OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT DOCUMENT 2
Utilisation du sol
INDEX
The
Statement of Components
Purpose
Location
Basis
Introductory Statement
Details of the Amendment
THE
STATEMENT OF COMPONENTS
PART A – THE PREAMBLE, introduces the actual Amendment but does not constitute part of Amendment No. X to the City of Ottawa Official Plan
PART B – THE AMENDMENT, consisting of the following text and maps constitutes the actual Amendment No. X to the City of Ottawa Official Plan.
PART C - THE APPENDIX, does not form part of the Amendment but is provided to clarify the
intent and to supply background information related to the Amendment.
PART A - THE PREAMBLE
Table of Contents
2.0 Location
3.0 Basis
4.0 Introduction
4.1The Planning Area
4.2 Objectives
4.3 Community Collaboration and Issues
4.4 Background History
4.5 Demographics
5.0 Policy
Overview – City of Ottawa Official Plan
5.1 Compatibility and Community Design
5.2 Official Plan Designations
6.0 Existing Conditions and Issue Analysis
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Land Use
6.3 Heritage
6.4 Open Space, Parks, Community Facilities and Schools
6.5 Zoning
7.0 Transportation
and Utility Infrastructure
7.1 Road Network
7.2 Transportation/Traffic Studies
7.3 Bicycle Routes
7.4 Transit
7.5 Infrastructure
7.5.1 Water
7.5.2 Sanitary Sewers
7.5.3 Stormwater Management
7.5.4 Conclusions
8.0 Existing Challenges and
Opportunities
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Sector Characteristics
1.0 Purpose
The purpose of Amendment No. X is to add the Richmond Road/Westboro CDP to the Official Plan as a Secondary Plan. This Secondary Plan will provide Official Plan policy guidance on Council’s direction on the future development of the area.
2.0 Location
The lands affected by the amendment are shown on Map 1 below.
3.0 Basis
On June 28, 2005 Planning and Environment Committee approved the terms of reference for the Richmond Road/Westboro Community Design Plan (CDP). The planning study had been previously requested by the Committee in response to three development applications along Richmond Road. In addition, two community associations in the area requested that a CDP study be undertaken in order to have a plan in place to guide future development.
The goal of the study was to develop a broad and integrated twenty-year vision for the Richmond Road/Westboro area in order to guide both private development and the undertaking of public works. The study commenced in September 2005 and was completed in April 2007.
On June 9, 2007, City Council approved the Richmond Road/Westboro CDP and directed that it be conferred secondary plan status in order to recognize the importance of the contributions of the community at large in developing their community vision while respecting the call for intensification within the Official Plan.
This Amendment is divided into three main sections which have been extracted from the Council-approved CDP document, as follows: Part A - Preamble, provides background information on the Planning Area as it is today; Part B – The Amendment, contains the planning strategy, which will become the Secondary Plan; and, Part C - the Appendix, which does not form part of the Amendment but contains the CDP implementation measures, design guidelines and illustrations on how Richmond Road/Westboro could look like in the future in keeping with the policies of the CDP. The Amendment reflects the recommended framework for CDPs as described in Policy 2.5.6 of the City of Ottawa Official Plan, as amended by OPA Number 28, and as further refined in the Terms of Reference.
4.0 Introduction
The purpose of a CDP, on which the Secondary Plan is based, is to translate the principles and policies of the Official Plan to the community level. CDPs must therefore conform to the Official Plan. They are to provide an opportunity for the early involvement and discussion by all parties about how future development should occur in a community.
The CDP was also based on the Official Plan 20/20 Guiding Principles. Of particular importance to Richmond Road/Westboro are the Principles promoting:
The planning area is divided into nine sectors, as described in Section 8.1, in order to address the distinct issues applicable to each sector. It was a challenge at times to have a full discussion of the broad issues affecting the entire planning area because of its large size and diversity.
4.2 Objectives
The following objectives for the Richmond
Road/Westboro area established the basis for the policies set out in the CDP:
·
To consider the CDP as the backbone for
any significant change in the community, in keeping with the Official Plan and
other related urban design principles;
·
To identify appropriate locations for
intensification and infill that will be compatible with adjacent land uses,
such as in the vicinity of the Westboro Transitway Station;
·
To ensure that infill development is
well-integrated and compatible in scale and character with existing
neighbourhoods;
·
To create an attractive,
pedestrian-friendly built environment;
The preparation of the Richmond Road/Westboro Community Design Plan involved the participation of numerous dedicated people from the surrounding community, representing a wide variety of interests, including the community associations, condominium associations and residents from the surrounding neighbourhoods, the Westboro BIA, and the NCC. All these groups collaborated in the preparation of the Plan and were represented on the Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) under the leadership of City Councilors Shawn Little (2005-06), Christine Leadman (2007-) and Alex Cullen. At four PAC meetings, property developers attended in order to make presentations for specific sites.
The PAC generally supports the recommendations of the CDP. Where the PAC does not agree with the recommendations for an individual property, it is noted in the text, with a rationale.
Prior to the CDP study getting underway, a Richmond Road corridor community workshop was held in June 2005. The workshop established a vision for the future development of the Richmond Road corridor - “mixed-use development at a human scale” - and criteria addressing building heights and setbacks, streetscaping, pedestrians, parking, and land use. The workshop focused on two sections of Richmond – between Tweedsmuir and Island Park Drive and between Sherbourne and Golden. Although the workshop findings contributed to many of the recommendations of the Richmond/Road/ Westboro CDP, it was recognized following the workshop that the CDP would need to look at a larger geographic area than considered by the workshop participants. The PAC membership was expanded to include Woodroffe North, Woodpark and Ambleside community representatives.
The main CDP
consultation events included:
·
First Public Open House to introduce the
study (November 29, 2005). This open house was held jointly with the Richmond
Road Widening Environmental Assessment study (before it was cancelled) and the
McKellar Park/Highland Park/Westboro Area Traffic Management Study. Attendance in excess of 500;
·
Community Workshop- March 8, 2006
·
Second Public Open House (April 3, 2006)
to review the preliminary vision and the results of the workshop. Attendance in
excess of 300;
·
Third Open House (March 22, 2007) to
review the draft CDP. Attendance in
excess of 200.
4.3.1
First Public Open
House – Issue Identification
The following
are the highest ranked issues identified by those who filled out comment sheets
from the first open house:
·
Preserve the scale and character of
existing neighbourhoods;
·
Preserve, enhance and extend green space
and recreational facilities, including Byron Tramway Park as a green buffer and
pedestrian link;
·
Provide urban design guidelines;
·
Improve pedestrian/cycle links;
·
Ensure compatibility of new development;
·
Provide a land use plan;
·
Define character, scale and mix of uses
for Richmond Road and Scott Street.
4.3.2
Community Workshop and
Second Open House – Preliminary Vision
The following
were the main comments from the community workshop and second open house:
·
Preserve/enhance green space including
all of the Atlantis-Selby and Rochester Field/Maplelawn lands;
·
A range of opinions for the preliminary
vision’s maximum building heights, including some reductions proposed in
specific sectors;
·
Existing Transitway stations are
appropriate locations for intensification;
·
Building form, massing setbacks,
shadowing and other urban design issues are important in considering
intensification proposals;
·
Avoid creating a wall of medium/high rise
buildings that block views to the Ottawa River and overshadow existing low
profile neighbourhoods;
·
Richmond Road is not a traditional
mainstreet like Westboro Village over its whole length and each sector has a
distinct character;
·
Revise unifying vision/overall
strategies/principles by adding statements on liveable communities, enhancing
transit, green pedestrian/cycle links, add to/enhancing green space, links to
other neighbourhoods, Ottawa River as a unifying community backbone;
·
Need traffic and servicing impact
analysis of preliminary vision.
