A long-running battle over the development rules that frame Centretown’s future has finally come to an end after the Ontario Municipal Board approved a series of amendments to the community’s controversial official design plan.
The OMB approved the amended plan on Sept. 30. A spokesman for the Centretown Citizens Community Association, which had formally objected to parts of the municipal blueprint after it was passed by city council three years ago, said the modified plan isn’t perfect but provides a solid framework for the future.
In February 2013, city council approved amendments to a new Centretown design plan, which resulted from a study initiated in 2010 and tackled over a 32-month time period. The goal of the study was to update the 40-year-old Centretown Secondary Design Plan, which had been adopted by the city in 1976 as a response to the redevelopment of the area.
The 1960s had transformed the low-rise character of the community and demolished older, historical structures. In 2010, proposed redevelopments of several vacant lots in Centretown raised concerns regarding their potential consequences on the community’s neighbourhoods and amenities. According to a 2013 city report, the old design plan needed to be updated to fit current development trends, and address the community’s concerns.
The city’s Proposed Official Plan Amendment No. 117 included new policies for land use, parks and open space, maximum building heights, zoning amendments, accessibility strategies and street improvements. It replaced the 1976 plan and was formally adopted by the city in May 2014.
However, it was appealed by a few parties. In the fall of 2014, the OMB held hearings addressing the concerns of several parties: 267 O’Connor Ltd., the Centretown Citizens Community Association, the non-profit housing organization Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation, and Brian Bourns, one of the CCCA’s representatives.
Because Centretown is an older, downtown neighbourhood, home to a variety of heritage sites and diverse communities, it is an attractive prospect for larger businesses, says Tom Whillans, spokesperson for the CCCA.
“Commercial value is inherently high in Centretown,” he said.
The CCOC and CCCA were especially concerned with two policies concerning the height and the designation of a mixed-used residential area. They worried the policies would allow a change in the height of developments, which wouldn’t necessarily mesh well with the buildings already in place. The mixed-used designation was also deemed to be too encouraging of non-residential development in residential areas.
267 O’Connor Ltd. argued the language used in the amendment too inflexible, meaning the policies would be applied too strictly, rather than used as guidelines.
On April 29, 2015, the OMB ordered the city to modify the plan in response to the appeals.
But the OMB’s final decision wouldn’t be officially released a year and a half later.
“It has taken a long time,” says Whillans.
Dana Collings, a planning manager with the city, said the delay, “was a result of a number of factors. These include the time it took to book a hearing which worked for all parties, the length of the hearing, the time it took to issue a decision, the seeking of leave to appeal, and the need for all parties to agree on the final language of the amendments.”
The CCCA was hoping for more conservative standards for future development in regards to high-rise developments, but Whillans said he’s glad the situation has been settled.
“That’s certainly positive. It gives us some closure on the whole file,” he said. “We know what we have to work with.”
There is still a cap on height, meaning there won’t be 50- or 60-storey developments in the urban core, and the approved policy affects where tall buildings will be, and how many will be developed.
Whillans said the policies in the amendments will help keep Centretown vibrant and urban, but he hopes to keep the lines of conversation open with other stakeholders.
“We’d really like to maintain full dialogue with the city and developers going forward.”