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1081 Carling - Approved without modification by City Council

Updated Sept. 27, 2023 – City Council voted on 1081 Carling this morning. Disappointingly, the proposal was approved without change or discussion. The vote was 7 to 18.

Many thanks to all those who wrote to the City during the proposal period and more recently, directly to City Councillors and the Mayor. You helped ensure at least some councillors listened and didn't "rubber stamp" this application.

Although the decision is disappointing, CHNA and residents brought intensification issues and the future of the Central Experimental Farm to the attention of Ottawans and City decision-makers. Thanks to our lawyer, Joshua Moon, and members of the 1081 Carling Subcommittee: Tanis Halpape, Nicholas Eisner, Denise Eisner, Carolyn Brown, Melissa Black, Jeff Wilson and Luanne Calcutt (CHNA executive liaison). CHNA would also like to thank all residents who responded to the City. We thank Councillors Brockington, Devine, Troster, Kavanagh, and Kelly, Greenspace Alliance, Heritage Ottawa and officials at the Central Experimental Farm.

Taking action on behalf of members
Since Taggart first applied for a rezoning for this development, CHNA has been working to represent members’ concerns. It has:
  • Met twice with Taggart Realty Management, although the meetings were not constructive.
  • Hired a lawyer, who has responded to each of Taggart’s three proposals.
  • Met with City planners and with the councillor for Kitchissippi Ward, Jeff Leiper, on several occasions to express our concerns.
  • Ongoing lobbying efforts with city councillors and federal government officials
  • Conducted continuous communication and outreach to residents.
  • Added extensive background information on the issue to its website to inform residents.
  • Launched an online petition to garner support from Ottawa citizens and demonstrate the community’s concern to the City’s planners and councillors. 
  • Appeared as a delegation presenting at planning and housing committee opposing the proposal, twice.

1081 Carling approved By Planning and Housing Committee...again

Updated Sept. 20, 2023.  - City of Ottawa’s Planning and Housing Committee voted nine to three to approve high-rise towers of 16 and 27 storeys for 1081 Carling Avenue. The vote followed a presentation to the Committee by a Deputy Minister from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.  The Deputy Minister was accompanied by a Director General and scientists from the Central Experimental Farm. 

In their presentation and during questioning, AAFC explained that there would be significant, costly and permanent impacts to the research done at the Farm.  As well, CHNA's lawyer, Heritage Ottawa, Greenspace Alliance and other Heritage experts provided land use planning arguments that require the farm be protected and expert testimony disputing the Cultural Heritage Impact Statement that the Committee and City Staff relied on to make their determination that there would be no or limited impact to the Farm.

Councillor Brockington, River Ward, introduced a motion to lower the tower heights to fourteen floors to reduce the impact to the farm (a height the AAFC delegates provided).  This was defeated in a vote of four to eight.  Councillors supporting the motion were Theresa Kavanaugh, Arial Troster, Clarke Kelly and Riley Brockington.  Kitchissippi Councillor Leiper voted against the motion and instead, voted to approve the unamended application.

A directive from Coun. Brockington was approved that would require city staff work with AAFC and the NCC to assess the impacts to the experimental farm from future developments, reporting back to the Committee in Q2 2024.  Unfortunately,  CHNA feels this approach is likely to be too late to avoid cumulative effects on the farm from a number of developments already contemplated.  Those upcoming developments would not be bound by any new legislation introduced after submission.Karen Wright, the president of the Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association, said she was disappointed with the vote. 

"...in spite of the serious and permanent impacts outlined by AAFC, the committee chose to ignore the Agriculture delegates and instead they relied on a flawed impact statement from Taggart that said there was no impact" .....  "The City has a responsibility to balance the competing concerns of Canadians;  increased intensification, effective climate change and food security.  They are entrusted to find the right balance, find the right compromise.   We advocated that the location should be developed with new housing, but modified to reduce the undue negative impact on the farm. The committee chose not to make any compromise to the height of the towers and to allow serious, costly, and permanent damage to the critical research done at the Farm."

The decision received broad media coverage:
If you didn't get a chance to see the meeting, it is available on Youtube.

Next steps
Full city council will vote on the plan on Sept. 27. If you have continued concerns about this decision, we encourage you to reach out directly to our councillor, Jeff Leiper   [email protected] as well as Mayor Mark Sutcliffe [email protected] . 