4.3.3 Third Open House – Draft Community Design
Plan
Comments on the
draft community design plan from the third open house and public/technical
circulation included the following:
·
Must confirm absolutely the preservation
of Atlantis-Selby as green space;
·
Additional greenspace, community parks
with active uses should be a priority;
·
CDP proposal for moderate intensification
is good and not overwhelming;
·
Intensification should only be allowed if
existing roadway infrastructure can support it- no high rises
·
Concern about cut-through traffic on
streets south of Richmond;
·
Recognition of the need to increase use
of transit, with some concern regarding the feasibility of achieving a 40%
transit modal share target;
·
Much improved concept from previous open
house;
·
The City should find small pockets of
greenspace in this area and work to have these areas zoned so that trees may be
planted to enhance the streetscape;
·
Support improved bicycle and pedestrian
links and westward extension of Byron Tramway Park;
·
Add CDP as a Secondary Plan to the
Official Plan.
4.4 Background History
The Westboro area began as ribbon development along Richmond Road in the mid-late 1800s. (Elliot, Bruce S. The City Beyond, 1991). However, Woodroffe North has the distinction of being the first settlement in 1809. All Saints Anglican Church was built in 1865, followed by the Skead’s Mills post office in 1874 and the Nepean Town Hall in 1896. In 1899 the post office was renamed Westboro and the Ottawa Electric Railway began work on a streetcar line. Development at first was slow, but by 1905 a population of 500 allowed the area to acquire police village status. Development of Richmond Road commercial uses, adjoining residential areas and industrial uses continued in ensuing decades. In 1950 the Westboro area was officially annexed to the City of Ottawa.
Richmond Road 1920s
During the 1970s City Council adopted the position that citizens should be involved in the shaping of their communities. A development plan for the Westboro area was begun in the late 1970s and was approved by City Council in early 1980. The Plan established land use and zoning provisions as well as transportation and social policies for the area. The Plan’s key principles were included in the former City of Ottawa Official Plan in 1991. However, they were not carried forward into the new Official Plan adopted by City Council in 2003.
The CDP was undertaken because several rezoning applications for substantial increases in maximum building height were viewed by the neighbouring residential communities as being incompatible with the existing character of Richmond Road and adjacent residential uses. Also, the area lacked a vision to guide future development and no analysis had been undertaken on the cumulative impacts of intensification on Richmond Road and the surrounding communities. Preservation of existing green space was another significant community issue. Development trends in other areas in other parts of the city prompted local community groups to work together to ensure that, though the preparation of a CDP, future development would be more compatible with existing uses and green spaces would be preserved and expanded.
4.5 Demographics
The actual population of the planning area is 8910 (2006 estimate, based on the number of dwelling units). However, the Richmond Road/Westboro planning area boundaries do not coincide with the applicable census tracts. Thus for the demographic analysis, a larger area had to be considered, with a population of close to three times that of the planning area (see Table 1).
Table 1 - Demographics - Planning Area and Surrounding Neighbourhoods |
|||
Census Year (Stats.
Can.) |
Population |
Age Group
Percentages (0-19,
20-64, 65+) |
Dwellings |
1976 |
25,118 |
Not Available |
Not Available |
1981 |
23,816 |
19%, 62% 19% |
10,700 |
1986 |
23,809 |
18%, 60%, 22% |
10,970 |
1991 |
24,145 |
18%, 59%, 23% |
11,420 |
1996 |
25,011 |
19%, 59%, 22% |
11,790 |
2001 |
25,216 |
19%, 60%, 21% |
12,040 |
2006 |
25,536 |
|
12,235 |
2011** |
31,967 |
|
16,261 |
2021** |
31,625 |
|
16,760 |
** City of Ottawa Projections |
The census tract areas are in many respects typical of inner city/inner suburban areas in Ottawa. Since 1976 these are has undergone, and are projected to undergo, changes highlighted by the following:
·
Between 1976 and 1991 the population
shrank by 1,309 (5.2%) while between 1981 and 1991 the number of dwellings
increased by 720 (6.7%). The decline in
population despite an increase in dwelling units is mostly due to declining
household size;
·
The percentage of youth, adults and
seniors making up the total population did not change significantly between
1981 and 2001;
·
Population projections between 2001
and 2011 show an increase of 5,550 (21%) and then stabilizing, reflecting intensification
and infill development that has taken and will take place.
5.0 Policy Overview - City of Ottawa Official Plan
5.1 Compatibility and Community Design
The City’s growth management strategy,
set out in the Official Plan, includes intensification of development in the
urban area over the next 20 years.
However, the Official Plan also notes that introducing new development
in existing neighbourhoods that have developed over a long period of time
requires a sensitive approach to differences between new development and the
established area. In this regard, the
Official Plan sets out strategic directions to ensure the compatibility of new
development in established communities.
In the Official Plan, compatible
development is defined as development which, although not necessarily the same
as or similar to existing nearby built form, must co-exist with it without
causing undue adverse impact on surrounding properties. In the planning area, these include overlook,
shadowing, existing views, increased noise, traffic and infrastructure impacts,
particularly where Richmond Road and Scott Street properties abut mature and
established low profile residential neighbourhoods.
A new vision for an area established
through the CDP will provide guidance for development to address compatibility
and to evolve toward achievement of that vision while respecting overall
community character. The Richmond
Road/Westboro CDP policy, design guidelines and zoning recommendations were
developed in keeping with these Official Plan policy directions.
5. 2 Official
Plan Designations (see Map 2)
Richmond Road between Island Park Drive and the Ottawa River Parkway and Scott Street between Island Park Drive and Churchill are designated as Traditional Mainstreets in the Official Plan. Such streets offer significant opportunities for renewal and intensification through more compact forms of development, a lively mix of uses and a pedestrian-friendly environment. The September 2006 Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) decision confirmed the Traditional Mainstreet designation.
Traditional Mainstreets, such as Westboro Village, described in the next section, are generally developed prior to 1945, typically within a tightly knit urban fabric. Buildings are often low profile and mixed use, with narrow frontages and are set close to and address the street in a more pedestrian-oriented and transit-friendly environment.
Some Traditional Mainstreets, built after 1945, display a blend of these traditional characteristics and those of Arterial Mainstreets (e.g., larger lots and buildings, auto orientation). Richmond Road west of Golden Avenue and Scott Street fit this category to varying degrees. Richmond Road adjacent to the Woodroffe North community had more of the characteristics of a pre-1945 Traditional Mainstreet. Redevelopment over the years has resulted in a greater automobile orientation. The policies of the CDP, in keeping with the Official Plan and the Zoning By-law, promote redevelopment that is more pedestrian oriented and locates buildings closer to the street. Over time, the community anticipates that residential and compatible commercial uses will provide residents with a range of services to meet most of their needs within walking distance.
