Report to/Rapport au:

 

Planning and Environment Committee

Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement

and Council / et au Conseil

 

03 May 2010 / le 03 mai 2010

 

Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice municipale adjointe, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability/Services d 'infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités

 

Contact Person/Personne ressource : John L. Moser, General Manager / Directeur général

Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance

(613) 580-2424 x 28869, john.moser@ottawa.ca

 

City-wide

Ref N°: ACS2010-ICS-PGM-0085

 

 

SUBJECT:

OTTAWA URBAN DESIGN REVIEW PANEL

 

 

OBJET :

Groupe d’examen de design urbain d’ottawa

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

 

That Planning and Environment Committee recommend that Council:

 

1.         Adopt the following guiding principles to govern the Ottawa Urban Design Review Panel process:

 

•         Strive to develop a design culture befitting a Nation’s Capital throughout the City of Ottawa;

 

•         Convey and act upon the Panel’s advice in a transparent and public manner;

 

•         Ensure timely review of applications within Council-approved timelines.

 

2.         Direct staff to implement the Ottawa Urban Design Review Process for  the Design Priority Areas identified in Section 2.5.1 of Official Plan Amendment No. 76 (Document 1) and require design review by a Design Review Panel for the threshold of development as set out in Document 2 effective September 6, 2010;   

 

3.         Direct staff to bring forward an Official Plan amendment to delete redundant provisions in the primary and secondary Official Plans relating to design review and to repeal Urban Design Review Panel By-law 2005-354 when the Official Plan amendment comes into effect;

 

4.         Direct staff to amend the Site Plan Control By-law to include the requirement to

obtain approval of exterior building designs in addition to those plans now required to be approved for development within Design Priority Areas as set out in Document 1 effective September 6, 2010;

 

5.         Direct that City projects in the Design Priority Areas require Design Panel review in accordance with the process set out in this report effective September 6, 2010;

 

6.         Direct that staff recruit Panel membership in accordance with the membership composition and selection process in this report and return to Planning and Environment Committee in July 2010 for Committee's approval of the Panel’s membership.

 

RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT

 

Le Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement recommande que le Conseil:

 

1.                  Adopte les principes directeurs suivants pour régir les processus du Groupe d’examen de design urbain d’Ottawa :

 

·         Viser à développer une culture de design avantageuse pour la capitale nationale à travers la Ville d’Ottawa;

 

·         Transmettre l'avis du Groupe et s’y conformer par l’entremise d’une tribune publique transparente;

 

·         Veiller à effectuer une étude en temps utile des applications dans les délais approuvés par le Conseil.

 

2.                  Charge le personnel de mettre en place le processus d’examen du design urbain d’Ottawa pour les secteurs prioritaires de conception désignés à la section 2.5.1 de la Modification 76 du Plan officiel (Document 1), et exige l’examen du design par le Groupe d’examen de design urbain pour le seuil d’aménagement énoncé dans le Document 2, à compter du 6 septembre 2010;

 

3.                  Charge le personnel de présenter une modification au Plan officiel visant à supprimer les dispositions superflues des plans officiels principal et secondaires concernant le design urbain, et de révoquer le Règlement municipal 2005-354 concernant le Groupe d’examen de design urbain lorsque la modification au Plan officiel entrera en vigueur; 

 

4.                  Charge le personnel de modifier le règlement municipal sur les plans d’implantation afin d’exiger l’obtention d’une approbation de la conception extérieure des bâtiments en plus des plans qui doivent être approuvés pour les secteurs prioritaires de conception définis dans le Document 1, à compter du 6 septembre 2010;

 

5.                  Demande que les projets de la Ville prévus dans les secteurs prioritaires de conception fassent l’objet d’un examen du Groupe consultatif, conformément au processus établi dans le présent rapport, à compter du 6 septembre 2010;

 

6.                  Charge le personnel de recruter des membres souhaitant adhérer au Groupe consultatif, conformément à la composition prévue du groupe et au processus de sélection figurant dans le présent rapport, et de s’adresser en juillet 2010 au Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement pour obtenir son approbation en ce qui concerne la composition du Groupe consultatif.

