The City of Ottawa unveiled plans at a technical briefing Oct. 4 that would update the city’s growth projections five years earlier than scheduled. It is also looking to implement a new application process allowing landowners to apply for expansions to the municipality’s urban boundary before the projections are finalized.
The city is advertising the changes as a way to support growth across the municipality, striving to meet the housing targets it is currently falling behind on.
The city last updated its Official Plan – the overarching planning document – in 2021, adding 1,281 hectares of land to its urban boundary. Late in 2022, shortly after the province announced its plans to expand the Greenbelt, the Ford government announced its plan to further expand the urban boundaries of 12 municipalities, including Hamilton and Ottawa. Facing immense backlash, the decision was ultimately reversed.
The new initiative from the city runs in conformity with Ontario’s new Provincial Planning Statement (PPS) which was announced in August and will come into effect Oct. 20.
“One of the significant changes in the 2024 PPS is a move from a comprehensive approach to planning for growth to a piecemeal approach allowing private applications,” a staff report from the City of Ottawa Planning Services reads.
Under current legislation, any proposed expansions to the urban boundary could only be taken into account during an Official Planning Review, which happens every five years. In Ottawa, the next update period is scheduled for 2030, but the new report proposes moving it up to 2025 citing more recent population projections from the province.
Updated on Oct. 1, the provincial webpage projects Ottawa to grow by 60.2 per cent, from 1.11 million in 2023 to 1.79 million in 2051, making it the fastest growing census division in Ontario.
Under the new plan rolled out by the city Friday, developers would have two choices: wait until the 2025 Official Plan Review, or pay a few to have its application addressed immediately. Fees will range up to $1.8 million which the city has said will account for associated infrastructure costs adhering to the principle “growth will pay for growth”. Any expansion applications must not require an upgrade to the city’s infrastructure or transportation master plans
The fee also serves as a disincentive for developers as the city has assured there is enough land open for development within the existing urban boundary.
But not all councillors were satisfied with the approach, on trend with many of the planning decisions made by the province since 2018.
Capital Ward City Councillor Shawn Menard called the piecemeal approach “ridiculous’ noting the city and province are not on the same page.
“Can we get a refund on our Official Plan?” Orléans South-Navan Councillor Catherine Kitts asked. “It feels like the dog ate our homework.”
The proposed process will be discussed Oct. 9 at a special joint meeting. Council will vote on a final proposal Oct. 16.