The surrounding residential neighbourhoods are designated General Urban Area, which permits a full range of housing types in combination with conveniently located local employment, service, cultural, leisure, entertainment and institutional uses. Because of the broad nature of this designation, the Zoning By-law will establish more specific lists of permitted uses and development regulations in order to achieve compatibility. New development must relate to existing community character, and enhance and build upon desirable established patterns and built form. Residential intensification should help achieve a balance of housing types and tenures to provide a full range of housing for a variety of demographic profiles.
The open space
lands along the Ottawa River and the Ottawa River Parkway are designated Major
Open Space and Urban Natural Features.
Major Open Spaces are large parks and open space corridors along the
Ottawa and Rideau Rivers and parkway corridors, among others. Of note is Rochester Field/Maplelawn,
currently designated as Major Open Space (subject of an outstanding NCC appeal
to the OMB) and also subject of an Official Plan Amendment, refused by City
Council on June 8, 2005, to redesignate it as General Urban Area. Further discussion of this parcel is found
in Section 6.4.
Urban Natural
Features are natural landscapes and may include woodlands, wetlands
watercourses and ravines. The three
Urban Natural Features designations are Riverside Park Woods south of the
Ottawa River Parkway immediately to the west of the Jules Leger Centre,
Champlain Bridge Woods on the north side of the Parkway and Des Chenes Lookout
in the westerly part of the CDP area.
6.0 Existing Conditions and Issue Analysis
6.1 Introduction
Map 3 illustrates existing conditions in the overall planning area and some of the related issues that are discussed in the Plan. Among the issues identified are:
· Maintaining the character of established residential areas;
· Identifying key sites/areas subject to potential redevelopment or whose future use is in question;
· Reinforcing the Westboro Village mainstreet character;
· Enhancing the parks and open space network;
· Reducing barriers to pedestrian movement;
· Addressing discontinuity in the urban fabric between residential and non-residential uses;
· Encouraging redevelopment of non-mainstreet related uses; and,
·
Improving
access to the Ottawa River greenspace lands.
6.2
Land Use
Richmond Road/Westboro is a diverse area (See Map 4 – Land Use), containing a mix of residential housing types and densities, retail, office, institutional and industrial uses as well as an open space network along the Ottawa River, mostly owned by the NCC.
Westboro Village, on Richmond Road between Tweedsmuir and Roosevelt, features pedestrian-oriented, low profile and mixed-use buildings that are mostly two storeys and located close to the street, with a few exceptions. Just to the east is a major recent development, the Great Canadian Superstore, on the block bounded by Richmond, Tweedsmuir and Kirkwood. In order to help extend the pedestrian orientation of the Village eastward, the building was located close to the sidewalk. Westboro Village has been undergoing a renaissance in recent years and has attracted a number of businesses specializing in outdoor recreation, such as Mountain Equipment Co-op. Light industrial uses are located along McRae Avenue between Scott Street and Richmond Road. The Canadian Banknote Company is a prominent industrial use on Richmond at Kirkwood. A mix of low profile retail, automotive-oriented uses and heritage buildings are found between Kirkwood and Island Park Drive.
Institutional uses are represented by the Soeurs de la Visitation Convent and Hilson Avenue School. Low–rise residential, mostly detached housing, is found in the remaining blocks between Scott and Byron in the Westboro neighbourhood.
West of Golden, the street takes on a blend of Traditional and Arterial Mainstreet characteristics. Low, medium and high- rise residential uses are mixed with one-story retail strips, individual stores and automotive-oriented businesses. A NCC-owned greenspace, Rochester Field/Maplelawn, extends down to and fronts on Richmond Road. City Council approval in 2004 and early 2005 of rezonings for three new medium and high-rise residential condominium projects confirmed a need to undertake a CDP for the area in order to provide land use and design guidance for potential future infill development. To the west of Rochester Field/Maplelawn, as far as Parkway Terrace (727 Richmond), is a mostly low-medium profile, low to medium density residential district, with no commercial uses.
Continuing westward, in the Woodroffe North area,
medium profile apartment buildings are mixed with a broad range of local
commercial services, including retail, restaurants and auto dealerships along
Richmond Road. Some of these existing commercial uses are
located at the ground level in apartment buildings, while others
are in one-storey strip malls or single use
buildings. Over the last three
decades many detached houses were replaced with commercial uses and medium
profile apartment buildings.
Richmond Road
–Woodroffe North Area
To the north of Richmond Road are two land use types,
the Unitarian Church campus and the Woodroffe North low profile residential
community. The only infill development in the Woodroffe North community
occurred in the early 2000s with the creation of the Woodroffe Walk subdivision
along the former CPR right-of-way. Its
creation removed most of the green buffer between this community and Richmond
Road businesses and placed new homes in close proximity or adjacent to the rear
yards of commercial uses along Richmond Road.
Several factors have contributed to the current
development mix in Woodroffe North. The area has not benefited from
a secondary planning exercise to determine the appropriate mix of uses.
Numerous site-specific exceptions to existing zoning have also
contributed significantly to the current mix of land uses.
Automobile-oriented uses are not permitted under the existing zoning and are
either non-conforming or are allowed through a Zoning By-law exception. There were strong objections from the
residential communities on both sides of Richmond Road to these exceptions. All of the above have contributed to the current
blending of Traditional Mainstreet characteristics and uses with those
associated with Arterial Mainstreets.
The most western part of the CDP area is
Ambleside, a high profile residential community with a mix of mostly
automotive commercial uses and high profile apartment buildings along
Richmond Road. The increase in traffic
from this concentration of units resulted in most of the north-south streets in
neighbouring Woodpark, south of Richmond, to be blocked off in order to
minimize cut-through traffic. Future intensification in the planning area
should not create a situation where other neighbourhoods are blocked off
similar to Woodpark. The scale of Ambleside also raised concerns from nearby
communities that future intensification along Richmond Road should be more
compatible with their adjacent low profile neighbourhoods. That is an objective
shared by the CDP.
North of Westboro Village, Scott Street between Island Park Drive and Churchill is a street in transition. Existing industrial and automotive uses are starting to be replaced by retail shops and residential mixed-use developments more typical of a Traditional Mainstreet. Scott has development only on the south side, as the north side of the street borders the Transitway.
Westboro Area Houses
North of Scott, the Westboro Beach neighbourhood is a mix of low, medium and high profile residential, ranging from detached houses and townhouses to high-rise apartments, culminating in the 32-storey Metropole condominium, the tallest building in Ottawa. Other large parcels are occupied by the Jules Leger Centre, a provincial special needs school operated out of the former Champlain High School, and the former CBC building on Lanark Avenue, now used for federal office space. Lastly, the City operates the Bloomfield Yards just east of Churchill.
Area Statistics: Total area: 2.7 sq. km. • Richmond Road: 4.5 km
(between Ottawa River Parkway and Island Park Drive) •Westboro Village + area
to Island Park Drive): 1.4 km (between Golden and Island Park Drive) • Scott Street: 0.8 km
(between Churchill and Island Park Drive • Population: ± 8910 • Number of dwellings: ± 5260 • Gross density:
minimum - 15 units/ha maximum - 195 units/ha • Total commercial floor
area on Richmond Road between Island Park Drive and Ottawa River Parkway ± 82,500 sq m • Number of commercial
establishments on Richmond from Island Park Drive to Ottawa River
Parkway ± 180 Total greenspace (including Ottawa River
Parkway Corridor): 9.9 ha/ 1000
residents •Total greenspace
(excluding Ottawa River Parkway
Corridor/Rochester Field):
2.0 ha/ 1000 residents
6.3 Heritage
Within the Richmond Road/Westboro area, there are four buildings designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act: McKellar/Bingham House; Maplelawn; Nepean Town Hall; and, the Ayleen/Henry House, all on Richmond Road, as shown on Map 2. Many other buildings of heritage interest in Category 1 and Category 3 are included on the City’s Heritage Reference List. The Reference List does not represent a comprehensive inventory of potential heritage resources in the area and the list will likely be augmented in the future.
