CHNA Planning & Development Committee
About the Committee
The Latest (including the CHNA Planning and Development Toolkit)
Committee Meetings
Planning and Development Committee Archive
About the Committee
Mandate
Planning and Development Committee works towards protecting and enhancing the liveability, sustainability, integrity and heritage of the Civic Hospital community. To accomplish this mandate, Planning and Development Committee must:
Guiding Principles
Planning and Development Committee operates on the basis of the following principles:
Responsibilities
As per CHNA’s Constitution, Planning and Development Committee is tasked with:
In addition, Planning and Development Committee has added the following responsibilities to its mandate:
Challenges
The Civic Hospital neighbourhood is adjusting to enormous pressure on many fronts including intensification/development in the Bayview to Preston and Carling corridor and the move of the Civic Hospital campus to the Central Experimental Farm. CHNA is a volunteer-driven organization with few financial resources and limited volunteer time available to respond to the numerous planning and development pressures.
Long-term objectives/vision
Planning and Development Committee contributes to a Civic Hospital neighbourhood that includes:
Planning and Development Committee works towards protecting and enhancing the liveability, sustainability, integrity and heritage of the Civic Hospital community. To accomplish this mandate, Planning and Development Committee must:
- Engage the community to better understand the identity or identities of the various neighbourhoods within the CH community.
- Work to foster a sense of belonging among those neighbourhoods and look for holistic, community-wide solutions to problems.
- Understand and respect the values of the community and consult with the residents of the community to ensure that Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association (CHNA) decision-making processes are meaningful and informed.
- Find mutually agreeable approaches to planning and development issues when there is no unified community opinion.
Guiding Principles
Planning and Development Committee operates on the basis of the following principles:
- Urban neighbourhoods such as the Civic Hospital neighbourhood are the heart of the City of Ottawa and that the essential integrity of this and other urban neighbourhoods must be enhanced, protected and preserved.
- Development within CHNA boundaries is good for the community, as long as the development is sensitive to the heritage and design values of the existing neighbourhood and respectful of current residents.
- Healthy neighbourhoods are, by their nature, resident-centred, therefore planning and development decisions must include bottom-up planning and meaningful consultations with current residents.
- Neighbourhoods function best when they include a wide range of housing, income levels, demographics, local businesses, local services, sustainable ecosystems, safe streets, appealing public spaces and accessible meeting spaces for the community to come together.
Responsibilities
As per CHNA’s Constitution, Planning and Development Committee is tasked with:
- Liaising with City of Ottawa Officials and Developers on proposed developments of concern to CHNA.
- Drafting comments on proposed developments of concern to CHNA during the consultation phase of the City of Ottawa’s planning process.
- Working to influence the design of proposed developments to align them with the needs of the Civic Hospital community.
In addition, Planning and Development Committee has added the following responsibilities to its mandate:
- Assessing, in collaboration with CHNA Executive, the need for action on city proposals and leading on or participating in those actions
- Proposing public realm enhancements to the Civic Hospital community.
- Partnering with adjacent community associations to influence City of Ottawa planning and development decisions.
Challenges
The Civic Hospital neighbourhood is adjusting to enormous pressure on many fronts including intensification/development in the Bayview to Preston and Carling corridor and the move of the Civic Hospital campus to the Central Experimental Farm. CHNA is a volunteer-driven organization with few financial resources and limited volunteer time available to respond to the numerous planning and development pressures.
Long-term objectives/vision
Planning and Development Committee contributes to a Civic Hospital neighbourhood that includes:
- A close-knit, united community with a distinct identity that is understood and respected by City
- Engaged residents who participate in CHNA-led activities.
- A mix of housing.
- Safe streets for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers with adequate lighting, moderate traffic on most streets and only one thoroughfare.
- Access to excellent public transit.
- Local services (drug & food stores, farmers markets, coffee shops, restaurants, banks, etc.) within easy walking or cycling distance of most residents.