CHNA will ask the Council to reject the decision and require a fullsome discussion with AAFC to find appropriate mitigations to their concerns.



1081 Going BACK to Planning and Housing Committee

Updated Sept 15, 2023  - The City identified that they had not notified Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) of the Aug 16 meeting.  This break in proper procedure has resulted in the item being sent back to PHC to be heard on Sept. 20th.

1081 Carling approved by Planning and Housing Committee

Updated Aug 16, 2023 – The City of Ottawa’s Planning and Housing Committee voted eight to two to approve high-rise towers of 16 and 27 storeys for 1081 Carling Avenue at its meeting August 16. The vote followed more than 2 hours of presentations by Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association, residents, community groups, and city councillor Sean Devine, opposing the proposal. Presenters focused on the lack of transition to the existing low-rise neighbourhood, the negative impact from shadows on research at the Central Experimental Farm, and traffic issues.  Councillor Brockington introduced motions to defer the decision or lower the height.  Both were defeated.  The applicant was required to update/correct their Cultural Heritage Impact Statement that currently says there is no impact on the farm.  They plan to have it to the City prior to the Aug. 23 Council meeting.

Kitchissippi ward councillor Jeff Leiper, who is also the chair of the committee, voted in favour of the towers, even after acknowledging the “discomfort” of neighbourhood representatives, heritage and greenspace advocates and other councillors with the plan. Only councillors Riley Brockington (River ward) and Clarke Kelly (West Carleton-March ward) voted against it.

“I’m very disappointed in our City,” says CHNA President Karen Wright. “The planning department and the Planning and Housing Committee seem unwilling to decide against a controversial proposal, despite policy-based objections.  Further, despite the fact this proposal is not slated to be built for 5 years, they chose not to give the protection of the Central Experimental Farm two months of additional due diligence to address the serious concerns raised.”

The decision received broad media coverage:
Next steps
CHNA now plans to reach out to City Council, which must approve the decision.  We are also seeking an opportunity for CHNA and the public to comment on the revised Cultural Heritage Impact Statement the applicant is preparing ahead of that decision. CHNA will ask the Council to pause a final decision to allow a full assessment of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s concerns about the serious negative effects on the Central Experimental Farm, a National Historic Site they are mandated to conserve. Associations and community groups must work together to protect the farm from effects of development around the farm’s perimeter.  CHNA will also review its options on taking the issue further, by appealing to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Taking action on behalf of members
Since Taggart first applied for a rezoning for this development, CHNA has been working to represent members’ concerns. It has:
  • Met twice with Taggart Realty Management, although the meetings were not constructive.
  • Hired a lawyer, who has responded to each of Taggart’s three proposals.
  • Met with City planners and with the councillor for Kitchissippi Ward, Jeff Leiper, on several occasions to express their concerns.
  • Ongoing lobbying efforts with city councillors and federal government officials
  • Conducted continuous communication and outreach to its residents.
  • Added extensive background information on the issue to its website to inform residents.
  • Launched an online petition to garner support from Ottawa citizens and demonstrate the community’s concern to the City’s planners and councillors. 
  • Appeared as a delegation presenting at planning and housing committee opposing the proposal

1081 Carling proposal in the NEWS

Updated Aug 2, 2023 – CHNA issued a press release on July 24 to the media, outlining the concerns of the community as well as the serious concerns expressed by the Central Experimental Farm. Expect to see CHNA in the news! 

Please read the press release below as it outlines the latest on the issues as well as the position of our councillor, who is currently planning to support this application in its current form. This development would set a trend for height and density of future developments along the Carling boundary of the Civic Hospital neighbourhood and the Farm.

Links to the press coverage.

CBC News Aug 02, 2023
CBC Morning Radio Aug 02, 2023
Ottawa development: Neighbours concerned about proposed Carling Ave. tower | CTV News
CBC Ottawa News August 02, 2023 | CBC.ca at 8:12 min mark


1081_carling_media_release__july_24_2023__final.pdf
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1081 Carling proposal heading for decision Aug. 16

Updated July 8, 2023 – Taggart Realty Management’s proposal for two high-rise residential buildings at 1081 Carling will go to the City of Ottawa’s Planning and Housing Committee for a decision Aug. 16. The development would set a trend for height and density of future developments along the Carling boundary of the Civic Hospital neighbourhood.

