kemp Paul Koch David Krajaefski Peter Krippel Yvon Lacroix Silvie Lacroix Sylvie Lalonde Andre Larouche John Lawrence Marc Lebelle Bruce Lillies Cindy MacMillan Philip Martis John McCalla Shawn Melhotre Nicole Parent Vince Petrelli Tad Piarscinnowski Stephen Pichette L.D. Raimo Graham Ritchie Nick Roberts Jeanne Romain Bill Royds Andy Ruta Carm Saffioti Willis Scanlon Meg Sears Gina St. Amour Mike Thomas Stella Val Leo Vanderydt Suzanne Vanderydt Fiona Walker Pansy Waterman Corey Wood The core team was comprised of:

The City of Ottawa: Dana Collings Kevin Muir

Technical Advisory Committee:
Debbie Belfie Judy Billingsley Guy Bourgon Karen Currie Sandra Candow Roman Diduch Pierre Dufresne Diane Emmerson Chris Gordon Charles Goulet Annette Jones Cathlyn Kaufman Don Kennedy Jean Lachance Myles Mahon Diane Matichuk Larry Morrison Andy Naoum Heather Sanders Pat Scrimgeour Amira Shehata Harold Ship Leslie Vanclief

The Planning Partnership: Donna Hinde Rick Merrill Ron Palmer Michael Tocher Philip Weinstein

Cumming Cockburn Limited: Bob Wingate

Delcan Corporation: Ronald Jack Jason Jardine Ann Tremblay

StoneStable Consultants: Bill Levesque

The Leitrim Community is an approximately 520-hectare area located in the south end of the City of Ottawa, entirely south of Leitrim Road, generally between Bank Street and Albion Road. The Leitrim Wetland surrounds the Community to the southwest. The majority of Leitrim is presently undeveloped, but there are existing commercial, institutional, industrial residential uses throughout the area, primarily at the intersections of Bank Street and Albion Road with Leitrim Road. Increased pressures for development within Leitrim, from both owners of large and small landholdings, necessitated the preparation of a community design plan to provide a coordinated vision guiding all future development in Leitrim.

The Leitrim Community Design Plan (CDP) was initiated in November 2003 to provide this coordinated vision. The Official Plan envisions “developing communities”, such as Leitrim, as those that include a mix of land uses and housing types, in a compact and mixed-use form, that cluster neighbourhood facilities and services, and that have excellent pedestrian and transit connections. The Leitrim CDP is comprised of six main components: the Land Use Plan, the Community Design Guidelines, the Greenspace Plan, the Servicing Plan, the Transportation Plan, and the Implementation Plan.

The Land Use Plan (Section 4.0) was prepared based on the consideration of the area’s existing conditions, transportation and servicing considerations, the Official Plan’s direction, and input at public workshops. The framework for the land use plan was derived from the discussions of the three alternative land use concepts developed during the December 2003 workshop, which had variations in the community structure regarding road patterns, employment lands, commercial sites, parkland networks, and housing mix. The preferred concept was refined during the subsequent public workshops in February and September 2004. The land use plan has eight land use designations that guide future land use planning decisions within Leitrim.

The land use plan is comprised of five residential areas, three mixed use centres along Bank Street, and employment lands to the northwest. The CDP projects a ultimate population of approximately 15,000 residents within Leitrim, and approximately 5,300 dwelling units, 6,900 total jobs, and 30,000 square metres of commercial retail floor space. Eight key elements structure the land use plan:

(1) Greenspace – Organization around both structured parks and natural areas, which are to be open and accessible to the public through open frontages and connections by way of pedestrian and trail connections.

(2) Streets – Beautiful streets as an integral part of the public realm, organized as a modified grid network of arterial, collector and local roads.

(3) Transit – A connected road network that provides accessibility to bus routes that will connect to the future location of the light rail transit station and park & ride lot.

(4) Mixed Use Centres – Three mixed use centres along Bank Street to act as focal points that will accommodate a wide range of commercial, institutional, residential and service uses.

(5) Schools – Four elementary school sites that are focal points with schools designed as “landmark” buildings.

(6) Higher Density Residential – Highest density residential uses adjacent to focal points such as mixed use centres or surrounding parks.

(7) Neighbourhoods – A series of ten residential neighbourhoods, each with a defined focus and a mix of residential types.

(8) Employment – Land area for employment generating uses to fulfill the Official Plan’s direction for a balance between housing and employment.

The Community Design Guidelines (Section 5.0) provide specific design direction by identifying how the Official Plan’s objectives will be translated to the community level. They will provide further specific guidance to the development review process. These guidelines are organized by the eight structuring elements of the Land Use Plan. In general, they direct the design of:

• All buildings including orientation, façade treatment, size, coverage and landscaping
• Parking areas and internal streets, including the location, landscaping, screening, and standards
• Streets including tree planting, lighting, and signage
• Parks and stormwater management
• Public trails and pedestrian connections

The Greenspace Plan (Section 6.0) identifies the network of parks, natural features, stormwater management facilities, and public trails proposed for Leitrim. The Greenspace Plan meets the Official Plan’s targets for greenspace with 82.3 hectares of total greenspace (5.5 hectares per 1,000 people) and 36.9 hectares of parkland (2.46 hectares per 1,000 people). This greenspace is accommodated in the existing district-level Leitrim Park, two new community-level parks, seven new neighbourhood-level parks, two new stormwater management ponds and the stormwater management corridor, and the wooded area west of Albion Road.

The Transportation Network Plan (Section 7.0) identifies the recommended road network within Leitrim, based on the direction of the Official Plan and Transportation Master Plan. Bank Street and Albion Road are planned to be ultimately four lane arterial roads, while Leitrim Road and the extension of Earl Armstrong Drive south of Leitrim are to be two lane arterial roads. The road network of collector and local roads within Leitrim is based on a modified grid system of roads. The assessment of the road network confirmed that there is sufficient capacity for internal and external traffic, that public transit will be accessible and have numerous routing options, that the modified grid pattern provides good pedestrian access, and that the road network readily serves the commercial centres. In terms of rapid transit in Leitrim, the CDP defers to the Environmental Assessment (EA) Study for the North-South Light Rail Project that is scheduled to be completed in September 2005.