Maplelawn Heritage Building
6.4 Open Space, Parks, Community Facilities and Schools
An open space corridor, mostly owned by the NCC, runs along both sides of the Ottawa River Parkway and extends on the north side of the Parkway to the Ottawa River. The corridor includes recreational pathways and community facilities, such as Westboro Beach (see Map 5).
The NCC’s 2006 Ottawa River Parkway Corridor Cultural Landscape Study identified three primary cultural features that gives the Parkway corridor national importance and a distinctive, Canadian sense of place: 1) the close physical relationship between the corridor and the Ottawa River, a river of prime importance in the history of the country; 2) the Parkway’s role as an entrance to the symbolic core of the Capital; and 3) the Parkway’s historic role, including its alignment, details and affiliated landscape elements. A related study rated the visual quality of the Parkway corridor.
The Ottawa River Parkway limits access to the open space along the Ottawa River. Consequently, neighbourhoods treasure the more accessible open space on the south side of the Parkway, such as the Atlantis-Selby area, Rochester Field/Maplelawn and the Des Chenes Lookout. Other open spaces are found along the Byron Tramway Park (former streetcar right-of-way) between Richmond Road and Byron Avenue. The pathway in Byron Tramway Park ends in the Redwood/ Sherwood area and one of the issues to be addressed is the extension of this pathway westward, crossing Richmond Road to connect to the Parkway open space corridor.
Byron Tramway Park
Other neighbourhood parks, (including Roy Duncan, Mahoney, Lions, Ambleside and McEwen), provide play structures and other recreational facilities that serve the surrounding neighbourhood. However, the playing fields attached to the Jules Leger Centre, which were accessible to local residents when it was a high school, are no longer accessible, due to the safety requirements of the resident special needs student population.
The City has policies in place aimed at the preservation and improvement of existing parks and the development of additional parkland in established communities that are undergoing residential intensification. The Official Plan supports these policies by permitting cash-in-lieu of parkland funds generated in a community to be invested toward the improvement of park and recreational facilities in the same community.
Cash-in-lieu is only applicable when a development project cannot generate sufficient land through the parkland dedication requirements to create a viable park site without impacting the viability of the development (frequently the case in urban intensification projects). However, where an intensification project is adjacent to an existing park, the City will try to enlarge the park through the parkland conveyance route. Should the intensification project be at a scale that generates substantial cash-in-lieu funds, such funds may be applied directly towards the purchase of other lands in the community for park purposes.
The CDP established a maximum development potential of 3970 units if there were full build-out under the Plan’s recommendations. If the alternative requirements for parkland conveyance were used (one hectare/300 units), up to 13.2 hectares of additional parkland or cash-in-lieu equivalent could be added to the planning area under the full build-out scenario.
Given that Ottawa West, including the
planning area, is already deficient in City parkland and publicly accessible
open space, compared to the average across the urban area; and that
intensification will put additional pressures on outdoor recreational space,
the CDP proposes that the all of the Atlantis-Selby lands and the Rochester
Field parcel be preserved as green space.
The means of preservation will be determined via discussions among the
City, the NCC and affected community groups as an implementation measure of the
CDP. These discussions should also
consider needed recreational facilities in the planning area. Rochester Field was identified in a City
Sports Fields study as a possible location for a future sports field.
The NCC has the legislative authority for
planning of federally-owned lands in the city. At the time of writing of the CDP, the NCC was preparing an
Urban Lands Master Plan within the urban area to ultimately identify
appropriate land use for federal lands, including the above parcels. It is expected that this Plan would be part
of the above discussions on Rochester Field and Atlantis-Selby.
The City’s approved Community Infrastructure Strategy does not identify a need for a new community centre, given the approved level of service, in the Richmond Road/Westboro area, even with intensification. Residents are served by two existing community centres: Dovercourt Recreation Complex and Hintonburg Community Centre. Each of these modern facilities meets the full-service size for community centres (20,000 sq. ft.) and offers a range of activity spaces and programs to the community. Churchill Seniors Centre at 345 Richmond Road is another community facility.
During the preparation of the CDP, the issue
of the over-capacity of Dovercourt Recreation Complex and the
"under-use" of Churchill Seniors Centre was raised. The Community Infrastructure Strategy does
not support an expansion of Dovercourt, as this facility currently meets the
size guideline for community centres and indoor pools to service the
population. Any expansion of Dovercourt
would result in the loss of active parkland, namely, Westboro-Kiwanis
Park. In order to meet growing demand
for indoor community and recreational programs in Westboro, the City will have
to look at expanding programming in other facilities, such as the Churchill
Seniors Centre.
Both Public and Catholic elementary and secondary schools are located in, or in neighbourhoods bordering, the Richmond Road/Westboro area, as shown on Map 5. The Public School Board has a utilization rate of about 80% in the Ottawa West area, and even with intensification, this rate is projected to remain about the same. Should a particular school reach overcapacity, school attendance boundaries can be shifted to address this. Both school boards note that most infill residential development has been non-ground oriented, which generates few school-age children The Catholic School Board anticipates a declining utilization rate over the next decade, from 59% to 50% for its elementary schools, and 91% to 72% for its high schools in the planning area.
6.5 Zoning By-law
City Council adopted a new Comprehensive Zoning By-law (2008-250) on June 25, 2008. However, at the time of writing of this Plan it was awaiting approval of the Ontario Municipal Board. Thus, the Zoning By-law of the former City of Ottawa is also still in effect. The Zoning By-law implements the policies of the Official Plan.
The Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2008-250 establishes a TM-Traditional Mainstreet zone for Richmond Road and Scott Street that includes provisions to address compatibility issues adjacent to residential zones. For example, a 7.5-metre rear yard setback is required. Also, that part of a building abutting the rear yard must be stepped back from an R1, R2 R3 or R4 zone so that no part of the building projects beyond a 45 degree angular plane measured from the top of the fourth storey where it abuts the rear yard. These provisions are intended to ensure that new infill development on Traditional Mainstreets provides an appropriate transition to the adjacent lower density residential neighbourhoods.
The zoning
classifications of the existing former Ottawa Zoning By-law (with the
Comprehensive Zoning By-law 2008-250 designations in italics) applicable to the
Richmond Road/Westboro area are described below. Only the new by-law
classifications are shown on Maps 6a and 6b.
Of note are the numerous
exceptions and schedules which detail site-specific provisions applying
individual properties. When the new Zoning By‑law is approved by the OMB,
the former Ottawa Zoning By-law classifications will no longer apply.
At present, the Westboro Village area of Richmond Road, Churchill Avenue and the southeast corner of Scott and Churchill are generally zoned CN- Neighbourhood Linear Commercial, TM- Traditional Mainstreet, which permits a wide variety of retail, restaurant and community uses. Office uses, medical facilities, dwelling units and retirement homes are also permitted above the ground floor when the ground floor is entirely occupied by one of the uses listed previously. Much of the Westboro Village area has a height limit of 24 metres or eight storeys, which is an exception to the standard CN height limit of 18 metres or six storeys. There are no yard setbacks, unless abutting a residential zone.
