By Lauren Plews
Ottawa’s new plan for the city’s future is only a first draft, but businesses are already seeing its positive effects, says the head of a downtown business association.
“We are deriving benefits already,” said Gerry LePage, the executive director of the Bank Street Business Improvement Area. “The initiatives will ensure a healthy inner city.”
He says the benefits include new housing and business developments that will bring more people to the city’s centre.
The Ottawa 20/20 Official Plan is a growth strategy for the capital over next twenty years. It covers all sectors of Ottawa’s economy with a number of goals to keep the central urban area a strong and vibrant community.
The plan says downtown Ottawa is the heart of the city and the nation, and aims to promote this unique identity and also make it more diverse and attractive.
“The city plans to achieve this with the use of increased mixed use of the area, sensitive infill and strong public transit,” said city councillor Elisabeth Arnold.
“We have to look at the heritage nature of the area to make sure that a twenty-story building does not go up in-between two three-story historical buildings,” said Arnold.
Specifically, the city plans to widen streets and add more trees.
“New development needs to reflect the nature of the neighborhood,” said Arnold.
The plan also calls for more affordable housing in the urban core. LePage said this will benefit downtown businesses.
“More residents means more and new traffic for businesses, which means more sales,” he said.
But LePage does have some concerns.
He said because the draft was made at the height of Ottawa’s technology boom, its economic targets are very ambitious. He also said that due to the high-tech meltdown, money is not needed to further develop these areas and should be diverted to other areas that need the money, like housing.
The city has held a number of public meetings over the past month to get feedback from residents and businesses about the plan.
Gail Logan, the president of the Greater Ottawa Chamber of Commerce told the city that the chamber supports the plan.
“A strong local community results from a strong local economy, which can only result from healthy businesses that create jobs and wealth,” she said.
Logan believes that the infill plans for Ottawa’s urban area are very smart as they will use already existing roads and other services like public transit routes.
The city is to hold another round of public consultations in December and will release its next draft table at the end of January.
Arnold says the January draft may be adopted at the end of March.