‘Tsunami’ coming: Ottawa’s massive zoning bylaw overhaul shown to public for first time

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The public got its first look at Ottawa’s comprehensive zoning bylaw amendment Monday, a massive overhaul of building and development regulations that one councillor likened to a tsunami of change.

It is the largest overhaul of Ottawa’s zoning bylaws since amalgamation in 2001, and will forever change the way the city grows and develops. An early draft was delivered Monday to a joint meeting of the planning and housing committee and the agricultural and rural affairs committee.

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Inside the 96-page draft are the answers to questions such as, how many units can a developer build on a single lot? How close can a building be to the property line — how high can it be? How much park space is required? How will the city’s tree canopy be protected in the face of a housing building boom? How many parking spaces must be provided at a new apartment? (The draft agreement recommends none. Doing away with parking minimums is seen as a way to use land more efficiently and encourage residents to use public transit or other methods of getting around instead of private cars.)

The city has an extensive plan for engaging the public, with one-and-a-half years of debate, surveys, open houses and online forums ahead before the final version of the zoning bylaw amendment is approved at the end of 2025. That engagement began Monday with 15 public delegations by everyone from developers and the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association to community associations and environmental groups like Ecology Ottawa.

Still, River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington worries that most Ottawa residents are still unaware of the changes ahead.

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“My significant concern is that the public has no idea the tsunami that’s coming,” Brockington told the committee.

“How are we going to make the public aware, in very clear language, the depth and scope of what we’re wrestling with and how the city is going to continue to evolve into a city that we won’t recognize?”

Brockington wants the city to do direct mailings to all residents to explain the coming changes.

Cities are under pressure from the federal and provincial governments to end so-called R1 zoning, a relic of the 1950s housing boom with single-family homes located in sprawling, car-centric suburbs. The provincial government banned single-dwelling zoning in 2022 when it passed the More Homes Built Faster Act and Ottawa responded with what planning and housing committee chair Jeff Leiper concedes is “a bit of a creaky bylaw” to allow up to three units per lot.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Leiper agreed many people don’t yet know enough about the bylaw amendments. But he’s confident there is enough time for a thorough debate.

“I think realization is going to be slow. We were talking a couple of years ago about an official plan and intensification. And that can seem kind of airy-fairy to people.”

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But media coverage and discussions about the housing shortage and the push for more density has got people thinking about the issue.

“I think we have a lot of runway before this is adopted in December 2025 to ensure a broad awareness,” Leiper said.

Intensification is already a way of life in some parts of the city, he said.

“Residents of Hintonburg, Mechanicsville, Westboro and Kitchissippi — we understand this is the direction things are heading because we’re living it today,” Leiper said.

“But there are some parts of the city just on the outskirts of the urban area where there are big swaths of R1 housing and bungalows where there is relatively ‘undense’ housing. Those folks may be surprised by what is being proposed for the neighbourhoods.”

The early draft of the comprehensive zoning bylaw amendment is available on the city’s website along with all its supporting documents and maps. A full draft is set for release on May 31, along with one-page summaries of key parts and background “explainers” of the reasoning behind the changes.

From June until October will be the “active consultation” of the bylaw, according to the city, with virtual open houses, digital discussions and public comments welcomed through the engage.ottawa.ca website and by email at newzoning@ottawa.ca.

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In the fourth quarter of 2024, city staff will prepare any revisions to the bylaw that come from the public discussion in preparation for the release of the second draft around the end of the year.

In early 2025, active consultation will begin anew, with more virtual open houses, digital discussions and feedback invited through Engage Ottawa, with a final draft being prepared in the third and fourth quarters of 2025 and a final vote expected in December 2025.

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