The Servicing Plan (Section 8.0) is based on the “Leitrim Community Design Plan Serviceability Report” which describes the recommended water servicing, sanitary servicing, and storm servicing plans for Leitrim. For sanitary services, Leitrim will be serviced by the Leitrim Pumping Station on Findlay Creek Drive just west of Bank Street, which outlets to the Conroy Road Collector sewer through a forcemain in Bank Street. For water supply services, the Ottawa South Reservoir and Pumping Station will ultimately service Leitrim, with Bank Street recommended as the primary source of water for the initial phases of development. For stormwater management services, a stormwater management facility located on the east side of Bank Street will service the majority of the Community, while a second, smaller pond in the northwest corner will service the employment lands and northern residential lands.

The Implementation Plan (Section 9.0) identifies how the vision of the Leitrim CDP will be achieved. Some flexibility in interpretation is anticipated, provided it adheres to the general intent of the CDP’s policies and principles. Leitrim will be phased from east to west from Bank Street, the present location of sanitary trunk services. Implementing zoning by-laws, plans of subdivision, and site plan control will be the primary tools of implementation. The land use plan and community design guidelines provide direction to staff and applicants regarding development applications. Staff may approve minor modifications to the CDP, while more substantive changes must be reviewed and approved by Committee and Council.

Leitrim is an urban community in the south portion of the City of Ottawa, in what was the former City of Gloucester. The Community Design Plan encompasses an area of approximately 500 hectares. Although historically conceived as a village, an amendment to the City of Gloucester Official Plan redesignated Leitrim from a Rural Policy Area to an Urban Policy Area in

1990. The City of Ottawa’s Official Plan (2003), referred to as the “Official Plan” in this document unless otherwise noted, designated much of Leitrim as a “Developing Community”. This designation requires the completion of a Community Design Plan prior to any new development proceeding.

In the fall of 2003, The Planning Partnership team was retained by the City of Ottawa to prepare a Community Design Plan to guide development of Leitrim. Due to recent development pressures in the community from various landowners, the completion of a Community Design Plan for Leitrim is timely.

1.1 Purpose of Study

The primary purpose of the Leitrim Community Design Plan is to prepare a detailed development concept plan and servicing study that will guide future development within the study area. The Leitrim Community Design Plan (CDP) is to:

• Describe the context of the area and any unique issues to be addressed;
• Establish the mix and location of residential dwelling types of which no more than 60% will be single-detached or semi-detached, at least 10% apartments and at least 30% other forms of multiples;
• Establish an overall average for single-detached, semi-detached and townhouses of 29 units per net hectare;
• Identify how the land use mix contributes to achieving the balance of jobs and households (1.3 jobs per household);
• Establish a modified grid system as the preferred alignment of roads serving the area;
• Protects and enhances natural functions and features in the area;
• Identify how the development pattern will achieve a distinctive identity and a variety of building form and façade treatments through means such as, colour, materials, uniform building setback, dispersing rather than concentrating housing types, variations in lotting arrangements;
• Outline an implementation strategy for the CDP, which includes highlighting required amendments to the Official Plan and providing direction to zoning; and,
• Provide a phasing plan for the development plan and a scheme for effective implementation.

The Leitrim Community Design Plan includes:

• A Land Use Plan (Page 26);
• Community Design Guidelines (Chapter 5);
• Greenspace Plan (Chapter 6);
• Transportation Network Plan (Chapter 7); and,
• Servicing Plan (Chapter 8).

1.2 The Study Area

The Leitrim community is located in southeast Ottawa approximately 2 km east and slightly south of the Ottawa’s International Airport. Its northern boundary is Leitrim Road, its eastern boundary is predominantly Bank Street and its western boundary is predominantly Albion Road. Small portions of the study area at its north end adjacent to Leitrim Road extend slightly east beyond Bank Street and slightly west beyond Albion Road. The study area’s southern boundary is not defined by a roadway, however, the future Earl Armstrong Road Extension will be close to the southern boundary of the study area.

Leitrim Community Study Area.

1.3 The Primary Landowners

The pattern of land ownership and the primary land owners are indicated on the map below.

Primary landowners within the Leitrim Community Design Plan.

1.4 Consultation Process

The Leitrim Community design process was organized around three workshops during which all interested participants were invited to collaborate with the consulting team. The workshops provided City staff, conservation authority staff, landowners, interest groups, neighbouring residents, and interested public the opportunity to participate.

Workshop #1 (December 1, and 2, 2003):

Common understanding of Issues, Challenges, and Design Principles and Options for the Community’s Development

The purpose of the first day was to meet with stakeholders, gather information and exchange ideas, confirm “givens” that would direct the preparation of the land use concepts, and establish the fundamental principles that would direct the design.

Four sequential meetings were conducted over the course of the day, each to discuss site servicing, transportation and transit, natural features, and planning policy. These meetings included discussions with the project’s Technical Advisory Committee, developers and their consultants, interest groups, and the public. Each session began with a short presentation by the consulting team to share information and to ensure data accuracy and consistency. This was followed by discussions where new information was brought forth and new ideas and interests were shared. Each session built on the previous one. As new information was obtained it was then presented to the subsequent groups for discussion. The first day concluded with an understanding of the community’s givens and the fundamental principles which would direct concept development.

Building on the work from the first day, day two of the workshop involved the preparation of land use concepts for the community. Members of the Technical Advisory Committee, developer’s consultants, interest groups, and members of the public were invited to join with the consulting team to develop options for Leitrim.

The group was divided into four teams. Each team was provided with a specific program and was asked to develop a basic road pattern and land use scheme based on their assigned program. Following the design session, a brief presentation was made by each group, which was followed by a discussion to solicit feedback on the design options generated. Then, following some minor refinements to each of the concepts, the designs were presented to the public for comments at an evening public open house session.