 

BACKGROUND

 

In 2004, Council directed staff to develop, in consultation with stakeholder groups, a pilot project for integrating design review and approval into the development review process for the downtown.  This directive was given by Council on the same day as Council’s approval of the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy (DOUDS) and represented one of the first design-focussed initiatives of the City emanating from the 2003 Official Plan.

 

Council formally approved the establishment of the Downtown Design Review Pilot Project utilizing the authority of the former City of Ottawa Act to require design approval for all new development as part of the Site Plan Control process within the area covered by the Council-approved Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy. Council also directed that design review be undertaken for capital projects, such as road rehabilitation, within the downtown.  From the Pilot Project’s launch in 2004 to end of 2009, 31 private sector projects and one capital project have been reviewed.

 

The purpose of this report is to provide Committee and Council with the results of the evaluation of the Pilot Project and present a recommended course of action with respect to the expansion and permanency of the program.

 

DISCUSSION

 

Since the completion of the 2003 Official Plan, the City has made considerable gains with respect to advancing the importance of urban design as a fundamental element of development. In addition to establishing the Downtown Design Review Pilot Project, the City has focused its efforts primarily on the following Council directions as set out in the Official Plan:

 

•         Explore programs such as incentives, design guidelines, approaches to zoning, and tools such as computer modeling, that support greater creativity and better urban design;

•         Seek ways to integrate urban design considerations as part of the review of development proposals through changes in administrative processes and clarity in development guidance;

•         Investigate the establishment of formal design review panels and processes;

•         Recognize excellence in design through a design awards program, education and promotion in partnership with the private sector, professional associations, and other stakeholders; and

•         Explore opportunities for independent peer review by architects, landscape architects, and urban designers.

 

Through the “Ottawa By Design” program, 16 award-winning urban design guidelines have been approved by Committee ranging from those for Outdoor Patio Design to High-Rise Housing to Rural Villages. These guidelines provide development applicants with a clear understanding of Council's "made in Ottawa" expectations for urban design.

 

The City now hosts the nationally-recognized Ottawa Urban Design Awards program every two years, awarding cumulatively over 30 urban design awards to recipients who then have gone on to compete within the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's Awards Program. 

 

In 2009 the Planning and Growth Management department was significantly restructured to make urban design a priority through the review of planning applications. Specialized staff are now part of each development review area (suburban, urban, and rural) that provide design review of every development application. Using computer modeling, the City's design guidelines, and their professional expertise, many applications already have benefited from a much more rigorous design review.

 

In addition, Council has provided the Planning and Growth Management department with funding through the 2010 Capital budget to bring in external design expertise to provide a “peer review” of high profile developments. It is anticipated that these designers will assist the Ward Councillor, the community, and City staff in coming to a more amicable and higher-end design for significant community sites while building urban design knowledge within the community and the Planning and Growth Management Department. Council further provided the Department with funding to expand the Downtown Design Review Pilot Project which is the subject of this report.

 

Finally, emanating from the 2009 Official Plan review, Council directed that development applications within the City's prime areas for intensification receive enhanced urban design review under the new authority provided by Bill 51 with the goal of ensuring that these developments integrate in a compatible fashion into the existing community fabric. By designating these areas as "Design Priority Areas," the Official Plan sets out that:

 

"all public projects, private developments, and community partnerships within the public realm will be reviewed for their contribution to an enhanced pedestrian environment and their response to the distinct character and unique opportunities of the area. The public realm/domain refers to all of those private and publicly owned spaces and places which are freely available to the public to see and use. Wider sidewalks, shade trees, coordinated furnishings and utilities, enhanced transit stops, decorative lighting, public art, median planting and treatments, enhanced pedestrian surfaces, traffic calming, natural public spaces, compact development, quality architecture and façade treatments, seasonal plantings, distinct signage, pedestrian connections, entrance features, commemorations, and seasonal decoration are among the creative and enhanced design responses that may be used to ensure that Design Priority Areas fulfill their primary role as the City’s most important ‘people’ places.”

