Committees and residents to consider new urban boundary lands and protection for an agricultural belt

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The City’s Planning Committee and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee will meet jointly on Monday, January 25 to consider which lands should be brought inside Ottawa’s urban boundary, in line with the growth management strategy that Council adopted in May 2020.

Residents interested in providing feedback to the Committees are encouraged to review the draft report, which recommends not only lands to accommodate new neighbourhoods but also industrial lands to accommodate employment projections.

Using Council-approved evaluation criteria, City planning staff scored blocks of land to accommodate new neighbourhoods, prioritizing those next to existing communities. Selected lands were further validated to encourage growth near existing commercial areas and existing or planned transit hubs.

The report recommends approving 1,011 hectares of category 1 lands – those deemed to best meet evaluation criteria. The report lays out several options to identify an additional 270 hectares from parcels initially rated category 2 or 3, although such lands would need to meet certain conditions before they could be brought within the urban boundary in the future.

The report also recommends adding to Ottawa’s supply of vacant lands to accommodate industrial-related jobs. Staff recommend adding 140 hectares near Highway 417 at Carp Road and near Highway 416 at Barnsdale Road.

The amount of land being considered stems from the Provincial Policy Statement, which requires we maintain enough land to accommodate residential growth for at least 15 years. Staff review the City’s land supply annually and would report back to Council no later than 2026 to ensure supply remains compliant.

The Committees will discuss further protecting agricultural lands by establishing a Gold Belt outside the urban boundary – similar to Ottawa’s cherished Greenbelt. Named to reflect harvest colours, the proposed Gold Belt includes agricultural resource lands, natural areas and mineral aggregate resource areas. Together, they create an additional boundary for communities like Barrhaven, Riverside South, Stittsville and Orléans.

With more robust intensification goals and rules requiring minimum densities, this Gold Belt would be an additional policy tool to limit outward growth in Ottawa for the rest of the century. Leapfrogging over the Gold Belt would be prohibited. Existing lands between the Greenbelt and the Gold Belt meet Ottawa’s immediate growth needs. If approved, the Gold Belt would be established in the new Official Plan to help contain future urban expansions until the end of the century.

Members of the public can provide written submissions through the Committee coordinator and can also speak for up to five minutes at the Monday, January 25 meeting. Those interested in speaking during the meeting should refer to the process outlined as Annex A of the agenda.

Quotes

“City Council approved a Growth Management strategy to deliver a measured expansion of our urban boundary and to enhance the formation of 15-minute neighbourhoods across our city. Later this year we hope to approve a New Official Plan for the City, which will position Ottawa for success over the next quarter century.”

- Mayor Jim Watson

“This report’s recommendations so perfectly position Ottawa to accommodate our projected population growth. By focussing on completing communities, using current and future transit investments near built commercial areas and relying on existing infrastructure including our 400-series highways, our city will be ready for future development and 15-minute neighbourhoods in places where live, work and play will be the norm. Planning staff have put in an immense effort to identify and evaluate the lands outlined in this report, encouraging development in areas perfectly suited to this measured growth”

- Councillor Jan Harder, Chair of the Planning Committee

“I represent a rural ward and I’m particularly pleased with the proposal to establish a Gold Belt that would protect valuable agricultural resources and help ensure food security in this region. As the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee Chair, I recognize the need for our city to grow, but I’m encouraged that staff have recognized we have reasonable alternatives to do so without touching important agricultural lands.”

- Councillor Eli El-Chantiry, Chair of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee

Residents are also encouraged to participate in the New Official Plan process. A draft of the New Official Plan is available for review and comment at ottawa.ca/newop until Wednesday, February 17. You will find a series of short surveys, arranged by theme, to help guide your feedback depending on your areas of interest. You’re welcome to take part in all surveys or send questions to newop@ottawa.ca. Your feedback will inform an update to the draft Official Plan that will be presented in the spring for discussion at a joint meeting of the City’s Planning Committee and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.

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