Workshop #2 (February 23rd 2004):

Develop a Recommended Community Design Plan

The purpose of the second workshop was to obtain comments on the framework for a recommended Community Design Plan. First a meeting with the Technical Advisory Committee members was held to discuss the evaluation of the options and the elements preferred. Based on the discussion, the consulting team prepared a framework plan that consolidated the preferred components of the plan. Working sessions with the developers and their consultants, interest groups and the public were conducted to review concepts and the framework of a preferred land use plan.

Workshop #3 (September 23rd 2004):

Land Use Alternatives for Former Stormwater Management Sites

A third workshop was scheduled to address some potential changes to the Design Plan. Detailed engineering design work, in association with the Environmental Management Plan and mitigation measures, revealed sensitivity in the bedrock. With the financial advantages associated with relocating the stormwater management pond, the City chose to investigate alternative locations for the storm ponds. As a result, alternative land use options for three locations previously dedicated to stormwater management were reviewed with the Technical Advisory Committee, land owners and the public.

Preparing the concepts on day 2 of the workshop.

Presentation of the design concepts to the group.

3.1 Givens

The land use concepts for Leitrim developed during the public consultation process were based on the following givens:

Givens for the Concepts prepared at the first workshop.

Study Area Boundary

The Community Design Plan’s study area corresponds to the urban area boundary as defined on Schedule B of the Official Plan (as shown on the map on the facing page) which was taken from the Gloucester Official Plan and the Regional Official Plan. The boundary for the Leitrim Wetlands is thus fixed, and changes were not considered as part of the Leitrim Community

Design Plan.

Location and Number of Stormwater Management Ponds

For the first workshop, the stormwater management facilities were to be integrated within the study area. At the centre of the Community, the previously approved stormwater management pond was fixed. Its location and preliminary design was the result of successfully completed provincial class environmental assessment. It has also been approved under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has also finalized a fish compensation agreement with the City. The facility had also received a certificate of approval from the Ministry of the Environment. In addition, three additional stormwater management facilities were required for the Leitrim Community: one facility at the south end of the site, one at the north end, and one on the east side of Bank Street. However, based on further site review, the central, Remer, and eastern ponds have been replaced by a single consolidated pond located adjacent to Findlay Creek immediately east of Bank Street and north of Blais Road. A stormwater management pond immediately west of the cemetery is still required to service the north part of the study area west of Bank Street.

Department of National Defence

East of the community, the Department of National Defence (DND) operates Canadian Forces Station Leitrim. During the first workshop, a representative from the Department of National Defence raised issue with the proposed development stating it would interfere with the base’s quiet zone. However, throughout the development of this plan no evidence has been provided which suggests constraints to development in Leitrim.

Gloucester Landfill Site

Transport Canada has completed an Area Wide Risk Assessment of the former Gloucester Landfill site, which is adjacent to the northwest corner of the study area. The peer-reviewed Area Wide Risk Assessment concluded that “environmental conditions associated with the Gloucester Landfill do not represent either human health or ecological risk to current and future land use in the community.”

Cemetery

The cemetery is an existing use (as shown on the map on the facing page) that is to be integrated with the design of the community.

Airport Operating Influence Zone

The extent of the Airport Operating Influence Zone (as shown on the map on the facing page), which precludes any noise sensitive uses extends approximately 200 metres east of Fenton Road and south to Del Zotto Avenue.

Planning Policies

The City of Ottawa’s Official Plan requires that a range of housing types be provided including a maximum of 60% single-detached and semi-detached, a minimum of 30% multiple dwellings, and a minimum 10% apartments. The Plan requires an overall density of 29 units per hectare for singles, semidetached and multiple housing forms, with a total of 5300 units and 1.3 jobs per household. The Community Design Plan should also accommodate the City’s transportation targets by 2021 of 10% walking, 3% cycling, and 30% transit. Wherever possible, all residents should be within 400 metres of greenspace.

Schools

Four elementary school sites have been requested within the Leitrim Community by three school boards, each approximately two to three hectares in size. Four sites have been reserved within the Leitrim Community Design

Plan.

Light Rail Corridor

The corridor for the future extension of the North-South Light Rail Transit Project, as it affects the Leitrim Community, is fixed west of Albion Road and forms the westernmost boundary of the study area. Along this corridor, a rail transit station and Park & Ride lot will be required likely in one of the three undeveloped quadrants of the Leitrim Road intersection with the rail corridor.

The Environmental Assessment study that is currently being undertaken for the North-South Light Rail Transit Corridor will determine the preferred location of the rail transit station and Park & Ride lot.

3.2 Three Options

Three concepts were prepared during the first workshop with members of the Technical Advisory Committee, developer’s consultants, interest groups, and members of the public. Following the workshop, the concepts were further refined and the distribution of land uses was calculated.

The design program for the concepts was established at the workshop to direct the location of the commercial core, the amount of employment lands and other land use considerations to be adhered to. This approach helped ensure that a range of design options would be prepared. The concepts propose variations in:

• Road pattern;
• Amount of employment land;
• Location of commercial centre;
• Parkland systems; and,
• Housing mix.

Concept A located the commercial core at the historic centre of Leitrim at the Leitrim Road and Bank Street intersection. Employment lands were limited to the area west of a proposed north south collector that provided an edge to residential uses north of the cemetery. The amount of employment land shown is slightly less than what is identified in the Official Plan.

Concept A

Concept B located the commercial core at the centre of the community with employment land designated only within the Airport Operating Influence Zone, corresponding to the existing use. Remaining lands north of the cemetery were illustrated as residential. As a result this concept provides significantly less employment as compared to what is designated in the Official Plan.

Concept B

Concept C located the commercial core at the south end of the site at Bank Street. Plans previously prepared by developers were incorporated with minimal changes as necessary to improve connections among developments. The north end of the site west of Bank Street was identified for employment as shown in the Official Plan.