 

To achieve the goals that Council has for the Design Priority Areas it is recommended that a blend of staff design review and a formalized Peer Design Review process building on the experiences of the Downtown Urban Design Review Pilot Project be undertaken.

 

Review of the Downtown Urban Design Review Pilot Project

 

The concept of extending and formalizing design review and approval into the Design Priority Areas was considered in tandem with a review of the successes and challenges of the Pilot Project.

 

When it was established in 2005, the Pilot Project was to be in place for a two-year period after which a full evaluation would be undertaken to establish a basis for formalizing urban design review in the downtown and to provide a basis for extending urban design review to other areas of the city. The two-year period was initially seen as sufficient to allow for an appropriate assessment to be undertaken both of the process and of the ability of the Pilot Project to advance the City's urban design objectives for downtown development. 

 

Due to several reasons, the Pilot Project was maintained after its original two-year period. These included:

 

•         A need to ensure that sufficient experience would be gained to allow determinations to be made on the best way to formalize design review. Within the first two years, only 10 development proposals had been subject to urban design review and approval.

•         The Province implemented Bill 51 which amended the Planning Act to allow municipalities to broaden their site plan approval powers to address matters related to building design, thereby providing the City with an opportunity to look into expanding urban design review and approval to other areas of the city rather than just those areas within the former City of Ottawa.

•         The Department initiated a refresh of the 2003 Official Plan in 2007 which provided an opportunity for the City to introduce policy provisions as required under Bill 51 to allow the municipality to operationalize the authority to have site plan control approvals also deal with exterior building design.

•         The Corporation restructured in 2008/2009 providing an opportunity to view how a restructured Planning and Growth Management Department could increase its focus on integrating design review into the development review process.

 

To provide an understanding and insights into how the Pilot Project had addressed the goals Council had set when it was created, the following tasks were undertaken:

 

•         Questionnaires were developed and provided to proponents of development proposals that had gone through design review.

•         Feedback was obtained from staff who had been involved in processing applications that were subject to design review.

•         Evaluation meetings were held with the Design Review Panel to obtain feedback on their experiences over the course of the Pilot Project, and to obtain input from the Panel on possible refinements to the design review process.

•         A review of processes in other municipalities was undertaken to identify best practices and common themes related to design review.

•         An urban design symposium was held to share experiences with staff of other Ontario municipalities dealing with the integration of urban design into municipal planning and to raise awareness within the community of the importance of urban design in planning.

•         A review of design advancements/design modifications made to projects was undertaken.

•         A discussion session was held with the Chair of the Planning and Environment Committee and with the Councillors representing the Wards where the Pilot Project applied.

 

These undertakings, provided the following feedback to the Planning and Growth Management Department:

 

Panel Composition

 

It was offered that the Panel would benefit from a broader diversity of professional perspectives. In reviewing other jurisdictions, it was noted that panels often include urban designers and engineers in addition to architects and landscape architects. In particular it was observed that the Panel would benefit from members that had a specialized professional interest in green building and heritage conservation.

 

Panel Selection

 

When establishing the Pilot Project, a decision was made to work through the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) and the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects (OALA) to seek expressions of interest from practising architects and landscape architects to serve on the Panel. The Associations then selected their representatives which were provided to Council for final approval. Seeking expressions of interest through professional associations is common practice in other jurisdictions where review panels exist, however no other jurisdiction leaves the selection process to the Associations. Rather, most municipalities develop and utilize pre-determined criteria to assess the suitability of potential candidates to serve on their panels and in some cases hold interviews with short-listed candidates. This recognizes that the municipality has a vested interest in ensuring that panels have a complementary yet varied mix of expertise, which is difficult for Associations to accomplish in isolation.

 

Panel Meeting Logistics

 

The Downtown Design Review Panel under the Pilot Project consisted of a pool of 10 design professionals made up of seven architects and three landscape architects with Project Review Panels comprised of three members drawn from the pool. This approach has presented considerable challenges as noted below:

 

•         Panel members have had conflicts of interest due to their own professional practices and their business relationships with applicants.