Richmond Road, west of Golden Avenue, on the north side, has a mix of CG-General Commercial, TM-Traditional Mainstreet, and different residential zones. The CG zone allows both residential and commercial uses. Many of the properties under this zone have schedules describing the maximum permitted building heights. Other CG zones are found along the south side of Scott Street.
Residential zones vary from the low-density R1- Residential Detached, R1- Residential First Density, to R6-High-Rise Apartment, R5B–Residential Fifth Density, for developments such as the Metropole.
The industrial uses on McRae Avenue and the Canadian Banknote Company are zoned IS-Small-Scale Industrial, IG1- General Industrial, intended to permit existing low density industrial uses to continue to exist in residential areas.
Hilson Avenue School and the Soeurs de la Visitation Convent are zoned I1- Minor Institutional, I1- Minor Institutional, which accommodates neighbourhood-serving institutional uses.
7.0 Transportation and
Utility Infrastructure
7.1 Road Network
Richmond Road, Scott Street, Churchill Avenue between Scott and Richmond, and Woodroffe Avenue are designated as arterial roads in the Official Plan. Arterial roads serve through traffic between points not directly served by the road itself and limited direct access is provided to only major parcels of adjacent lands. Churchill Avenue south of Richmond Road is a major collector. Such roads serve neighbourhood travel between collector and arterial roads and may provide direct access to adjacent lands. Churchill north of Scott, Lanark, Broadview and Byron Avenues are collectors - roads that serve neighbourhood travel to and from major collector or arterial roads and usually provide direct access to adjacent lands. Island Park Drive and the Ottawa River Parkway are federally owned roads.
All other roads within the planning area boundaries are local roads that provide direct access to adjacent lands and serve neighbourhood travel to and from collector or arterial roads.
All the road classifications are subject to the transportation policies in Section 2.3.1 of the Official Plan in relation to transportation demand management, walking cycling, transit, right-of-way protection and parking.
Richmond Road has an existing developed right-of-way (ROW) of 13 metres in the west at Woodroffe to 19 metres at Golden. The Official Plan protects for a 26-metre ROW from Carling to Golden and 20 metres from Golden to Western. There is limited opportunity for increasing the ROW on the north side until near Cleary Avenue and westward, where strip plazas and car lots could be redeveloped and property acquired to increase the ROW for such things as bicycle lanes, wider sidewalks or transit priority measures. This would avoid cutting into Byron Tramway Park, which is not acceptable to the community and would be counter to the objectives of the Secondary Plan. However, as noted below in Section 4.2, the four-lane section could be narrowed to two or three lanes between Broadview and Fraser to allow for widened sidewalks.
Scott Street and Churchill Avenue also have ROW widenings protected for in the Official Plan.
7.2 Transportation/Traffic Studies
During the
preparation of the CDP, three transportation-related studies were being
conducted in the area. First, the
Richmond Road Widening Environmental Assessment began examining the potential
widening of Richmond Road to four lanes from Golden Avenue to Carling Avenue,
as per the policies of the City of Ottawa Transportation Master Plan
(TMP). However, City Council cancelled
the study, as part of the 2006 budget deliberations, after the first open house
had been held.
Secondly, the
McKellar Park/Highland Park/Westboro Area Traffic Management Plan is examining
existing cut-through and other local traffic issues on the streets south of
Richmond Road and is currently developing options to address these issues for
community review. An area concern,
shared by the PAC, is that cut-through traffic will increase as a result of
future intensification along Richmond Road.
The PAC would have liked the CDP and the area traffic management study
to have also examined and proposed measures to address such potential future increases.
With regard to the suggestion of broadening the scope of the McKellar Park Highland Park/ Westboro Area Traffic Management Plan to consider any spill-over traffic from potential redevelopment onto residential streets, it is important to recognize that area traffic management is primarily an operational process intended to address existing traffic issues deemed to be of a significant nature (i.e., not easily resolved through an operational review) within neighbourhoods. The typical recommendations of these studies are various traffic management measures (usually in the form of traffic calming) that are both warranted given current conditions, and supported by the community given these conditions. Such measures, however, often have secondary impacts, especially for area residents. Attempting to consider future issues based on development potential that may or may not occur over the 20-year perspective of the CDP/Secondary Plan, and implement measures based on these, would likely be problematic for everyone involved. As well, the McKellar Park Highland Park/ Westboro Area Traffic Management Plan is already well underway, and broadening the scope would significantly delay the study, and lead to additional frustrations for many of the people involved and concerned about today’s problems.
In addition, Transportation Impact Assessment (TIA) Guidelines, approved by Council in 2006, now require TIA studies, with varying degrees of complexity, as part of individual site plan/rezoning applications that meet the guideline targets or have operational concerns. TIAs evaluate, among other operational issues, the potential for community impacts resulting from the proposed development, with a focus on the potential for neighbourhood infiltration by site-generated traffic.
Traffic conditions are monitored on a
regular basis and if future problems do develop on a particular street, the
City will revisit these operational issues.
The third transportation study is the CDP transportation impact study, which examined the impact of full build-out under the existing zoning and the proposed CDP recommendations. This study differs from standard transportation impact studies in recognition that the usual approach was not as applicable to established neighbourhoods that are intensifying. The study departs from the underlying assumption that there is always enough space to provide additional roadway capacity. Instead, a higher transit modal share (TMS) target of 40% is proposed to accommodate the increased travel demand without having to increase roadway capacity. A combination of transit priority measures and facilities, improved pedestrian and cycling facilities and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs outlined below will be needed to help achieve the target. Since this is a new approach to transportation impact analysis, a transportation management implementation plan will need to be undertaken to examine in greater detail how the 40% target can be achieved and how the City and developers can implement the various measures.
The following is
a summary of the study findings:
7.3 Bicycle Routes
Schedule “C” in the Official Plan designates Island Park Drive, Scott to Roosevelt, Roosevelt to Richmond, and Richmond west of Roosevelt as part of the primary urban cycling transportation network. North of Scott Street there is an existing signed route crossing the Transitway using Kirchoffer and the underpass to Westboro Beach to connect to the Ottawa River Capital Pathway.
The cycling network also includes the off-road shared multi-use paths along the Ottawa River (Ottawa River Capital Pathway), along Scott, and in the Byron Tramway Park, although this path is interrupted between Eden and Golden as well as west of Redwood. An opportunity exists to extend this pathway west of Redwood to where Byron intersects with Richmond, across Richmond to Ambleside Park and connecting to the existing pathway to the Ottawa River Parkway west of Ambleside.
The 2008 Cycling
Plan adds to this network by adding bicycle lanes west of Golden (short term,
by 2015) and wide shared lanes east of Golden to Island Park Drive (long term
(2015-2025). The Cycling Plan
also recommends that Byron Avenue be equipped with wide shared lanes, with a
preferred width of 4.5 metres, exclusive of any space provided for on-street
parking, and that Scott Street be provided with cycling lanes east of Churchill
Avenue.
7.4 Transit
The transportation impact study concluded that the goal of increasing the TMS to 40%, which is greater than the 30% of the TMP, is essential to accommodate current and future travel without any major modifications to, or widenings of, the existing road network. TMS will increase only if the current level of transit service is improved in terms of accessibility and operating performance. Thus, an integrated strategy must be developed and implemented to introduce transit service improvements along the Richmond Road corridor. Similarly, appropriate location(s) for additional Transitway stations need to be identified to serve area residents. The combined impact of strategies and measures stemming from these studies would be decreased reliance by area residents on private vehicles.