At a well-attended webinar held March 2, 2023, participants heard from Councillor Jeff Leiper and the chair and vice-chair of CHNA’s 1081 Carling Subcommittee about how to make a presentation to the City’s Planning and Housing Committee and some of the issues with the proposal. If you missed the webinar:
Slides from Councillor Jeff Leiper
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Slides from CHNA’s 1081 Carling Subcommittee
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Summary of questions and answers from webinar
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If you are interested in making a presentation to Planning and Housing Committee about the 1081 Carling proposal, contact committee coordinator Kelly Crozier at [email protected] to ask to participate. The CHNA and its lawyer will be making presentations at Planning and Housing Committee.

CHNA can help you with your presentation. Contact [email protected] if you have questions.

CHNA launches petition on 1081 Carling proposal

June 15, 2023 — Add your voice to a petition demanding development that plays by the rules at 1081 Carling Ave. CHNA has started the petition to ask the City of Ottawa’s Planning and Housing Committee to reject Taggart Realty Management’s third proposal for 1081 Carling Ave. The current proposal should be rejected because of the excessive size and scale of the development and lack of transition to the adjacent community. The height and scale of the development do not provide transition through “sensitive integration of low-rise, mid-rise and high-rise buildings,” as required by Ottawa's New Official Plan.

Officials at the Central Experimental Farm have also expressed concern directly to the City planners about the shadows the towers would create and their serious effects on multi-year research.
1081 Carling proposal changes again
March 28, 2023—Taggart Realty Management has resubmitted its application for 1081 Carling once again, adding two storeys to the proposed tower at Parkdale and Carling. Read the revised proposal. The new proposal changes the east tower, moving a “stepback” at the 12th storey to the 9th storey. At the same time, Taggart plans to increase the height of this tower from 25 to 27 storeys. CHNA strongly opposes any increase in height.

Your voice is important. The City has extended the deadline for comments, but it is important to get your comments in as soon as possible to make an impact. You can make brief comments through the City’s website, or by contacting the City’s planner, Colette Gorni, at 613-580-2400 x21239 or [email protected]. Please copy CHNA’s 1081 Carling subcommittee ([email protected]) and Councillor Jeff Leiper ([email protected]).

What's Happening at 1081 Carling Avenue?

Taggart Realty Management has applied to the City to build two residential towers at 1081 Carling Avenue at Parkdale. The proposed rezoning is a concern for nearby residents as well as for the broader Civic Hospital neighbourhood. The developer’s proposal for towers of 22 and 28 storeys would set a precedent for height and density of future developments along the Carling boundary of the neighbourhood from Island Park to the O-Train, including Old Irving Place, Bayswater, Fairmont, and Holland.

CHNA supports development in our community that respects the Official Plan and applicable guidelines. But this proposal for 1081 Carling is not consistent with the Official Plan in effect at the time of the proposal, or with the Urban High-rise Guidelines and Guidelines for Arterial Mainstreets. CHNA is asking for changes to Taggart’s proposal to allow intensification while respecting the community.
Taggart's Proposal to the City of Ottawa

What are the issues?

Select from the issues below to learn more about specific problems with Taggart’s proposal.
height, transition and density — incompatible with the character of the neighbourhood (read more)
The proposed towers far exceed the current zoning height restriction of 30 metres (9 storeys) for buildings fronting Carling Ave. and the maximum height of 11 metres (3 storeys) for the property within 20 metres abutting the next residentially zoned property.

The City’s Official Plan requires a gradual transition in the scale and density of planned buildings located next to lower-density neighbourhoods. The proposal is inconsistent with this policy. It is also inconsistent with a specific guideline for a 45-degree “angular plane” — a slant of increasing height — measured from relevant property lines. Rather, the proposal is for an abrupt change in height of 72 degrees, which is out of context for the neighbourhood.

The new buildings would have 462 units, a level of density that is incompatible with the neighbourhood.

Traffic — Worsening an existing problem (read more)
Residents are aware of the longstanding problems resulting from poor traffic management on Parkdale Ave. This diagram shows how vehicles currently use side streets to travel from Carling and Holland to Parkdale at the Queensway. 

