City Wants Developers to Ante up Community Benefits for Major Rezonings

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/City+Ottawa+wants+developers+ante+community+benefits+major+rezonings/6110107/story.html 

Implementation Guidelines for Section 37 of the Planning Act

Please be advised that the report on IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES FOR SECTION 37 OF THE PLANNING ACT is now available to be read online on the City of Ottawa website using the following link: (Press Control and click to follow the link) 

http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/pec/2012/02-14/agendaindex28.htm

The report is No. 7 on the Planning Committee agenda of Tuesday, FEBRUARY 14^TH .  The meeting commences at 9:30 a.m. in the Champlain Room 2^nd Floor City Hall.  If you wish to address the committee members when the item comes up, please sign a sheet at the entrance to the room and hand it to the Committee Administrative Assistant at the front of the room.   

Attention Residents of Clarendon Avenue, Helena Street, Geneva Street, Island Park Drive & Crescent

http://ourkitchissippi.ca/construction/attention-residents-of-clarendon-avenue-helena-street-geneva-street-island-park-drive-crescent/

Minor Variance Application, 76 Holland Avenue

WVCA has received notificication of a minor variance application to change the existing legal non-conforming use (office/personal service/workshop) to a retail/office use (Right Bike) which will occupy the entire basement of 76 Holland Ave. This proposal will be considered by the Committee of Adjustment on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012.

To comment on this application, letters may be submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Committee, email email hidden; JavaScript is required, or in writing to 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa, K2G 5K7.

City of Ottawa is reviewing the Pool Enclosure By-law, 2001-259/La Ville d’Ottawa révise actuellement son Règlement sur les clôtures de piscine 2001-259

From the City of Ottawa:

The City of Ottawa is reviewing the Pool Enclosure By-law, 2001-259. 

This review addresses a number of issues intended to strengthen safety regulations aimed at preventing drowning incidents involving young children.  This includes a proposal to require four-sided pool enclosures around all new private pools, which includes a fence between the dwelling and the pool.  At the same time, the City will be proposing special provisions for above ground pools, which reduces the size of the required pool enclosure, and exempting hot tubs, if they have a  substantial cover that is lockable and kept locked when the hot tub is not in use.

ottawa.ca/poolenclosures 

La Ville d’Ottawa révise actuellement son Règlement sur les clôtures de piscine 2001-259.

Cette révision concerne un certain nombre de facteurs visant à renforcer les règlements de sécurité ayant pour but de prévenir les noyades de jeunes enfants. L’une des propositions consiste à exiger la présence de clôtures sur les quatre côtés du périmètre des nouvelles piscines privées, y compris entre l’habitation et la piscine. Parallèlement, la Ville d’Ottawa proposera des dispositions particulières concernant les piscines hors terre, visant à réduire la taille des clôtures requises, et les cuve thermales, qui pourraient être exemptées du règlement si elles possèdent un couvercle complet qui se verrouille et qui demeure verrouillé lorsque la cuve est inutilisée.

ottawa.ca/cloturepiscine

Zoning by-law amendment proposal: 99-107 Parkdale Avenue

WVCA has received notificication of a zoning by-law amendment proposal (proponent is Urbandale Construction) for 99-107 Parkdale Ave. This proposal will be considered by the Planning Committee on Feb 28, 2012.

The preliminary concepts for this site are to develop a 28-storey, 161-unit concominium building with five floors of underground parking. Most notably, the amendment would increase the maximum height from 37m to 85m for the site, reduce the front yard setback from 3m to zero, and the rear yard setback from 7.5m to 3m.

To access all information relating to this proposal, go to ottawa.ca/devapps and input File Number D02-02-11-0108 in the “Search” criteria.

How Ugly is Ottawa?

From a neighbour:

Please be aware that the Westboro Beach CA has posted the open letter Mr. Mayor, How Ugly is Ottawa? (with permission of the author) to its website.

I’d like to encourage you to send this link out on your networks, especially via Twitter and Facebook, and to write a letter
*in opposition to the proposed zoning amendment, if you oppose it.
*in support of Dr. Christoph Zürcher’s views, if you agree with his views.