Peak period, express, and regular bus routes run along the Transitway, with the Westboro and Dominion stations located in the planning area and Lincoln Fields station just to the southwest of the planning area. Peak period route 50 runs along Richmond eastward to Woodroffe and then joins the Transitway. Regular bus routes not on the Transitway include the Number 2 on Richmond and the Number 18 on Richmond west of Churchill. Other regular routes serving the area include Numbers 151, 16, 87 and 156. OC Transpo regularly reviews bus routes and adjusts services to accommodate demand.
The TMP references a potential Transitway station in the New Orchard area. Its primary purpose would be to provide Transitway access to existing residents in the Ambleside-McEwen area. Pedestrian access, physical site arrangements and other issues will need to be addressed before a decision can be made on the development of a new station in the New Orchard area, or elsewhere in the planning area.
Westboro Transitway Station
7.5 Infrastructure
The following infrastructure analysis was undertaken as part of the CDP study.
7.5.1 Water
The entire planning area is located within the PD-1W pressure zone. Increased domestic flow demand due to intensification can be easily accommodated by the existing water distribution system. Most locations within the planning area produce sufficient hydrant flows to meet the requirements of the building code to meet new construction. The two locations (99 New Orchard and McRae Avenue) where this may not be the case can be mitigated relatively simply at modest cost and minimum street disruption as part of future redevelopment.
The present local distribution
system is mainly from 50 to 80 years old, and largely consists of unlined cast
iron piping 152mm and 203mm in diameter.
Part of the existing watermain on Richmond Road was replaced with 305 mm
diameter pipe from Broadview to Island Park Drive between 2003 and 2005.
7.5.2 Sanitary Sewers
Richmond Road/Westboro drains to the West Nepean Collector, which is one of the City's largest sanitary sewer collectors, running along Scott Street, the Transitway and the Ottawa River Parkway. All potential intensification sites are at or near the downstream end of the sewer subcatchment areas draining to the Collector. None of these sites are routed through a pumping station since all are located on ground elevations that are high enough to avoid impact on local sewers from surcharging in the Collector during wet weather conditions.
A review of city-wide basement flooding during the rainfall event of
September 9, 2004 indicates that none of the properties considered for
intensification were subject to basement flooding resulting from City sewer
surcharging.
Existing
foundation and roof drainage plumbing connected to the sanitary sewer system
causes problems with extraneous flow to the system, and although the extent of
the problem cannot be quantified at this time, it is known from past experience
to be a significant volume of the peak flow during major wet weather
events. A positive result of
redevelopment in any form can be expected through the elimination of these
drainage connections to the sanitary sewers
7.5.3 Stormwater Management
Stormwater management will be required in the drainage area to ensure that peak flows in the storm sewers are not increased due to development. While the system age is largely 25 to 50 years, the design storm used was 1:5 years or less and as such, there is little or no capacity to accommodate increased peak run-off flow from redevelopment.
Consequently, due to these restrictions in available pipe capacity, it is expected that redevelopment will require on-site attenuation of storm runoff for major storms up to the 100‑year event in order reduce peak flows to the City storm sewer to a level that will match pipe capacity. This has been standard practice in Ottawa for several years and wherever it is implemented at the targeted sites it should provide a net benefit to the level of protection against surcharging and flooding in the City sewers.
Intensification within this
built-up area may provide limited opportunity for on-site stormwater quality
treatment; however, it should still be given consideration on a site-by-site
basis. The City is currently developing
a stormwater management strategy that will identify city-wide opportunities for
stormwater management retrofit to address stormwater quality concerns and other
stormwater management issues in the existing built-up drainage areas.
7.5.4 Conclusions
The extent of
land use intensification proposed in the CDP and the Secondary Plan can be
considered modest in comparison to more centrally located areas, and can be
serviced by existing City water and sewer infrastructure with a few exceptions
that will require upgrading and/or minor extension.
The following
can be concluded:
8.0
Existing Challenges and Opportunities
8.1
Introduction
Richmond
Road/Westboro is not a homogeneous area.
Different parts or sectors (see Map 7) have distinct
characteristics and issues that require distinct policy interventions. For example, despite Richmond Road and Scott
Street being designated Traditional Mainstreets in the Official Plan, the
character of Richmond Road changes substantially throughout its length in the
planning area. Further, Scott Street
has its own character distinct from Richmond Road.
The need for a common vision that is shared by local community
associations, area residents, property owners, City Council and staff,
regarding future redevelopment in an established community;
Improving access to the Ottawa River, considering the presence of three
transportation corridors presently dividing the community or otherwise limiting
access: Richmond Road outside Westboro Village, the Transitway, and the Ottawa
River Parkway;
Evaluating the appropriate level of intensification in the community,
considering both the overall capacity of the area to sustain new development,
and also the Official Plan intensification/ compatibility policies;
Identifying the distinguishing features of the community that should be
preserved along with opportunities for change;
Identifying the appropriate land uses that shall be permitted along
Richmond Road under the Traditional Mainstreet designation, considering both
its existing traditional and blended traditional/arterial mainstreet character;
Redefining an appropriate streetscape along distinct segments of the
mainstreet where existing built areas present an eclectic arrangement of land
uses, building sizes and setbacks. These include segments of Richmond Road to
the west and east of Westboro Village and along Scott Street;
Defining an appropriate scale for each of the sectors of the planning
area in order to guide future infill development and decisions regarding site
plan control, rezoning, and Committee of Adjustment applications;
Elaborating design guidelines to address compatibility issues, including
transition in building setbacks, height, footprint and massing along Richmond
Road and other areas, where appropriate;
8.2 Sector Characteristics
Table 2 below elaborates on these issues and describes the existing characteristics of each sector of the Richmond Road/Westboro area as shown on Map 7 on the previous page, as well as some of the distinct challenges and opportunities that each present.