Concept C

Concept A

Concept B

Concept C

The Greenspace system contained in the Land Use Plan is comprised of natural features, parks, stormwater management facilities and trails. The intention of the Greenspace System, as per the Official Plan’s direction, is to provide a range of recreational opportunities within a number of different settings, while protecting natural areas within the Community.

The Official Plan’s definition of greenspace includes both structured parkland, from larger community-level parks to smaller neighbourhood-level parks, and natural and environmental areas, such as wetlands or creek corridors. The Official Plan sets two targets for greenspace for the urban areas:

• 2 ha per 1,000 people, or 8-10% of developable land for parks and leisure areas; and,
• 4 ha per 1,000 people, or 16-20% of gross land area for all greenspaces, which includes parks and leisure areas, plus flood plains, hazard lands, stormwater management facilities and environmental lands.

The Leitrim Community Design Plan meets these targets. The Land Use Plan contains 82.3 ha of total greenspace, approximately 5.5 ha per 1,000 people, and 36.9 ha of parkland, approximately 2.5 ha per 1,000 people. Adding in greenspace adjacent to the Community, the Leitrim Wetlands of approximately 300 hectares and the National Capital Commission’s Greenbelt north of Leitrim Road, Leitrim easily meets the Official Plan’s direction for designing “green” communities.

The greenspace will primarily be under public ownership. These lands will be obtained during the subdivision approval process either from Planning Act dedication, which allows 2% of the land area from employment uses, and 5% of the land area from residential uses, or from dedication of constrained lands such as creek corridors or wetland buffers, whichever is greater.

6.1 Distribution of Greenspace

Greenspace system.

The intent of the Greenspace Plan is to locate parks strategically to augment other greenspaces and to create a north/south, east/west greenspace network. As a result, most residents would be within a 400 m walk to some form of greenspace. The parks within the Community are arranged into a hierarchy: district parks serving the larger areas’ need for fields and facilities, community parks serving the Community’s needs for fields and facilities, and neighbourhood parks serving the recreational needs of the immediate residents.

The Greenspace Plan is comprised of:

Leitrim Park (12.9 ha)

Leitrim Park is an existing district park of 12.9 ha. It is the site of the Fred Barrett Arena and a number of sports fields and ball diamonds. Fred G. Barrett Arena includes two ice surfaces, a community hall, a concession and meeting rooms. The Park contains three ball diamonds (one lit), one football field, one combination soccer/football field and five soccer fields. The Park accommodates some of the tournament needs of the City and is nearly fully utilized. There is also the possibility of expanding the park’s program to incorporate a range of additional uses. Remaining unlit facilities could be lit to increase playing time on ball diamonds and to increase time of use opportunities for soccer fields. Vehicle access and parking is currently provided from Leitrim Road, and vehicle access will be available in the future from roads to the south when lands east of Bank Street are developed.

Community Park North of the Wetland (10.6 ha)

A new 10.6 hectare community park is proposed north of the Leitrim Wetlands as one of the two community level parks in the Leitrim Community. The community parks are intended to accommodate the majority of new sports fields within Leitrim. Other potential facilities include, but are not limited to tennis courts, ice rinks, hard surfaced courts, and water play. This park will help connect neighbourhoods through trails and will act as a buffer between employment lands and residential areas. Access and parking to the sports fields can be accommodated at both ends of the park. The sports fields may have lights, so the location must be carefully considered to avoid disruption to adjacent residents. A community centre could also be incorporated depending on the number of schools built and their amenities. A stormwater management pond located adjacent to the park, will be incorporated into the design of the park.

Community Park South of Wetland (3.2 ha)

A new 3.2 hectare community park is proposed along the southerly east-west collector road. Similar to the other community park, this park will accommodate sports fields. This park will be designed with minimal impacts on the Leitrim Wetlands, such as through the planting of natural buffer areas in the park.

Neighbourhood Parks Adjacent to Schools

There are three neighbourhood parks located adjacent to the school sites. The central neighbourhood park (1.0 ha), is located in association with two schools. The north and south neighbourhood other two parks are associated with a single school and are 0.8 ha. These parks will accommodate some active recreation activities with facilities such as courts, rinks and play structures. Sports fields and larger facilities will be located in the community parks. The success of these sites will depend on the collaboration of the City and School Boards in site design.

Neighbourhood Parks

A number of neighbourhood parks, ranging in size from 0.4 to 0.8 ha are to be the focus of each neighbourhood. These parks are envisioned as neighbourhood gathering places and would be the site for informal play, children’s play facilities, community mailboxes, community bulletin boards, etc. In the commercial centre at Findlay Creek, a 0.8 ha neighbourhood park is proposed. Ideally, this park should be a more urban park as it is surrounded by commercial, mixed use and higher density residential uses. This park would ideally have hard surfaces, formal landscape treatment, and play facilities. No sports fields are envisioned for this park.

Transport Canada Lands

A 16.9 ha parcel of open space west of Albion Road is proposed to be maintained in its natural state.

Wetland Buffer

The wetland buffer to the Leitrim Wetlands on the Remer lands, has been determined by the Ontario Municipal Board. This area provides a transition zone to protect the sensitive wetland features and functions. Multi-purpose trails are possible in this area, subject to the required studies, and which should be planned to connect to the trail system within the Community.

Stormwater Management Corridor

There is a stormwater management corridor, approximately 40 m wide, proposed along the northern and eastern edge of the Leitrim Wetlands that connects with Findlay Creek. The opportunity exists to provide a multi-use trail in this corridor that connects neighbourhoods with any trail system that is proposed by the South Nation Conservation Authority within the Wetlands.

6.2 Park Facilities

The City of Ottawa completed a Sports Fields Strategy Strategic Options and Recommendations report in July 2003 and a Facility Study Overview in June 2003 to provide a framework for the provision of recreation facilities. The Facility study included a recommendation for Southwest Gloucester, which includes both Leitrim and Riverside South community, for a multipurpose facility which would include a pool, community centre, and possibly a child care centre and/or library. The location and feasibility of this facility has not been confirmed.

