A new City of Ottawa task force is aiming to review old policies that may be barriers to the environmentally-friendly strategy of concentrating more residents in the downtown core.
One way to achieve this concentration, known as “intensification,” is by turning existing buildings like single family detached homes, into buildings that house more people.
Other ways include converting unused spaces into living areas. In theory, this leads to increased use of public transit and other forms of transportation such as bicycles.
“Intensification is one of the key ways of reducing urban sprawl,” says Sabrina Bowman, of Ecology Ottawa.
“If you reduce urban sprawl, you reduce the amount of green space and agricultural land that is being eaten up by development.”
The goal of the review group is to reduce this urban sprawl by updating and possibly revising the rules that govern developers in the city.
In regards to Centretown, the “Secondary Plan” will be reviewed, which deals with building restrictions and intensification in historical areas.
This “Centretown Secondary Plan” was created in the mid-1970s in response to the development of high-rises near residential neighbourhoods. It currently limits how many stories buildings can have in the area.
A review of the plan is long-overdue, says Alain Miguelez, the city’s program manager for development review.“Any plan that’s over 30 years old should be refreshed.”
The historical streets and buildings of Centretown are one of the focuses of the potential revisions, and though there have been no conclusions about the future use of these areas, Miguelez says the group is now considering the question of what direction these sites should take.
“We want to make sure we’re not mummifying those streets, that we’re allowing them to grow organically, that we’re allowing new opportunities for those buildings to be used, and that we’re allowing the city to sprout diversity in buildings that people cherish,” says Miguelez.
“We don’t want to end up with a city that is, because of bylaws and practices, not the best that it can be.”
While they minimize land use and communiting times and make the city more 'walkable,' some worry these policies may push out lower-income groups in favour of high-priced condominiums.
“Intensification often goes hand-in-hand with gentrification,” says Chris Henschel, national manager of domestic and international affairs at the Canadians Parks and Wilderness Society.
“It would be good to see some mixed-use developments rather than just expensive condo units being built everywhere, and some subsidized housing or community housing going in along with the condos.”
Residents are also concerned about preserving the historical value and design of those areas, says David Flemming, president of Heritage Ottawa.
“It’s a balancing act,” says Flemming of the relationship between developers and maintaining the heritage of Centretown.
One example of a good compromise, says Flemming, is a proposed development on Bank Street in Centretown, where the facades of the current buildings will be maintained while a new 17-story office building will be built behind them.
“It is increasingly important to respect the community design,” adds Shawn Menard, president of the Centretown Citizens Community Association. “Putting up 30-story buildings in Centretown doesn’t make sense and abuses the community design plan.”
Despite their concerns, Henschel, Flemming and Menard say they agree that intensification is necessary in Ottawa to deal with a growing population.
“In principle I think urban intensification is a good thing, as long as it is done right,” says Henschel.