•         The make-up of the Project Review Panels differs for almost every project. This resulted in a different dynamic for each Panel and a different approach to the actual design review which has not allowed for any cohesion to be developed within the larger panel.

•         As each project has had a different Planner assigned there have been difficulties in maintaining consistency from project to project in preparing for and recording proceedings at pre-consultation and formal design review meetings.

 

Urban Design Review Submission Requirements

 

The requirement for a detailed Design Brief has proven to be a challenge.  For many proponents, the Design Brief was seen as onerous and time consuming. Also, for the Panel, the Brief, on occasion, has proven to be of limited effectiveness and is seen as potentially detracting from having proponents embrace the spirit and intent of the City’s design objectives.

 

Through the evaluation, it was found that in some cases the Design Brief was being used more as a justification for a project design rather than a tool to assist and provide direction to project designers.  The requirement for an extensive and detailed Design Brief was found to have an unintended effect of diluting the key design issues that should be addressed by a project.

 

In reviewing experiences and approaches in other jurisdictions, it was found that many do have design considerations that are used to assist in the urban design review of projects. However, they serve more to assist staff in their review to identify key design considerations important for a particular project, which in turn allows staff to bring focus to the design review provided by the Panel.

 

The sense is that greater value could be added to the design review process by having proponents focus more on graphic and descriptive aspects that relate to each project’s specific design objectives and contextual opportunities that are being advanced, rather than focusing on a detailed Design Brief that tries to address all design matters and objectives. 

 

Panel members also noted that they often did not receive supporting documentation or plans to review until the review session which left little time for scrutiny and adequate preparation.

 

Urban Design Review Project Thresholds

 

Under the Pilot Project, all new developments and additions to existing developments that are subject to Site Plan Control require design review by the Panel.  This results in the same level of effort being expended on a small mid-block infill as would be expanded on a major full block downtown development.

 

Through the evaluation, all stakeholder groups felt focusing Panel reviews on more significant developments, with smaller-scale developments going through a staff design review process, would allow for better utilization of the design expertise of the Panel. This also recognizes that there is City staff design expertise that should be showcased and encouraged as part of professional development. In reviewing experiences of other jurisdictions it was found that in many cases specific thresholds have been established for the types of projects that would proceed to a peer review panel.

 

New Ottawa Urban Design Review Process

 

Based on the review of the Downtown Urban Design Review Pilot Project, the following section details a proposed course of action to Council on a formalized design review and approval process which includes establishing a permanent Ottawa Urban Design Review Panel. It should be noted that on the basis of the recruitment of Panel membership and the need to develop documentation and internal processes that it is recommended that Panel review commence in September 2010.

 

In advance of the Panel commencing its work, an Official Plan amendment will be initiated by staff to eliminate the redundant policies in the primary and secondary official plans related to design review. In addition, an amendment will also be made to the Site Plan Control By-law.

 

Guiding Principles

 

Throughout the consultation process with the former members of the Downtown Design Review Panel, members of the development industry, and Members of Council consistent themes emerged which staff believe should serve as foundation guiding principles for the formalized and expanded design review and approval process and for the new Ottawa Urban Design Review Panel. These principles will serve as a “contract” between City staff, Council, the development industry, and the Panel membership.  They are as follows:

 

1. Strive to develop a design culture befitting a Nation’s Capital throughout the City of Ottawa

 

This principle speaks to the need to move the high urban design threshold which has been established for the downtown core outwards to the entire city, especially in areas that the Official Plan identifies as suitable for intensification. As the Nation’s Capital, Ottawa city-building should be undertaken with an eye to design throughout the city.

 

2. Convey and act upon the Panel’s advice in a transparent and public manner

 

This principle speaks to ensuring that the Panel’s advice is conveyed to Council and the community in an active and transparent fashion, in recognition of the significant time that the Panel devotes to application review. Panel design review meetings, materials, and decisions will be in a public forum. Where staff is unable to implement the Panel’s recommendations or the applicant is not willing to incorporate the Panel’s recommendations, staff will report the Panel’s recommendations in the Zoning By-law amendment report to Committee. In the case of a Site Plan Control application, staff will bring forward those site plans for decision by the Planning and Environment Committee rather than providing approval under delegated approval authority.