The Sports Field Strategy established the following standards for the provision of sports fields:

• 1 soccer field per 850 people;
• 1 softball diamond per 2,700 people; and,
• 1 football field per 23,000 people.

Based on these standards, the Leitrim Community requires approximately 10 soccer fields and 7 softball fields. A football field is not required. The Leitrim Community Design Plan has sufficient parkland with the configuration necessary to accommodate the facilities the Leitrim Community requires. In addition to softball, soccer and football fields, the Land Use Plan contains enough land to accommodate a range of facilities including, tennis, ice hockey, hard surfaced courts, and water play. Ultimately, the Parks and Recreation Branch of the Community and Protective Services Department will determine the type and location of all recreation fields and facilities based on needs within the community.

The intent of the transportation network is to provide an integrated, multimodal transportation network for all residents and businesses that is safe, convenient, affordable and energy efficient.

The Transportation Network for the Leitrim Community is composed of a series of interconnected collector and local roads organized in a modified grid system to permit accessibility and flexibility of movement. The modified grid system provides good pedestrian access to the east-west and north-south major collector streets, while discouraging cut-through traffic. The major commercial, mixed use and institutional nodes are readily served by the road system and will minimize circuitous routing of transit buses. The Community Design Plan provides a high level of transit access and many routing options. This is an important consideration, as all residential and commercial areas are located beyond a 400 m walk to the proposed Leitrim Road transit station. There is sufficient capacity provided on the road network to accommodate projected internal and external traffic volumes. Employment lands are oriented toward major arterial roads to maximize visibility and access and are served by streets separate from the residential uses, thereby minimizing the potential for non-local cut-through traffic. A number of connections from the community to Leitrim Road are provided to minimize the peak traffic load on the north-south collector / Leitrim Road intersection and to better separate residential traffic and employment traffic .

7.1 Public Transit

The City’s Official Plan has a City-wide target modal split of 30% for transit. The Leitrim Community Design Plan is planned to accommodate transit as an integral component of the community structure.

As described in Section 5.3, short to medium term bus transit service would be as follows:

• South on Bank Street from Greenboro Station;
• West on Blais Road;
• North on the main north-south collector spine road;
• East on the east-west road south of Leitrim Road; and,
• North on Bank Street.

The route shall run clockwise so that residents who live west of Bank Street can walk to and from transit stops without having to cross the collector roads. This may require traffic signals at the intersection of Bank Street and the collector south of Leitrim Road to allow for a left hand turn onto Bank Street. In the longer-term, a possible bus transit route might be:

• South on Bank Street from Greenboro Station;
• West on Blais Road;
• North on the main north-south collector spine road;
• West on the extension of current Findlay Creek Drive;
• North on Albion Road; and
• West on Leitrim Road to the future light rail transit station.

Buses would return to Greenboro station over the reverse route. This route may require a traffic signal at the intersection of Blais Road and Bank Street to allow for a left hand turn onto Bank.

The City’s priority rapid rail transit corridor is the north-south extension of the O-Train corridor. The City intends to extend the current O-Train line so the North-South Light Rail Transit Corridor ultimately runs from the Nepean Town Centre to downtown Ottawa. This corridor forms the Leitrim Community’s western boundary west of Albion Road. Likely, there will be a rail transit station and Park & Ride lot at the corridor’s intersection with Leitrim Road, the specific location of which has not been confirmed. The City has initiated an Environmental Assessment study for the expansion of the North- South Corridor, which will determine, among other things, the appropriate corridor and identify locations for stations and parking lots. Completion of this

Environmental Assessment study is anticipated for 2006. The Leitrim Community Design Plan ensures that the community has good connectivity to the rapid transit stations. All major east-west and north-south collector roads will be designed to accommodate buses, and the connectivity of these collector roads to both Leitrim Road and to Albion Road will provide

OC Transpo with maximum flexibility with regard to both on-site bus routing and connections to the station via Leitrim Road. All new roads and widening of existing roads will include the accommodation for pedestrians and cyclists. A sheltered passenger waiting area, local service, transfer platform and bus lay-up areas would be included. Their implementation and use are key to meeting the Official Plan’s ridership targets.

7.2 Traffic Generation

The proposed Leitrim Community contains approximately 7,000 jobs, 323,000 ft2 of commercial / retail development and 5,300 residential units of varying densities. Over 20 ha of institutional use has also been planned to serve the new community. Traffic generation rates for these land uses were based on National Capital Area data found in the TRANS Trip Generation Manual. These rates assume a non-automobile (transit / bike / walk) modal share of 25% to 30% for both office and residential uses, which is consistent with the Official Plan targets. For the afternoon peak hour, which is a worse case and accounts for the overlap between commuter trips, shopping trips and personal trips, the following trip generation rates were assumed:

For evaluation purposes, the Leitrim Community Design Plan was divided in 5 zones.

Residential

• 0.8 vehicles/hour/dwelling unit low density;
• 0.7 vehicles/hour/dwelling unit for medium to high density;
• 65% inbound, 35% outbound for low density;
• 62% inbound, 38% outbound for medium to high density;
• 20% of all trips remain internal to the community (shared trips)

Office

• 0.28 vehicles/hour/job;
• 10% absenteeism;
• 50% peak hour factor;
• 1.2 persons per vehicle;
• 20% of all trips remain internal to the community (shared trips)

Retail

• 5.0 vehicles/hour/1,000 ft2;
• 80% of all trips are considered internal to the community or already passing by on adjacent streets

The following table summarizes the total and external vehicle trips generated by each zone of the Land Use Plan (opposite page). Institutional land uses were assumed to generate a high proportion of internal trips which would not occur coincident with the commuter peak, and thus assumed to be negligible from the perspective of sizing the road network.