- A modern, vibrant, well-used and well loved community centre (future/aspirational).
- Interesting, safe parks that offer amenities for all residents of the community and feature community-oriented public art.
- A canopy of large, mature trees.
The Latest
Comprehensive Zoning By-Law Review
The City is undergoing a comprehensive update to our zoning by-laws to bring them into alignment with our new approved Official Plan. It proposes big changes to what can be built in our neighbourhood and across the city. The aim is to provide clarity to both residents and developers on what can and cannot be built. This should lead to fewer approvals of zoning amendments (eg. upzoning) which are frustratingly rampant today.
Draft 1 of the new Zoning By-law is now live on Engage Ottawa . A number of consultation activities are planned for the summer and into the Fall . Draft 2 will be shared Q1 2025. Draft 3 will be voted on for approval in Q4, 2025.
Please leverage both of these opportunities to be informed and to voice your opinions. Zoning policies directly shape our city and our neighbourhoods. CHNA will be engaged and would appreciate hearing your impressions. Email us at [email protected].
For more information, and to stay updated on the latest engagement details, visit the Engage Ottawa page or contact the Zoning Bylaw team directly at [email protected].
FCA Comments: Below is a letter sent from the Federation of Citizens' Associations to the City on their first impressions from Draft 1 with their concerns regarding the engagement model.
Draft 1 of the new Zoning By-law is now live on Engage Ottawa . A number of consultation activities are planned for the summer and into the Fall . Draft 2 will be shared Q1 2025. Draft 3 will be voted on for approval in Q4, 2025.
- City-wide Virtual Information Session -June 20 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. This session provided an overview of the main ideas of the proposed bylaw and explain what will happen in future meetings. Questions and concerns were shared during a dedicated Q&A time. Questions about specific areas will be discussed in later sessions to make sure everyone's feedback is heard.
- Ward Specific Community Information and Comment Sessions - July 8 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM.
Ward Specific Consultation for Kitchissippi, College Ward and Orleans South Navan will be held in person @ Ben Franklin Place with an Online Option. Registration Link The meeting will start with a general presentation, followed by breakout sessions for each ward. This format will allow residents to engage in more focused discussions and ask questions relevant to their specific areas.
Please leverage both of these opportunities to be informed and to voice your opinions. Zoning policies directly shape our city and our neighbourhoods. CHNA will be engaged and would appreciate hearing your impressions. Email us at [email protected].
For more information, and to stay updated on the latest engagement details, visit the Engage Ottawa page or contact the Zoning Bylaw team directly at [email protected].
FCA Comments: Below is a letter sent from the Federation of Citizens' Associations to the City on their first impressions from Draft 1 with their concerns regarding the engagement model.
| fca_comments_draft1_czbl.docx |
Date Posted: June 26, 2024
2024 CHNA Planning and Development Tool Kit (DRAFT - Work in Progress)
The CHNA Planning and Development Tool Kit is designed to provide an overview of the guiding principles of the CHNA Planning and Development Committee followed by examples of proposed developments and showing how we try to apply guiding principles, as well as an overview of City of Ottawa Official Plan, Zoning information and other resources and links to guide you in planning and development processes. This is a draft document that is a work in progress. Originally posted May 2021, updated April 2023 and June 2024
To provide feedback and suggest further resources for this document, please send an email to: [email protected] And, to learn more about the latest happenings keep checking this website and our social media pages.
To provide feedback and suggest further resources for this document, please send an email to: [email protected] And, to learn more about the latest happenings keep checking this website and our social media pages.
| chna_planning_and_development_tool_kit__draft__2024-06-26.docx |
Date Posted: June 26, 2024
Central Experimental Farm Working Group
The CHNA informed the Planning and Housing Committee that we strongly recommend an Interim Control By-law be put in place for properties surrounding the Central Experimental Farm. This would allow sufficient time to complete the work by the Central Experimental Farm Working Group and for any approved zoning by-law recommendations to be incorporated into the Comprehensive By-Law Review, before any interim property zoning amendments are approved. The Planning and Housing Committee discussed our recommendation in the June 19, 2024 Committee meeting, but did not act on it.