Taggart has stated that traffic will be comparable to that currently being generated from the medical building/lots currently situated on the site, a statement that is not supported by evidence. In fact, adding 340 resident and visitor vehicles will further exacerbate the traffic problems in the neighbourhood.
Of the 340 parking spaces described in the proposal, 47 would be visitor parking, which is inadequate and would add to heavy demand for street parking.

The proposal mentions light-rail transit, planned for Carling Avenue after 2031, as a way to handle the increased volume due to many developments along Carling. Even if the light rail system eases traffic congestion, it is at least a decade away. 
The following are some of the ways that the increased traffic will affect the neighbourhood.

U-turns at Parkdale/Carling Ave. – The traffic consultant acknowledged that “a lot of U-turns” will occur at this intersection. This reality should not go unchallenged as any development that would encourage this unsafe practice would be irresponsible.
  • 15% of the vehicles accessing the proposed underground parking will be travelling to/from the south. This arriving traffic will be travelling northbound on Fisher Ave./Holland Ave., turning right onto Carling Ave., and will be required to make a U-turn at the Carling/Parkdale intersection, finally turning right onto Hamilton Ave. and into the proposed site. U-turns at the Carling/Parkdale intersection are confusing and hazardous, given the number of ambulances that travel through the intersection and the high pedestrian traffic crossing to the Experimental Farm.
  • 20% of the vehicles will be accessing the underground parking to or from the west. Arriving traffic travelling eastbound on Carling Ave. will be required to make a U-turn at the Carling/Parkdale intersection and finally turn right onto Hamilton Ave. and into the parking garage.
Eastbound “circuitous routes” – The proposal requires vehicles to follow circuitous routes through single-lane residential neighbourhood streets, which will result in further cut-through traffic.

40% of the vehicles will be travelling eastbound when departing the proposed development. In order to travel eastbound, vehicles will need to follow 1 of 2 circuitous routes:
  • Circuitous route 1 requires vehicles to turn right onto Carling Ave., turn right on Holland Ave., followed by a right turn onto Inglewood Place and a right turn onto Parkdale Ave., to turn left onto Carling Ave. to travel eastbound.
  • Circuitous route 2 requires vehicles to turn right on Carling Ave., left onto Holland Ave, followed by a right turn onto Island Park Drive to turn right onto Carling Ave. to travel eastbound.
Loading zone – The planned entrances to the two high-rise towers are located on Parkdale Ave. and Carling Ave. Loading zones for the two proposed high-rise towers (462 units with 750 to 1000 residents) will be located on the north side of the towers. Truck access will be via an access located north side of the dead-end structure on Hamilton Ave. South. This access will be used for garbage pick-up, delivery, moving and maintenance trucks, etc.

Vehicles will be required to use Inglewood Place in order to turn onto Hamilton Ave. Inglewood Place and Hamilton Ave. are both single-lane residential streets.

Traffic impact of other nearby developments

The Traffic Impact Assessment does not take into account the traffic impact of major developments adjacent and nearby the site:
  • New Civic Hospital
  • Development of existing Civic Hospital site
  • Westgate
  • Wellington/Parkdale, etc.
Heritage area — Incompatible with the area’s character (read more)
The proposed development site is on a segment of Carling Ave. across from the Central Experimental Farm, a National Historic Site of Canada, which is also identified as a green space in the Official Plan.

The City’s Heritage Register shows that the adjacent neighbourhood (Civic Hospital Neighbourhood) is dotted with heritage buildings from the 1930s and 1940s, most built by architect David Younghusband (1883–1965). The Urban High-rise Guidelines (section 1.19) state that the development of a high-rise building, including its placement and design, must respect and complement the scale, character, form and setting of on-site and adjacent heritage properties. The interface between a development project and this distinctive neighbourhood must be treated with respect and care, guided by the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada. Standard 11 states “Conserve the heritage value and character-defining elements when creating any new additions to an historic place or any new related construction.”
An objective of the Urban Design Guidelines for development along arterial mainstreets is to “foster compatible development that will contribute to the recognized or planned character of the streets.” The proposed 22-storey and 28-storey high-rise towers are therefore out of scale with the developments across from the Central Experimental Farm.