As shown in the above table, the projected peak hour traffic generation added to arterial roads is 3,860 vehicles per hour, 2,037 vehicles per hour inbound and 1,823 vehicles per hour outbound. This external traffic represents approximately 60% of the total unlinked (single origin to single destination) trips generated by the community.

7.3 Traffic Impact

Traffic impact was assessed at a macro level using the following blended peak hour trip distribution:

• 25% to/from the west via Leitrim Road;
• 30% to/from the north via Albion Road;
• 25% to/from the north via Bank Street;
• 15% to/from the east via Leitrim Road;
• 2.5% to/from the south via Albion Road; and
• 2.5% to/from the south via Bank Street

The macro-level distribution reflects the location of the Leitrim Community relative to the Official Plan’s projected distribution of employment and residential uses, as well as planned regional transportation links between them. External traffic was assigned to the road network on a zone by zone basis, using the closest routing to reach their macro-level destination. By superimposing traffic to/from all of the zones onto the proposed Community road network, the projected two-way link volumes were checked to ensure they were consistent with the intended function of the major streets. The capacity of a major collector street is 800 vehicles per hour to 1,200 vehicles per hour, two-way total. The two highest volume roads were found to be Findlay Creek Drive (900 vehicles per hour), which connects Bank Street to Albion Road, and the north-south link (1,100 vehicles per hour) which bisects the community and connects to Leitrim Road midway between Bank Street and Albion Road. Both of these streets should be designed as major collector roads given their projected traffic volumes, the land uses that will have direct access to them, and their function in moving both internal and external traffic volumes through the Community. The next highest volume street is the east-west link immediately south of Leitrim Road (500 vehicles per hour), which serves a mix of employment and residential uses in Zone 2 and connects to both Bank Street and Albion Road. The remaining connections to the arterial road network (serving Zone 3 and Zone 5) are forecast to carry peak volumes of under 200 vehicles per hour, consistent with a minor collector or local street function.

From a municipal servicing perspective the Land Use Plan has been developed respecting the location of major existing and proposed new infrastructure within the Leitrim Community. The plan protects major servicing corridors for trunk water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure to allow for a cost effective phased development of the entire Community, while maintaining maximum flexibility in phasing to accommodate the anticipated changing needs of the development industry.

The Land Use Plan was reviewed and analysed from a municipal servicing perspective. The “Leitrim Community Design Plan Serviceability Report”, in Appendix B to the Community Design Plan and submitted under a separate cover, describes the water supply, wastewater, and stormwater management infrastructure required to service the Community as proposed in the Land Use Plan. The Serviceability report also provides information on the timing and phasing of services for the Community. This section summarizes the analysis and findings of the “Serviceability Report”.

8.1 Sanitary Servicing

With the exception of the small pocket of existing development at the intersection of Bank Street and Leitrim Road the entire Leitrim Community is serviced by a sanitary sewage pumping station located on Findlay Creek Drive just west of Bank Street. This pumping station outlets to the Conroy Road Collector sewer via a forcemain in Bank Street. Previous design analysis limits the capacity of this pumping station to 380 litres/second due to downstream constraints of the Conroy Road Collector Sewer. Using the City’s standard design criteria for wastewater analysis, the

Land Use Plan was evaluated to determine the peak flow for the range of population densities projected at ultimate build out. This analysis suggests that at the lower population projections for the preferred Land Use Plan the existing pumping station has sufficient capacity to accommodate the entire Community at build out.

The analysis also suggests that as the population projections increase to the maximum suggested in the Plan, the allowable capacity of the Leitrim pumping station is exceeded. However, the amount that the maximum peak flow exceeds the allowable peak flow for the pumping station is only marginal (10 %) and can be dealt with through design efficiencies. The relatively all increase in peak flow capacity required to satisfy the maximum density projections for the Land Use Plan suggests that this increase can be accommodated by acknowledging non-sequential peaking between the residential and employment uses within the Community.

If non-sequential peaking is factored into the analysis, the maximum density projections for this plan can be accommodated in the current wastewater capacity allocation for the Leitrim pumping station. It is also recommended that as build out occurs, detailed flow monitoring be carried out at the Leitrim pumping station to confirm the design assumption used in the analysis contained in the Serviceability Report and to develop design criteria which can be used to finalize the design requirements for ultimate build out. The figure on the opposite page illustrates a trunk wastewater servicing scheme which will satisfy phased development of the Land Use Plan.

Trunk wastewater servicing scheme.

8.2 Water

The Leitrim Community has historically been provided with water through the South Gloucester Pumping Station located at the intersection of Conroy Road and Bank Street. This pumping station feeds a 405 mm diameter watermain in Bank Street, which runs southerly to Mitch Owens Drive. In anticipation of the development of the Leitrim Community, the City of Ottawa recently extended a major feedermain southerly from the South Ottawa Pumping Station to Leitrim Road. This new feedermain will ultimately become the primary source of supply for the entire Leitrim Community. Appendix B includes detailed hydraulic modeling of the proposed water

distribution system required to support ultimate development of the Land Use Plan. This analysis has been broken into five distinct phases to illustrate potential interim servicing and looping requirements to support a phased build out of the entire development area.

The ultimate primary source of water is at the extreme north-west corner of the Leitrim Community while the waste water and stormwater outlets are located along the eastern limit of the Community. For this reason, it is recommended that the primary source of water for the initial phases of development be the existing 405 mm diameter watermain in Bank Street. Hydraulic analysis suggests that this source can support the demands of Phase I and the east half of Phase II without compromising the City’s basic level of service requirements. However, it is the recommendation of this Community Design Plan that at some time between the build out of Phase I and prior to build out of Phase II, a secondary water feed be provided. This secondary feed can be provided by extending a watermain north to Leitrim Road or westerly to Albion Road.