Table 2 - Existing Characteristics, Challenges and Opportunities by Sector |
Sector |
Location |
Existing Characteristics |
Challenges and Opportunities |
Sector 1 – Ambleside Area |
Richmond Road between the Ottawa River
Parkway and the
eastern lot line of 1025 Richmond |
Existing high-density cluster
helps create a sense of community (± 3000). Staggered apartment building
layout on Ambleside Drive provides visual access to the Ottawa River. Park Place apartment building out of
scale with the adjacent Woodpark residential area to the south and the
Woodroffe North residential area to the east. |
Automobile-oriented
uses on Richmond Road – Need to create a better pedestrian orientation to the
street that enhances the image of the adjacent residential community. Existing
large building setbacks and inadequate street definition/ alignment, as well
as the design and height of some buildings, acts as a visual barrier between
the Ottawa River and Richmond Road. This building form should be avoided by
new infill. Opportunity
to address the lack of a pedestrian pathway and connection to the Ottawa River Parkway/ Transitway green space through Byron Tramway
Park. High-rise/high density development impacts on surrounding lower density/lower profile communities. |
Sector 2 – Woodroffe North |
Richmond Road between the eastern lot
line of 1025 Richmond and the eastern lot line of 747 |
Two areas behind the commercial/
residential properties fronting Richmond Road: Low profile Woodroffe North residential area; and the |
Opportunity
for mixed-use development to replace existing commercial uses that do not
contribute to a mainstreet character. Automobile-oriented
uses that remain |
Sector 2 – Woodroffe North |
Richmond |
Unitarian
Church campus The mix of commercial uses, some non-conforming, at ground level in apartment buildings, one storey strip malls, purpose-built single use buildings and two medium profile apartment buildings contribute to a sense of visual chaos along Richmond. Varying
depth and width of lots along Richmond that back onto a low profile
residential area limits future development opportunities. Auto-oriented uses, (both non-
conforming and exceptions to the permitted zoning) contribute to a pedestrian
unfriendly landscape. Access to the Ottawa River Parkway open
space. |
need
to create a better pedestrian orientation to the street that enhances the
image of the adjacent residential community. The compatibility/impact of future infill development along Richmond with the existing residential community. A streetscaping strategy to address
community concerns related to safety, access and appearance of the existing
undefined streetscape and commercial signage Provide a
westerly continuation of the pedestrian pathway in Byron Tramway Park. Community
opposed to any new street connections to Richmond Road. Development
approvals need to ensure an adequate transition between new development on
Richmond Road and existing low profile residential uses to the north. |
Sector 3 - Skead Street Area |
Richmond Road between the eastern lot
line of 747 Richmond and the rear lot lines of the lots on the east side of Fraser Avenue |
Townhouse development oriented away
from Richmond and detached dwellings facing the street. Some improvement in the landscaping of Byron Tramway Park (e.g., pathway and benches). McKellar/Bingham House (a designated
heritage building). |
Informal
secondary access points to the Ottawa River Parkway are mostly
private in nature. Limited
opportunities for infill development. |
Sector 4 – Maplelawn/495 Richmond |
Richmond Road between the rear lot
lines of the lots fronting the east side of Fraser and Dominion/ Golden
Avenues. |
Maplelawn
House and gardens, a landmark heritage site Six-storey
Amica of Westboro Park project -
appropriate infill in terms of scale. Rochester
Field provides visual opening towards the Ottawa
River Parkway corridor. |
Rogers building could be
redeveloped with mixed use in the long-term, taking advantage of its location
near the Dominion Transitway station. Retain Rochester
Field/Maplelawn’s green space presence on Richmond and behind 495 Richmond. Create a recreational pathway link to
the Ottawa River. |
Sector 5 – Westboro Village |
Richmond Road between Dominion/ Golden
Avenues and Tweedsmuir Avenue |
Diverse commercial mix of neighbourhood stores, specialty shops and public facilities. Building continuity (especially west of Churchill Avenue). Good building/street interaction and pedestrian orientation (particularly west of Churchill). Externally
lit commercial signage. |
Through
a streetscaping strategy and urban design guidelines, address the existing: ·
Inappropriate overhead lighting; ·
Location of street furnishings (lack of
space); ·
Temporary quality of landscaping; ·
Wide range of building quality, façade
materials and storefront designs; ·
Inadequate transition (backs of
buildings and parking lots) between commercial and residential use on Madison
Avenue; and ·
Inadequate transition between
apartment buildings on Dominion
and Berkley and the existing low profile residential fabric. |
Sector 6 - East Village |
Richmond Road between Tweedsmuir Avenue and Island Park Drive |
Impact
of the Great Canadian Superstore on the street. Concentration of heritage buildings on
south side of Richmond east of Kirkwood. |
Through
a streetscaping strategy and urban design guidelines, address:
|
Sector 6 - East Village |
|
Front lawn of Canadian Banknote building. Many lots on Richmond have shallow depths and back onto low
profile residential communities. |
Opportunity for new Traditional
Mainstreet-oriented, mixed-use development to replace existing industrial
uses, underused lots and car lots that do not contribute to a mainstreet
character. |
Sector 7 – Scott Street and Westboro
Transitway Station |
Scott Street and Westboro Transitway
Station area, including former CBC site. |
Presence
of a major Transitway station and Transitway corridor. Narrow
lot depth on the north side of Scott restricts future development
opportunities. Industrial
/auto-oriented uses create a pedestrian unfriendly landscape. |
Try
to improve the limited access to the Westboro Beach community north of the
Transitway corridor. Through
a streetscaping strategy, define the public space on south side of Scott,
which currently has no sidewalk and no street trees. Opportunity
for mixed-use/employment infill development on Scott to take advantage of the
proximity of the Transitway station. Recognize
the redevelopment and intensification opportunity presented by the former CBC
building site adjacent to the Transitway station, while addressing the issues
of compatibility and traffic impact on Lanark and other streets in Sector 8. |
Sector 8 – Westboro Beach/
Atlantis-Selby |
Area north of Scott Street to the
Ottawa River Parkway. |
High
profile area bordered to the west and east by a low profile residential
community. Access
to the south limited by Transitway corridor. Access
to the river and Westboro Beach limited by the Ottawa
River Parkway. |
Improve continuity between the east and west sectors of the community
and mitigate the barrier effects of further large-scale developments. Improve
pedestrian connections to the south across the Transitway and north to the
river across the Ottawa River Parkway. Determine
the future designation of, and the means by which, the Atlantis-Selby
greenspace will be preserved. |
Sector 8 – Westboro Beach/
Atlantis-Selby |
|
Island
Park Towers and Metropole
buildings - out of scale with the surrounding community. Limited
opportunities for infill development.
The Jules Leger Centre and the City’s Bloomfield Yards are long-term
existing land uses that could potentially be redeveloped at sometime in the
future for residential and/or community use. Highly
valued green spaces along the Ottawa River Parkway (Atlantis-Selby lands). |
Ensure
compatibility of new infill development with existing low profile areas of
the neighbourhood. |
Sector 9 – McRae Street and Churchill
Avenue |
Between Richmond Road and Scott Street |
No
sidewalks along McRae Avenue – Power lines and an industrial/parking lot
character detract. Churchill
– mixed low profile residential/ commercial uses. |
Inadequate
pedestrian linkages on these streets between Westboro Village and the
Transitway station. Opportunity
for new mixed-use/employment infill taking advantage of location between
Westboro Village and the Transitway station. |
PART B – THE AMENDMENT
1.0 The Introductory Statement
All of this part of this document entitled Part B – The Amendment, consisting of the following text, constitutes Amendment No.X to the City of Ottawa Official Plan.
2.0 Details of the Amendment
1. Annex 6, Urban Secondary Plans and
Site Specific Policies, to Volume 1 of the Official Plan for the City of Ottawa
is amended as per the attached Schedule D;
2. The Official Plan for the City of Ottawa, Volume 2A – Secondary Plans is amended by:
a. adding the following title to the Table of Contents:
b. adding the Richmond Road/Westboro Secondary Plan, as follows, after the Secondary Plan of the Former Village of Rockcliffe Park Official Plan:
1.0 Introduction/Planning Strategy
1.1 Planning Area
1.2 Unifying Vision, Overlying Objectives and Principles
a) Transportation Management Implementation Plan
b) Greenspace Network Strategy
Land Use Strategy and Building Profile
c) Sector 1 – Ambleside Area
d) Sector 2 - Woodroffe North
e) Sector 3 – Skead Street Area
f) Sector 4 - Maplelawn/495 Richmond
g) Sector 5 – Westboro Village
h) Sector 6 – East Village
Sector 7 - Scott Street and Westboro Transitway Station Area
i) Scott Street
j) Westboro Transitway Station Area
k) Westboro Beach/Atlantis-Selby
l) McRae and Churchill
m) Heritage Buildings
1.4 Interpretation
Richmond
Road/Westboro Secondary Plan
1.0 Introduction/Planning
Strategy
The Richmond Road/Westboro Secondary Plan is a guide to its long-term design and development, taking into consideration land use, urban design, zoning, transportation, existing streetscape conditions, compatibility of new development, and other issues of concern to the local communities. The Secondary Plan provides a framework for change that will see Richmond Road/Westboro as we know it today become Richmond Road/Westboro as we will know it tomorrow. A unifying vision and overlying objectives and principles set out the policy context for the specific sectoral strategies that focus on land use and building profiles, as well as a greenspace network strategy. This Secondary Plan is meant to be read and interpreted as City Council’s policy direction for municipal actions, particularly the undertaking of public works and the review of development proposals, city-wide and site-specific zoning changes and Committee of Adjustment applications.