Shadow impact — Puts homes in the dark (read more)
The proposal’s Sun & Shadow Study for the 22-storey and 28-storey high-rise towers show that the towers will cast significant shade over many of the low-rise residential properties abutting and north of the proposed development. The Sun & Shadow Study concludes that:
  • June 21 – shadow from the high-rise towers will affect neighbourhood low-rise homes from 7 am to noon.
  • September / March 21 – shadow on neighbouring low-rise residential homes from 7 am to 1 pm.
  • December 21 – continuous shadow cast from the high-rise towers on neighbouring residential homes.

See Shadow study and Why so gloomy in the section on Images.

Green space — Inadequate to be meaningful (read more)

Taggart is proposing two outdoor spaces as part of the development: a public park in the northeast corner of the site along Parkdale Ave., next to an existing house, and a space at the southeast corner of the site adjacent to a possible future transit station. The proposed green space, being provided as a public parkland dedication, is an area equivalent to 10% of the proposed development site, resulting in a park area of 429 square metres.

While the proposed 429 square metre green space meets the minimum requirement for a 10% green space dedication, this space is too small to accommodate the 750 to 1000 new residents who will occupy the 462 units in the proposed two high-rise towers. Furthermore, this park does nothing to facilitate an attractive, safe, and usable pedestrian connection with the community (3.6.3[4] of the Official Plan). 

It is unclear how the open space at the southeast corner of the site will provide a “comfortable transition” and help provide an entry point to a transit station that will not be planned or built until after 2031. Since no studies have been conducted as to where stations will be placed or how the future transit station on Carling Ave. will operate, it is impossible to definitively know how the proposed public areas will fit with any future transit station.

​

What CHNA is doing

1081 Carling Subcommittee

The purpose of 1081 Carling Avenue Subcommittee, established by Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association, is to review, comment and develop a position on Taggart Realty Management's proposal for the 1081 Carling Avenue site development.
Subcommittee Terms of Reference
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CHNA and residents respond to the proposal

CHNA hired a lawyer to help prepare an official response to the proposal, which was submitted to the City of Ottawa’s planner on November 1. Legal representation will also be needed in the future, as we represent CHNA’s views at various steps in the planning process. More than 50 residents also submitted responses — a high number of responses for our neighbourhood. Top issues for residents were the height of the towers, traffic, planning issues, scale and density of the project, and shading/privacy.

Meeting with Taggart

On October 20, 2021, CHNA representatives met with the developer, who gave no indication that they would modify the proposed plan for 1081 Carling Ave., despite broad community opposition to the development.

Your continued support is much appreciated, as this challenge will be a lengthy process.

Get involved

Here are just a few ways you can help

Join the CHNA

Support the CHNA by joining.

Membership is only $10.

A wider community makes our
voice stronger!

via PayPal

Or send an email transfer.

Your donation will go to the 1081 Carling Subcommittee Fund to cover the fees of our lawyer and other experts (such as a traffic planner and architect).

Respond to the proposal

Responses are still being accepted by the City.

Submit yours ASAP to City Planner
Colette Gorni

Please send a copy of your comments to Jeff Lieper
and the CHNA

Get 1081 Carling Updates

If you are not a CHNA member but you would like CHNA to send you periodic updates on this issue, please sign up here.
Your information will not be shared with anyone.
To unsubscribe, please re-send this request with the correct email address and with the word “unsubscribe” in place of your first or last name.

Images of the effects of the proposed towers

  • Shadow study
  • Why so gloomy
  • Cut-through traffic
  • Size
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Large shadows cast over the neighbourhood are one of the issues with the proposal. The diagrams shows shadows cast at 10 a.m. in July, September, November and December.

The video shows a perspective from street level. By late December, there are places north of the proposed high-rise towers where no morning light will reach the neighbouring houses. A screenshot taken from this video was used in the large image at the top of this page.

Diagrams show the current traffic problem, with vehicles using side streets to travel from Carling and Holland to Parkdale at the Queensway. Adding density and vehicles will worsen this problem.
The video shows the current building, the maximum development under current zoning, the proposed development, and an alternative development under current zoning.

Documents
Cut-through PDF (7 pages)
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