The hydraulic analysis also suggests that the South Gloucester Pumping Station cannot be decommissioned until such time as the watermain in Leitrim Road west of Albion Road is twinned, the watermain in Albion Road south of Leitrim Road is twinned; and a secondary feed is provided to Phase I of the development. A trunk watermain servicing scheme is illustrated on the opposite page which will satisfy phased development of the Land Use Plan.

Trunk watermain servicing scheme.

8.3 Stormwater

Drainage in the Leitrim Community flows to a tributary of Findlay Creek. Historically, overland flow has been directed to this creek via a series of ditches and municipal drains. In 1995, the former City of Gloucester, completed a “Stormwater Management Environmental Study Report and Predesign” for the entire Leitrim Community. This master drainage plan developed a preferred drainage scheme which specified the need for four stormwater management ponds to provide the water quality and quantity treatment necessary to satisfy the various approval agencies and allow development to proceed. Part of this approval process included a re-evaluation of options, should additional monitoring trigger the need. This re-evaluation process has concluded that a consolidated stormwater management facility be constructed east of Bank Street.

The Land Use Plan has been developed respecting the recommendations of the preferred stormwater management plan in Appendix B. As part of the technical analysis of this Land Use Plan, the recommendations of the preferred stormwater management plan were reviewed and found to be consistent with current design criteria. The figure on the opposite page illustrates a trunk storm servicing scheme which will satisfy phased development of the Land

Use Plan and provides flexibility to respond to adjustments in phasing as development progresses.

Trunk storm servicing scheme.

The Official Plan requires that community design plans indicate how its policies and guidelines will be implemented at the community level. This section accomplishes this by describing how the Plan is to be interpreted; the phasing of development in the Community; guidelines for reviewing development applications; how affordable housing targets will be met; and the process of making changes to the Plan in the future.

9.1 Interpretation

This CDP is a statement of land use planning policy. It is intended to be a guide to the development of the Leitrim Community. Some flexibility in interpretation is permitted, provided the general intent of the policies and principles of this Plan are maintained.

The designations identified on the Land Use Plan on page 26, are intended to show general areas and the boundaries are flexible and may vary without amendment to the Plan, except where designations are established by fixed boundaries such as wetland boundaries or roads or where specifically stated to be fixed in the policies of this Plan.

Where lists or examples of permitted uses are provided, they are intended to illustrate the possible range and type or uses that are to be considered. Specific uses not listed, but considered by the City to be similar to the listed uses and to conform to the general intent of the applicable land use designation may be recognized as a permitted use. Development within the Community shall be subject to all policies and guidelines of this CDP and any applicable policies of the Official Plan.

9.2 Phasing

Development in Leitrim will be phased to provide for the continuous, orderly extension of the Community to ensure the most efficient and economical use of existing and proposed infrastructure. Fundamentally, the Leitrim Community will develop in concert with the development of the trunk services, and the establishment of the required stormwater management facilities. Future development within the CDP area will continue to proceed in an incrementally outwards manner both westerly and north and south of Findlay Creek Drive. To accommodate this growth, the balance of the total sanitary servicing system, including a second forcemain and extension of the gravity sewer will be constructed as necessary. The Serviceability Report in Appendix B details the timing of infrastructure for Leitrim.

Residential

The City requires assurance that the Official Plan’s residential mix and density requirements are being met as the Leitrim Community develops. To accomplish this, the Land Use Plan has been designed on the basis of five zones, as shown on page 29. This Plan shows each zone with an anticipated mix of housing types that, when considered together, achieve the overall objectives for residential mix and density requirements of the Official Plan.

The land use patterns, unit mix and densities identified in the land use plan do contain some flexibility. For example, while ground-oriented multiples such as street or stacked townhouses are the principle uses of the medium density residential designation, single detached and low rise apartments are also permitted in certain locations. This “shifting” of uses and forms is built into the Community Design Plan provided that:

1. The overall densities and unit targets for each zone, as identified on the map on page 26, are being met;
2. Neighbourhoods, as per the map on page 54, are being planned during the subdivision review process with the location of higher density uses shown from the outset;
3. Any required updates to the Serviceability Study or any further servicing analysis to ensure available capacity be completed as part of the subdivision process if more dwelling units are being proposed in a neighbourhood then have been anticipated by this plan.

Furthermore, any low-rise apartment units constructed that are in excess of the 10% minimum may be credited to the calculation of 29.0 units per net hectare. These may only be credited once the 10% apartment units are constructed and delivered. These requirements will be implemented and monitored through the City’s zoning and draft plan of subdivision processes. The intended targets are to be utilized for monitoring purposes throughout the implementation of the CDP.

Employment

There are existing industrial and office uses in the northwest corner of the Community that are designed Employment on the Land Use Plan. These uses presently rely on private septic systems for their sanitary servicing needs. However, the Leitrim Community, including these lands, is designated a public service area and is intended to be ultimately serviced by full municipal water and sanitary sewers. Given that sanitary sewers will be progressing from east to west as the phasing of the residential community progresses, there will be anticipated delay before full services are available to these lands. In such situations, the Official Plan does permit interim servicing solutions. Development of the Employment lands in cases where full municipal servicing is not yet available will be permitted, subject to the policies of Section 2.3.2 of the Official Plan.

9.3 Review of Development Applications

This CDP will be primarily be implemented through the development approval process, mainly the zoning, plan of subdivision and site plan control processes. Section 4 of the Official Plan highlights the key policies and required studies for development applications concerning a range of issues from servicing and transportation to environmental protection and health and safety. All development in the Leitrim Community must conform to these policies and requirements.

In particular, the following are specific requirements as part of the Leitrim CDP:

1. For each of the Mixed Use areas along Bank Street, a composite site plan for the entire Mixed Use area must be approved by Council prior to the first development application for the area. This composite site plan must demonstrate how all land uses will work together, how the CDP’s guidelines can be achieved, and how individual proposals will fit within the overall plan
2. An Environmental Impact Statement is required during the development review process for each of the four sites identified by the Urban Natural Areas Environmental Evaluation Study.
3. A traffic impact statement is required during the development review process for all future subdivisions along Findlay Creek Drive. The statement should investigate and consider traffic calming measures along Findlay Creek Drive should they be warranted.

