By Joe Sambol
As Ottawa’s official plan evolves, some Centretown citizens are increasingly concerned that many of their needs will not be met in the city’s new vision.
“There were some specific things that were identified in the former Centretown plan that were very important to maintaining the character of the neighbourhood. Those are not reflected in the draft official plan as we know it right now,” says Somerset Ward Coun. Elisabeth Arnold.
All indications are that the old Centretown plan and its community-based vision, drafted before the city’s amalgamation with 11 other municipalities, will be compromised in favour of a larger city outlook.
The new plan, which was updated in early January, may retain minor parts of the 12 original plans as zoning bylaws.
That worries people like Robert Smythe, of the Centretown Citizens’ Community Association.
“(The Centretown plan) was a very particular policy aimed at this community. The plan was been developed by this community 20 years ago,” says Smythe.
He explained the plan as one that focused on the residential areas of Centretown and encouraged new housing. It was designed to protect the nature of the community and its residential character, while limiting commercial conversion.
Smythe praises the Centretown plan and is concerned for the future of his community without it.
“One reason that there’s been a lot of good development in Centretown is because of the Centretown plan. Centretown is considered now to be a very successful community and 25 years ago it wasn’t. It’s because the plan has been around for 20 years and the community has adhered to it that Centretown is now successful.”
Arnold says she is concerned that many issues outlined in the old plan will not be easily transformed into zoning bylaws.
Parking regulations and the ability to recognize distinct neighbourhoods in Centretown are examples of things the new official plan will find difficult to administer though zoning bylaws, Arnold says.
“There are many different neighbourhoods in Centretown and the new plan kind of just puts a brush across it and says it’s all residential,” Arnold says.
The plan aims to forecast Ottawa’s development until 2020 and has been broadened to include the different regions that became part of Ottawa as a result of amalgamation two years ago.
“That’s been a direction from the top — to try to have something that is more guiding without going into the very detailed policies that fall better in a secondary plan or a zoning bylaw,” says Steven Boyle, a policy consultant for the City of Ottawa.
Bringing together all of the 12 original plans formulated by municipalities before amalgamation would be difficult because each is highly specific to the interests of those communities.
However, incorporating some aspects of these plans has not yet been rejected.
“It’s not that (the Centretown plan) is not being adopted. There is more than one option. One is to adopt it, and one is to not. Right now, it’s a toss-up,” says Richard Kilstrom, the manager of community design and environment for the City of Ottawa.
The issue now is how the Centretown plan will factor into the new official plan, which had its latest draft released in early January.
Public meetings to debate the details of the official plan will be held at City Hall during the week of Feb. 17.