 

3. Timely review of applications within Council-approved timelines

 

The City is committed to a higher urban design threshold while at the same time ensuring that similar to the Pilot Project, the Council-approved timelines for application review are achieved. In return the applicant will need to pre-consult with the Panel before significant design for the proposal has been undertaken and before units within the development have been pre-sold to the public so that any design improvements can be made without jeopardizing developer commitments.

 

Design Review area and Panel Review Project Threshold

 

The requirement for formal design review and approval will move beyond the area of the downtown identified by the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy to match up with the Design Priority Areas as identified in the Official Plan.

The Design Priority Areas as defined through the Official Plan review include the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy Area, Traditional and Arterial Mainstreets, Town Centres, Mixed Use Centres, Village Mainstreets and community core areas identified in Community Design Plans or Secondary Plans. 

 

The Urban Design Review Panel will review all new Zoning By-law applications where there is a request for a change in density or height and all Site Plan control applications in these areas with the following exceptions:

 

 

Projects as described in the foregoing that do not meet the threshold for design review by the Design Review Panel will still be subject to design review and approval by Planning and Growth Management staff as part of the Site Plan Control process.

 

Public Capital Projects

 

While many civic projects since amalgamation, most notably right-of-way rehabilitation projects on Mainstreets, have been built to a high standard of urban design, stakeholder consultation reiterated the need for the City to take leadership in ensuring that all capital projects recognize their important role in contributing to the overall quality of place and community. To accomplish this goal it is recommended that all City projects within Design Priority Areas influencing or impacting the public realm be subject to Panel review. Projects to be reviewed are as follows:

 

 

City park development projects are exempted from this process as they are already subject to a detailed design process involving extensive community input.

 

For capital projects that will require Panel review, it is recommended that City staff be required to meet with the Panel prior to the Environment Assessment or project scoping and then meet again with the Panel again in the preliminary design phase.

This will enable the Project Manager to determine the financial implications of the Panel’s recommendations prior to public consultation.

 

Panel Composition

 

It is recommended that the Panel be comprised of 10 members to allow for varied input and comment. Consistent with the Department’s focus on the promotion of “green building”, an engineer with significant expertise in green building systems will be sought, along with two urban planners, and a heritage conservation specialist who will provide advice to the Panel with respect to heritage-related issues. Quorum for the Panel will be seven members. The Panel will sit as a body as opposed to subset panels, and will be comprised of the following membership:

 

 

Recruitment and Term of Panel Members

 

Consistent with the manner in which potential Panel members were identified for the Pilot Project and the practice of other jurisdictions where peer design review panels have been established, expressions of interest will be sought through the professional Provincial and National organizations. Given the importance of having highly qualified professionals who are leaders in their fields in urban design, the City would also undertake its own recruitment for Panel members from across the country. 

 

To facilitate the recruitment and selection process, the Panel members’ qualifications will be defined.  Once a pool of potential members is identified, staff would review the qualifications of all potential members relative to pre-determined criteria and would interview those candidates that have been screened and short-listed. Selected candidates would then be recommended to Planning and Environment Committee for appointment.

 

Panel members would be appointed to a three-year term with a panel refresh after three years.  However, to ensure continuity is provided on the panel from one term to the next, four panel members would be reappointed for a second three-year term.

 

It is also recommended that the current practice of compensating Panel members with an honorarium be discontinued.  Most other Canadian municipalities surveyed do not compensate their Panel memberships. Rather Panel members consider their time as a public service as well as a networking opportunity. All expenses incurred by the Panel members (flights, accommodations, and incidentals), will be reimbursed by the City.

 

Panel Review

 

The Urban Design Review process in its entirety and the design review submission requirements are set out in Documents 2 and 4.

 

For projects subject to Panel Review, the applicant will meet with the Panel twice – once at the pre-consultation stage, and secondly once a formal application has been made and the project is past the conceptual stage. The second session constitutes the formal panel design review session.

