On Wednesday (March 8) Council approved a revised timeframe for developing a new Zoning By-law for Ottawa. Under the new timeline, staff will deliver the final draft of the by-law to Council in Q4 of 2025 instead of Q2, when originally planned.
The first and second drafts will be provided inQ1 2024 and Q1 2025, respectively. The public will have substantial opportunities to provide input for each draft.
The additional time is needed as the Province took longer than anticipated to approve the City’s new Official Plan, which came into effect on November 4, 2022. The revised timeline will ensure the City complies with legislated requirements to enact new zoning provisions within three years of that date.
Council also received an information report outlining the implementation of the newly approved Official Plan throughout 2023. It will focus on three areas to support the Official Plan; a series of omnibus reports relating to different amendment categories, completing existing Secondary Plan projects and planning for future neighbourhoods with lands added to the urban boundary.
Council also directed staff to outline options by Q2 2023 to close physical distancing centres. This will include an approach for transitioning residents in the centres to permanent housing and finding alternatives to using recreation centres as temporary emergency housing. It also directs staff to include measures to ensure recreation programming can be reinstated at Heron Road and Dempsey community centres within one month of transitioning residents out of the centres and that ice time at Jim Durrell and Bernard-Grandmaître arenas can be reinstated for the 2023-2024 skating season.
Council also designated March 11, 2023, as a Day of Observance to commemorate the people who lost their lives and acknowledge the significant impacts we have all felt because of COVID-19.