Background
In October 2018, Council adopted an Interim Control Bylaw (ICB) prohibiting the development of new three-unit dwellings (triplexes) within selected Westboro neighbourhoods located south of Byron Avenue. This bylaw was enacted in response to enormous development pressures within these neighbourhoods, whereby modest single-family homes on large treed lots were being demolished and replaced by triplexes and other densely massed housing forms. Westboro residents had voiced their concerns about this rapid rate of intensification, the loss of urban tree canopy, and a sense that our wonderful, walkable streets were disappearing block by block. Council adopted the Interim Control Bylaw to put on the brakes long enough to give city staff the chance to study Westboro’s infill development issues.
Goal of the Study
The goal of the Westboro Infill Zoning Study is to implement zoning changes that will allow for more sensitive infill that contributes to, and builds on, the important characteristics of Westboro’s neighbourhoods.
City Establishes Multi-Stakeholder Working Group
In early spring, the City convened a Stakeholder Working Group for the study to discuss infill development in Westboro and to provide input at key points throughout the project. This working group comprises city staff, members of the local development industry, members of the Westboro community, and our City Councillor’s office. Westboro Community Association was pleased to have a representative from their planning subcommittee invited to sit on this working group. To date, the group has had four sessions, including a two-hour walking tour through the study area to get a feel for the character of our neighbourhoods and the perceived “fit” of various infill projects within our community.
Tell the City What You Think!
The ICB study team is seeking input from the Westboro community. To begin, the City will be releasing a discussion paper to summarize and explore the issues associated with infill development in Westboro. The paper includes data on recent intensification trends in our community and the factors driving these trends. This paper will be posted at the end of July, and we encourage you to provide your feedback at this early point in the study. Planning for community open houses and more intensive group discussions is underway.
For more information on the study, including timelines and contact information, please see https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-engagement/projects/westboro-infill-zoning-study
You may provide comments on the study to the Westboro Community Association anytime at https://lovewestboro.wordpress.com/
The only thing I could find was the city of Ottawa site with timelines and the nature of the project.. oh I see the paper will be out at the end of the month.
Recognize that we benefit in many ways from “living” in this neighbourhood it is clear that intensification must happen. We want to see it done well. I live near a number of recently built triplexes (Fourplex ready) so I am opinionated. The builder and their teams are present for a long time. It is disruptive. The work on Ravenhill was at least 2 years of development with a new set starting before the last finished. That is a lot of disruption right into the weekends, going on for months. We don’t see that time line in the permit. The city’s suggestion of a long narrow driveway to put cars at the back simply does not work. Too much paving, difficult to navigate in the winter and gives the impression of crowding a 10m simply does not support this type of development.