 

At the first session staff will provide the Panel with a brief summary of the staff-led pre-application consultation session outcomes. The Panel will then focus on the project in general and will define for applicants the key design objectives that should be considered during the project design process as well as the property’s context.

 

After the first session the applicant will be required to submit a Design Brief as part of their submission of a formal site plan application. Rather than dealing with all design issues, the Design Brief will focus on the key design directions being advanced and will be supplementary to the graphic materials which would depict the design details.

 

Before the second session Development Review staff will send the Panel a Design Memorandum that will draw on City documents (Official Plan, Urban Design Guidelines, Community Design Plans, Secondary Plans) and provide an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the proposal. Staff will identify specific aspects of the project design where Panel review and input is seen as important. This will serve to provide focus to the Panel in undertaking its review and allow the Panel to deal with those items that are considered most critical to ensuring a positive design response to the City’s design intentions related to the project.

 

At the second session with the Panel, staff will present the Design Memorandum to be followed by a presentation by the proponent. The Panel would then, if required, seek clarification from the proponent on the project design and/or from staff on relevant planning and design policies/guidelines.  Following this, the Panel would debate amongst themselves relative to input sought and on any other design elements they feel need to be addressed and would formulate and table recommendations for project design enhancements or modifications. Prior to the Panel voting on the recommendations being tabled, the Panel would provide the proponent an opportunity to respond to the tabled recommendations following which the Panel may decide to modify their recommendations prior to taking a vote. Once approved, the recommendations of the Panel would be recorded for use by staff in working with the proponent to finalize the project design. It should be noted that the Panel’s recommendations are advisory in nature and not binding to staff or Council.

 

Following the urban design review meeting, staff would work with the proponent to achieve project modifications that respond to the Panel’s recommendations.  Where agreement is reached on the design modifications to be made, the proponent would finalize their project design, which would then be approved by staff and the Ward Councillor as part of the Site Plan control in accordance with the authority provided by Bill 51.  The obligation of the developer to build in accordance with the approved building drawings would be set out in the Site Plan Control Agreement.

 

Where the proponent disagrees or is not willing to implement the modifications requested by staff to respond to the Panel’s recommendations, the authority for the project approval (both Site Plan approval and design) would be referred to Planning and Environment Committee for a decision.

 

Where an application for a zoning change for an increase in height and/or density is made, but such application is submitted without a companion Site Plan Control application, the actual design approval for the project would not be given until the required Site Plan Control application is submitted and approved.  In these cases, final zoning or Official Plan amendment approval would be withheld or holding provisions would be put in place until the formal Site Plan application is submitted.  The site plan would then be subject to formal panel design review prior to approval being given.  

 

Given that two review processes would be required if proponents do not submit a site plan application with a rezoning application and/or OPA application, applicants will be encouraged to submit their site plan and zoning/OP amendment applications at the same time to allow all applications to be dealt with through one design review process.

 

Panel Meeting Logistics

 

As noted, one of the key challenges with the operation of the Downtown Design Review Pilot Project related to the establishment of Project Review Groups drawing from the pool of 10 and scheduling pre-consultation and formal review meetings on an as needed basis when development proposals are submitted to the City. To facilitate having all panel members involved in the review of all development proposals, a set schedule will be established where the panel would meet for a full day once a month.  The format of these meetings would be as follows:

 

•           Commencement of Meeting - Morning

§  Staff introduction of the agenda for the day

§  Staff review of projects that have been approved since the last Panel meeting and identifying the design advancements achieved. 

 

•           Pre-consultations - Morning

§  To be on the pre-consultation agenda, proponents would make a formal request to staff and would provide the materials in advance of the meeting date.

§  The pre-consultation session of the meeting would be closed to the public to respect the confidentially needs of proponents who may be considering development but who have not yet initiated public dialogue. 

 

•           Formal Design Review – Afternoon

§  Formal design reviews for development proposals where formal applications have been submitted.

 

The Panel will meet at a minimum up to 11 times per year, excluding the month of August. Meetings will be held during regular business hours.

