City could extend urban land boundary

A packed house at Ottawa City Hall spent the better part of the day discussing amendments to the city’s official plan for growth and development.

The meeting, a joint venture by the agriculture and rural affairs committee and the planning and environment committee, was full of pleas to make bigger changes, smaller changes and no changes to the plan.

The most popular issue was the city’s plan to add 800 hectares to its urban boundary. This is a reduction from the initial plan to add 850 hectares.

Another contentious issue was the proposal that 36 per cent of all new development within the urban boundary must be intensification, meaning it must be infill or other means of increased density.

Several developers argued the 800 extra hectares are not enough to satisfy the demand for housing. Others said the intensification targets were too onerous.

However, members of the city’s advisory committees argued the expansion and intensification numbers are too generous, saying there is no need to expand the urban boundary and the intensification targets should be at least 50 per cent.

City staff will take all public submissions and examine how they can be incorporated into the official plan. Staff will then present their findings and recommendations on May 11. At that time, councillors can move to adopt or ignore the public’s suggestions.