Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Ottawa’s Planning and Housing Committee has approved zoning amendments that could pave the way for nearly 1,000 new residential units in Orléans and Barrhaven. The recommendations, passed during a committee meeting June 4, will now proceed to full City Council for final approval tomorrow (June 11).
According to a statement from the City of Ottawa, the proposed developments are part of the city’s broader strategy to address the ongoing housing crisis. “Council committed to providing home builders enough opportunities to build 151,000 quality market homes by 2031 – or 15,100 per year,” the city stated. If Council approves these specific land-use permissions, they “will help put applicants in a position to build 976 new dwellings in Ottawa.”
In Orléans, the approved amendment facilitates a development southeast of Innes Road and Lamarche Avenue. This project is slated to include 468 stacked dwellings and a 3,400-sq. m. neighbourhood park. The city explained the amendment would change the parent zoning from Development Reserve to Residential Fourth Density, “primarily to accommodate the type of residential buildings proposed.” The change also includes a reduction in required parking rates for both residents and visitors. The parkland portion of the property is to be rezoned as Parks and Open Space.
For Barrhaven, the approved zoning amendment pertains to the continuing development of a subdivision east of Borrisokane Road, situated between Strandherd Drive and the Jock River. These changes are “mainly needed to accommodate a revised design for the next phases of the subdivision,” which will feature 508 dwellings in a mix of single-family homes, townhouses, and stacked townhouses.
The city noted that the applicant “modified the subdivision design,” leading to the amendment that would “reduce required setbacks while slightly increasing permitted heights to accommodate the proposed housing models.”
Furthermore, the amendment in Barrhaven reflects plans for higher-density development on a portion of the subdivision. “Those lands would be rezoned Residential Fourth Density, with reduced parking rates for both residents and visitors,” the city statement detailed.
Progress on Ottawa’s housing pledge targets can be tracked via a graphic on the city’s website at ottawa.ca/residentialdwellings.