 

Public engagement

 

The formal design review portion of meetings would be open to the public as observers.  There however would not be any public delegations as the focus of the meeting will be to discuss the proposed project design between the proponent and the Panel in the context of the proponent’s response to the City’s design objectives. The Pre-consultation component of the Panel review will be closed to the public to protect the business interests of the applicant.

 

In addition, the agendas and minutes of the meetings will be posted on Ottawa.ca to provide increased accessibility for the public on the design matters being discussed and to raise public awareness of the importance of urban design. All public comments garnered through the normal review process would be considered by staff in finalizing the design of the development through the Site Plan Control approval process.

 

RURAL IMPLICATIONS

 

All projects proposed on Village mainstreets and in Village core areas as identified as Design Priority Areas in the Official Plan will be subject to formal design review with Panel review required for those projects meeting the panel review thresholds.  Projects not meeting the panel review thresholds would be subject to staff design review and approval as part of the normal site plan approval process.   

 

CONSULTATION

 

In the preparation of this report the following consultation was undertaken:

 

•         Consultation on the Design Priority Areas was undertaken with the community through the Official Plan review (2007-2009);

•         Meetings with existing and former members of the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Review Pilot Project;

•         Meetings and correspondence with the Toronto, Vancouver, and National Capital Commission design review panel support staff;

•         Meetings with Members of Council;

•         A discussion paper was circulated to the development industry, technical agencies, and community members with an expressed interest in urban planning and design matters;

•         Review by the National Capital Commission (NCC) on how this process will integrate with NCC review on federal lands; and

•         Meetings with staff of the Infrastructure Services Department

 

COMMENTS BY THE WARD COUNCILLOR(S)

 

N/A

 

LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

 

The legal authority to implement this program is found in Official Plan amendment No. 76, which is currently before the Ontario Municipal Board for approval. 

 

 

CITY STRATEGIC PLAN

 

Planning and Growth Management Priority

 

Objective #1:   Manage growth and create sustainable communities by:

                        - Becoming leading edge in community and urban design

-          Ensuring that new growth is integrated seamlessly with established communities

 

Objective #4:   Preserve Ottawa’s rural villages

 

TECHNICAL IMPLICATIONS

 

N/A

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

Funds are available in the 2010 Operating Budget, account no. 112748: Development Review Urban Services, in the amount of $100,000 for the expansion of the peer review process established for the downtown under the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy (DOUDS) to Design Priority Areas established in the Official Plan. 

 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

 

Document 1    Design Priority Areas

Document 2    Ottawa Urban Design Review and Approval process

Document 3    City projects subject to Ottawa Urban Design Panel review

Document 4    Ottawa Urban Design Review Panel Submission Requirements

 

DISPOSITION

 

Upon approval by Council, staff in the Planning and Growth Management Department will undertake the following actions:

 

•         Bring forward an Official Plan amendment and the required amendments to the Site Plan Control by-law in July 2010 to implement the formalized design review process commencing September 6, 2010

•         Develop Panel selection criteria and undertake recruitment of Panel membership. Seek approval of Panel membership by Planning and Environment Committee before September 6, 2010

•         Development of design review process materials (Design Brief, Design Memorandum, and supporting documentation for the applicant) and admistrative procedures before September 6, 2010

•         Work with Corporate Communications staff to develop an interactive and profile component for the Ottawa Urban Design Review Process on Ottawa.ca

•         Implement the Ottawa Urban Design Review Process for all rezoning applications requresting increased building height and/or density and for all Site Plan Control applications received after September 6, 2010 within the Design Priority Areas

•         Implement the Ottawa Urban Design Review Process for all City projects within the Design Priority Areas as of September 2010

DESIGN PRIORITY AREAS                                                                              DOCUMENT 1

 

Design Priority Areas identified in Section 2.5.1 of Official Plan Amendment No. 76

 

The City recognizes the following lands as Design Priority Areas in support of this Plan’s objectives to direct growth, to protect and enhance the character and sustainability of Ottawa’s many mixed-use communities, and to provide a focus for coordinating urban design efforts and enhancements:

 

a.       Downtown Precincts as defined by the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy (DOUDS);

b.      Traditional and Arterial Mainstreets as identified on Schedule B of this Plan;

c.       Mixed Use Centres as identified on Schedule B of this Plan;

d.      Other areas with special design needs such as the mainstreets within Villages designated on Schedule ‘A’ of the Official Plan, in Volume 2C of the Official Plan, community core areas identified in community design plans or secondary plans approved by City Council, or other areas identified from time to time by City Council.