Here’s the link to share: http://bit.ly/vjNVmu

Time is of the essence.  On Monday, December 5 the City of Ottawa’s planning committee will vote on the proposal of Urban Uniform for a zoning by-law amendment proposal for 335 Roosevelt Ave, file Nr. D02-02-11-0068. Write to the Mayor and to members of the Planning Committee, especially if your councillor sits on the committee. Here is the committee list:

Convent: Important Update – 90 & 114 Richmond Road

Of interest to anyone following the Convent issue:

http://hamptoniona.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/important-update-90-114-richmond-road/

Applications going to the Committee of Adjustment on August 17

Minor Variance Applications near Wellington Village
Public Hearings being held at the August Committee of Adjustment meeting (August 17, starting at 1pm, Ben Franklin Place, The Chamber, Main Floor, 101 Centrepointe Drive)
1) from 201 Parkdale Group Inc. for 201 Parkdale Avenue
Purpose of Application: A 15-storey apartment building is currently under construction, and the Owner is now applying to reduce the required number of onsite visitor parking spaces.
Relief Required: A reduced number of visitor parking spaces of 8, whereas the by-law requires a minium of 18 visitor parking spaces.
2) from Falsetto Homes Inc. for 222 and 226 Northwestern Avenue
Purpose of Application: “The Owner wants to demolish the existing detached dwelling on the property and subdivide the property into two separate parcels of land to create separate ownerships for a new 2-storey semi-detached dwelling, with roof top deck, with one unit on each of the new parcels.
Relief Required: for 222 Northwestern and 226 Northwestern, to permit a reduced lot width of 7.62 metres, whereas the by-law requires a minimum lot width of 9.0 metres
Contact the Committee of Adjustment (email hidden; JavaScript is required, 613-580-2436) or WVCA for additional information on any of these applications.

Communications from Katherine Hobbs: Inquiries at Council

The WVCA received this email from Councillor Katherine Hobbs:

Good Afternoon,

I wanted to bring to your attention three inquiries I submitted at the last City Council meeting. Inquiries are formal requests for information from staff that are entered into the official record of Council, on matters of importance in a Councillor’s ward. Those I submitted last week dealt with the Western LRT, and developer encroachment permits.

First, I took the liberty of submitting an idea brought to my attention by the Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association (CHNA):

“What is the current policy on the use of funds from encroachment permits for construction?

What would be required to allow Area Traffic Management Studies (ATMS) to receive additional funding through encroachment permit fees in areas identified for ATM Studies and affected by major new development?”

Currently, these funds go into general revenue, but as Peter has suggested, it would be useful if these funds could be directed toward Area Traffic Management Studies  in neighbourhoods undergoing significant redevelopment, such as the eastern section of the CHNA by the O-Train tracks. The answer to this inquiry will be reported back for the August 24^th Council meeting.

Second, I submitted two questions regarding Western LRT. The first asks about what financial efficiencies could be realized if the western extension of the LRT from Tunney’s to Lincoln Fields were timed to be a continuation of the first phase of LRT approved by council last week:

“How much savings could be realized if the western extension to Lincoln Fields were to be built as part of, or immediately after, the completion of the initial 12.5km Tunney’s Pasture to Blair Station segment of LRT?

In particular, savings from not having to build a temporary transfer terminus station at Tunney’s Pasture, inflation and construction costs, and continuity of construction crews and machinery?”

The second asked for an assessment of what the land above the Scott Street Transitway trench would be worth if the land could be covered after LRT conversion and sold for private development. The inquiry specifies that such funds would be used for the Western LRT extension, and notes they could be used to bury the LRT as it goes through Kitchissippi to maintain greenspace and promote transit accessibility:

“Given that cities such as Washington and New York City have had successful and profitable experiences developing Railway Rows and yards with development built over functional railways, and that the Scott Street Transitway trench is slated for conversion to LRT;

Could staff investigate the technical and economical feasibility of creating developable land over the Scott Street trench after its conversion to LRT, and calculate the value of this land, which could be directed toward ensuring that if the Western LRT extension were to go along the Byron/Richmond corridor, that it would be cut and cover, preserving green space along the Byron Linear Park.”

Both of these LRT inquiries will be included in the information presented at the September open house, where the results of the Environmental Assessment including the possible routes study will be revealed.

These inquiries are part of the conversation regarding LRT in Kitchissippi Ward, and will help us understand the benefits to be realized from LRT, and push forward the agenda for a more rapid extension, and a full realization of the benefits for our community. Extending LRT to Lincoln Fields at the same time as the initial project could potentially save millions for the project through efficiencies. The sale of new development lands in areas on the margins of, rather than in mature neighbourhoods could be financially beneficial to the project and taxpayers as well as keep densification and redevelopment near transit stations where the Official Plan calls for the most density.

I look forward to the responses from City staff on these inquiries and I will share their answers with you so that we may continue the conversation about our city’s light rail future.

Thanks,

Katherine