9.4 Affordable Housing

Affordable housing will be required in accordance with applicable City policy in all new residential development and redevelopment in Leitrim. The Official Plan directs that 25% of all new housing development and redevelopment is to be affordable to households at the 30th income percentile for rental and at the 40th income percentile for ownership. The Official Plan defines affordable housing as rental or ownership housing for which a low or moderate income household pays no more than 30% of its gross annual income.

Within the Leitrim Community Design Plan (CDP) area, approximately 1,325 residential units (5,300 units x 25%) should be within this affordability range as determined at the time of subdivision development approval. In Leitrim, approximately 55% of all units are contained in multiple-unit buildings, which includes semi-detached, street townhouse, stacked townhouse, and apartment units. Current market prices for such housing suggest that the majority of these homes meet the Official Plan’s affordability targets.

The development of ‘social housing’ by social housing providers, with or without City funding or incentives, will be included within the total 25% of affordable housing in Leitrim. The social housing component of affordable housing in Leitrim will be at least 7% of residential units, subject to federal provincial funding. For Leitrim, approximately 370 units should be provided for social housing, which are to be affordable to households at or below the 20th income percentile for Ottawa. Assuming a mix of townhouse and apartment dwellings, approximately 5.5 hectares of land would need to be acquired by the City or social housing providers to meet this target. The required housing type and appropriate location for social housing in the community will be decided as part of the technical circulation process at the time of development approval, subject to Council allocation of funds. The preferred locations for social housing units are those that have convenient access to public transit, shopping and community services.

To support the development of affordable housing, the City will negotiate the use of the following municipal incentives and direct supports, including but not limited to:

• Capital grants, land;
• Deferral or waiver of fees and charges;
• Density incentives or transfer, flexible zoning, alternate development standards; and
• Other incentives to be negotiated depending on the depth of affordability achieved.

Where municipal incentives are provided to support the development of affordable housing, the City will enter into agreements with developers to preserve the level of public interest in affordable housing. Agreements will reflect the level of public investment required, with more investment resulting in greater levels of affordability. Agreements will include mechanisms to maintain affordability, will specify the mix of units to be provided, and will typically be registered on title or become a municipal housing facilities bylaw.

9.5 Process to Amend CDP

Given that the CDP is a statement of land use planning policy, flexibility has been built into the policies and guidelines of this document to reflect changing circumstances in the Community. This subsection details the need and process for making amendments to the CDP. The process depends on the nature of the changes.

For all proposed changes, the objectives of the Official Plan and of the CDP must be reflected. To ensure the objectives of the Official Plan regarding housing mix and distribution and minimum densities are met, changes to the location and/or number of these units should be made within the zone in which they were located originally on the Land Use Plan. Updates to the studies supporting the CDP, such as engineering and transportation, may also be required in support of the proposed change. As well, variations, which require an amendment to the Official Plan, will also require a corresponding formal amendment to the CDP

Minor Changes

Changes to the CDP’s Land Use Plan proposed prior to zoning, subdivision or site plan approval, may be made at the discretion of the Director of Planning and Infrastructure Approvals. These include:

• Minor changes to the configuration and pattern of local streets;
• Minor changes to the size and configuration of development blocks;
• Minor changes to the location, size or massing of mixed use and employment areas; and,
• Minor changes to the location, or “shifting”, of low and medium density residential uses, provided neighbourhood targets are met.

The approval of a zoning amendment, plan of subdivision, or site plan control application by the City that reflect these changes constitutes approval of the change to the CDP.

Major Changes

Where more substantial changes to the Land Use Plan are proposed prior to plan of subdivision or site plan approval, the approval of the Planning and Environment Committee is required. These changes include:

• Substantive changes to the location, size or number of mixed use or employment areas;
• Substantive changes to the location of collector roads;
• Substantive changes to the location or number of school sites; and,
• Substantive changes to the location, general size or configuration of park sites.

To initiate the review and approval of these proposed changes, the proponent must submit to the City the subdivision and/or site plans showing the affected area in question together with a composite plan that shows how the proposed changes will affect other plans in the neighbourhood, either an approved plan or a plan in the review process, and that shows how the proposed changes affects the broader community. Where the proposed change affects land that is not subject to an approved plan or a plan in the review process, the composite plan must show the surrounding neighbourhood or broader community, as may be required, as shown on the Land Use Plan.

The City will circulate copies of all plans for comment to owners of development and redevelopment land directly affected by the proposed changes. Where a proposed change is deemed by staff to affect the broader community, a public open house to present the proposed changes to the CDP and to receive input may also be required.

Upon agreement of these changes, the approval of a zoning amendment, plan of subdivision, or site plan control application by the City that reflects these changes constitutes approval of the change to the CDP. Should there be disagreements regarding the changes, approval of the Planning and Environment Committee is required. Each successive change to the Land

Use Plan must reflect prior revisions as approved through the above process. The City will keep all approved changes on file.

City-initiated Changes

Staff initiated changes to the Land Use Plan may be made at the discretion and approval of the Director of Planning and Infrastructure Approvals and shall involve notice to owners of affected development and redevelopment parcels as required. The approval of a zoning amendment, plan of subdivision, or site plan control application by the City that reflects these changes constitutes approval of the change to the CDP. Where changes are deemed by staff to be substantive or there is disagreement between staff and affected landowners of the proposed changes, approval by the Planning and Environment Committee may be required.

9.6 Required Official Plan Amendment

An Official Plan Amendment is required to implement the Leitrim CDP by changing Schedule B of the Official Plan to reflect the Land Use Plan. The map changes would be as follows: Official Plan – Schedule B Urban Policy Plan shall be amended as shown on the figure below to change the designation from Employment to General Urban Area to match the Land Use Plan of the Leitrim Community Design Plan.