 

 

 OTTAWA URBAN DESIGN REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS       DOCUMENT 2

 

Formal design review and approval will be required for all development within the Design Priority Areas as identified in the Official Plan. This includes the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy Area, Traditional and Arterial Mainstreets, Town Centres, Mixed Use Centres, Village Mainstreets and community core areas identified in Community Design Plans or Secondary Plans. 

 

The Ottawa Urban Design Review Panel will review all new Zoning By-law applications where there is a request for a change in density or height and all Site Plan control applications in these areas with the following exceptions:

 

 

Projects as described in the foregoing that do not meet the threshold for design review by the Design Review Panel will be subject to formalized design review and approval by Planning and Growth Management staff as part of the site plan approval process.

 

Projects subject to Ottawa Urban Design Review Panel review will be subject to the following design review process:

 

1.                  Mandatory pre-consultation with City Staff on the development concept (focus on City design objectives);

 

2.                  Pre-consultation session (Session #1) with Ottawa Urban Design Review Panel;

 

3.                  Submission of Design Brief to City staff by the proponent based on template provided by the City as part of a complete development approvals application;

 

4.                  Design Memorandum prepared by City staff based on the Design Brief, Official Plan, Community Design Plan, Secondary Plan, Urban Design Guidelines;

 

5.                  Design review session (Session #2) scheduled with Ottawa Urban Design Review Panel and Design Memorandum is circulated to all parties (including any updated information provided by the proponent);

 

6.                  Design Review meeting with Ottawa Urban Design Review Panel with recommendations made based on criteria established by City and Urban Design Review Panel;

 

7.                  Ottawa Urban Design Review Panel recommendations are incorporated into the Site Plan Agreement. 

 

Following the design review meeting, staff would work with the proponent to achieve project modifications that respond to the Panel’s recommendations.  Where agreement is reached on the design modifications to be made, the proponent would finalize their project design, which would then be approved by staff as part of the Site Plan approval in accordance with the authority provided by Bill 51.  The obligation of the developer to build in accordance with the approved building drawings would be set out in the Site Plan Agreement. 

 

Where the proponent disagrees or is not willing to implement the modifications requested by staff to respond to the Panel’s recommendations, the authority for the project approval (both Site Plan approval and design) would be referred to Planning and Environment Committee.

 

Where an application for a zoning change for an increase in height and/or density is made, but such application is submitted without a companion Site Plan Control application, the actual design approval for the project would not be given until the required Site Plan Control application is submitted and approved.  In these cases, final zoning or Official Plan amendment approval would be withheld or holding provisions would be put in place until the formal Site Plan application is submitted.  The site plan would then be subject to formal panel design review prior to approval being given.

 

Given that two review processes would be required if proponents do not submit a site plan application with a rezoning application and/or OPA application, applicants will be encouraged to submit their site plan and zoning/OP amendment applications at the same time to allow all applications to be dealt with through one design review process.

 

 

 

          DOCUMENT 3

 

CITY PROJECTS SUBJECT TO OTTAWA URBAN DESIGN PANEL REVIEW

 

 

 

The following City projects within Design Priority Areas will be subject to Panel review. Projects to be reviewed are as follows:

 

 

City park development projects are exempted from this process as they are already subject to a detailed design process involving extensive community input.

 

City staff will be required to meet with the Panel prior to the Environment Assessment or project scoping and then meet again with the Panel again in the preliminary design phase. This will enable the project manager to determine the financial implications of the Panel’s recommendations prior to public consultation.

 

 

                                                                                                                                  DOCUMENT 4

 

OTTAWA URBAN DESIGN PANEL REVIEW SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

 

Session 1 (Pre-consultation meeting)

 

 

Session 2 (Design review meeting)