To learn more about the purpose of the CEF Working group, a copy of our submission is found below as well as the staff report to Planning and Housing Committee and a June 13, 2024 story by CTV news.
To learn more about the purpose of the CEF Working group, a copy of our submission is found below as well as the staff report to Planning and Housing Committee and a June 13, 2024 story by CTV news.
| chna_to_planning_and_housing_re_acs2024-pdb-ps-0081__central_experimental_farm_working_group_update_june_19_2024.pdf |
| 5.7_-_acs2024-pdb-ps-0081_-_central_experimental_farm_working_group_update_sw_tm_june_7.pdf |
| 2024_city_of_ottawa_hiring_consultants_to_study_how_nearby_developments_could_affect_central_experimental_farm_1_.docx |
Date Posted: June 20, 2024
City of Ottawa New Official Plan
On October 26, 2021, City Council approved the New Official Plan. The plan was then approved for adoption and implementation on November 4, 2022 by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.. This is the first new official plan created since amalgamation and will guide growth for the next 25 years.
The CHNA worked with local community associations and groups reviewing and commenting on the many drafts of this important document. The document looks to balance the need to maintain our green canopy with the need to provide additional and affordable housing options for a growing city. The next 3 years will be spent working on the new zoning changes that will be needed to implement the plans and targets outlined in the New Official Plan.
https://engage.ottawa.ca/the-new-official-plan
Date Posted: November 8, 2022
The CHNA worked with local community associations and groups reviewing and commenting on the many drafts of this important document. The document looks to balance the need to maintain our green canopy with the need to provide additional and affordable housing options for a growing city. The next 3 years will be spent working on the new zoning changes that will be needed to implement the plans and targets outlined in the New Official Plan.
https://engage.ottawa.ca/the-new-official-plan
Date Posted: November 8, 2022
Highway 417 Bridges and Improvements
Read about the Highway 417 Bridges and Improvements.
See the answer by WSP regarding our inquiry about noise barrier height in our neighbouhood.
Date Posted: Jan 5, 2021
See the answer by WSP regarding our inquiry about noise barrier height in our neighbouhood.
Date Posted: Jan 5, 2021
Creating Permanent Affordable Housing – Idea form Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America (USA)
Read about the idea of creating permanent and affordable housing.
“The basic idea [of the Affordable Housing Overlay] is to level the playing field for builders of affordable homes by relaxing zoning requirements across the entire city. In most of the city’ residential districts, buildings can only be 35 feet tall, but the overlay allows developers to raise that to 45 feet if all the units are affordable — and 50 feet if that building has a restaurant or storefront on the ground-level. Even with that height increase, these buildings can’t exceed four stories. The overlay allows comparable height and density increases in areas already zoned for taller buildings.”
Date Posted: Jan 5, 2021
“The basic idea [of the Affordable Housing Overlay] is to level the playing field for builders of affordable homes by relaxing zoning requirements across the entire city. In most of the city’ residential districts, buildings can only be 35 feet tall, but the overlay allows developers to raise that to 45 feet if all the units are affordable — and 50 feet if that building has a restaurant or storefront on the ground-level. Even with that height increase, these buildings can’t exceed four stories. The overlay allows comparable height and density increases in areas already zoned for taller buildings.”
Date Posted: Jan 5, 2021
Planning and Development Meetings
Planning and Development Committee Meetings are held twice annually.
Planning and Development Committee Archive
Here you can find:
- Older posts from the Planning and Development Committee dating back to 2018.
- Older posts related to the Committee of Adjustments Applications that pertained to our neighbourhood.
- Older posts related to development applications that impacted our neighbourhood.