The Secondary Plan is based on City Council’s July 9, 2007 approval of the Richmond Road/Westboro Community Design Plan (CDP), a joint staff-community effort to develop a vision for Richmond Road/Westboro as an attractive and viable place for all who shop, work or live in the area. The CDP provides detailed background information on existing conditions and community issues as well as land use policy and zoning recommendations. Development proposals and public works also need to consider the CDP’s urban design guidelines, proposed streetscaping improvements and other implementation measures.
In addition to the CDP, reference must be made to both the City of Ottawa Official Plan and this Secondary Plan for complete policy direction for the future development of the Richmond Road/Westboro area.
1.1 The Planning Area
Richmond Road/Westboro is bounded on the north by the Ottawa River, on the east by Island Park Drive, on the south by Byron Avenue and on the west by the southerly extension of the Ottawa River Parkway as shown on Schedule “A”. The planning area is part of, or is bounded by, several neighbourhoods that are influenced by their proximity to Richmond Road, including Westboro, Westboro Beach, Champlain Park, Hampton-Iona, Highland Park, McKellar Park, Woodroffe North, Woodpark and Carlingwood.
The following unifying vision, overlying
objectives and principles for Richmond Road/Westboro, set out the desired
future and broad policy direction for managing growth and achieving the vision
over the 20-year timeframe of the Plan.
This unifying vision derives
from four "Guiding Principles":
·
Retain
all useable public greenspace; increase greenspace where possible;
·
Increase
recreational facilities;
·
Ensure
the area develops in such a way as to ensure that it is pedestrian and cyclist
"friendly"; and,
· Preserve the scale and character of existing neighbourhoods and ensure the compatibility of new development.
Unifying
Vision
Richmond Road/Westboro, including Westboro Village, will continue to be
an attractive and liveable urban community, based on “green” principles
outlined in the Official Plan, with a wide mix of uses including employment,
neighbourhood services and facilities, a range of housing types and choices,
excellent transit service and well-designed, compact and inclusive development
that will enhance the area’s diversity and vibrancy. Compatible intensification will occur primarily on appropriate
sites on Richmond Road and Scott Street and adjacent to existing Transitway
stations.
Enhanced existing green spaces and facilities serve both local and
city-wide recreational needs. Excellent
pedestrian/cycle routes link Westboro Village, existing Transitway stations,
other adjacent neighbourhoods, and the Ottawa River open space network, which
acts as a green linear spine unifying the area.
Richmond Road
provides an important and continuous roadway link to the larger urban
community, both to the east, along Wellington Street, and to the west to
Carling Avenue. Other arterial and
collector streets provide key links to Richmond Road for the neighbourhoods to
the south.
Overlying Objectives and Principles
Objective One: Intensification
Principles:
o
Providing
appropriate setbacks and transition in building heights, including lower
heights along the edges of existing low profile residential areas,
o
Contributing to
the restoration of the urban fabric and helping promote transit usage. The
Westboro Transitway Station area has the greatest potential for
intensification/high profile buildings with appropriate transition to their
surroundings, while Dominion Station has more limited potential;
o
Conforming to the
maximum recommended building profiles for each sector. Medium and high profile buildings will be
limited to sites that are compatible with adjacent uses, such as the Ottawa
River Parkway open space, have deeper lots, or have other natural or manmade
separations enabling impacts associated with medium and high profile
development to be mitigated and where lesser heights abutting existing lower
profile buildings can be provided;
o
Conforming to the
Richmond Road/Westboro CDP design guidelines respecting built form, shared use
of facilities, more energy efficient buildings, setbacks, relationship of the
building to the adjacent neighbourhood’s character, and other criteria aimed at
achieving compatible intensification/ infill development while minimizing
impacts on adjacent residential neighbourhoods;
o Respecting a transition in building scale and density and compatibility of land use from Richmond Road to the Ottawa River Parkway in a north-south direction and along Richmond Road between different sectors in an east-west direction;
o Avoiding creating a wall of buildings by using periodic breaks in the street wall where appropriate or variations in building height, building setback and alignment to add interest to the streetscape and to provide space for activities along the sidewalk.
·
Preserve, enhance and add to the green space network that provides
access to the Ottawa River and serves local community needs.
Principles
7. Maintain a green buffer between the Ottawa River
Parkway and adjoining development;
Define Richmond Road as a sequence of distinct sectors each with its own individual character, including a traditional mainstreet, green gateways, residential areas, as well as residential and mixed-use intensification/infill developments at appropriate locations.
1.3 Policies
a) City Council shall undertake a Transportation Management Implementation Plan to examine how a 40% Transit Modal Share target can be achieved in the planning area and how the City and developers can implement the various transportation management measures proposed in the Richmond Road/Westboro CDP, including potential funding mechanisms.
b) City Council shall implement the greenspace network strategy for the planning area, as shown on Schedule “B”, by:
o Establishing Richmond Road and Byron Tramway Park as the gateway to the Ottawa River Parkway open space corridor;
o Ensuring the Richmond/Byron corridor reinforces the link between the planning area and the National Capital Commission (NCC) recreational pathway system through green streets and pathway connections;
o Applying the existing City policies concerning park preservation and improvement and the development of additional parkland in communities undergoing intensification, including investing cash-in-lieu of parkland funds generated by development towards the improvement of park and recreational facilities in the planning area;
o Restoring the Richmond Road streetscape through the enhancement of Byron Tramway Park and the provision of a new widened (where possible) and tree-lined sidewalk on the north side;
o Enhancing Byron Tramway Park with new trees and shrubs;
o Confirming all of the Rochester Field Maplelawn parcel and the Atlantis-Selby lands as major components of the greenspace network strategy and gateway to the Ottawa River Parkway open space corridor. The means of confirming these sites as green space is to be determined via discussions among the City, the NCC (the landowner with federal authority for land use planning of these sites) and the affected community groups;
o Transforming of key local streets, including Ambleside Drive, New Orchard, Woodroffe, Lockhart, Cleary, Berkley, Kirchoffer and Lanark Avenues into green streets through tree planting, landscaping, provision of two-metre sidewalks and dedicated on-road cycle lanes or signed cycle route designations, as appropriate.
Land Use Strategy and Building Profile
The Richmond Road/Westboro Secondary Plan land use strategy is based on the division of the planning area into distinct sectors as shown on Schedule “A”. The strategy sets out policy directives for each sector’s land use character and appropriate building profile. Schedule “C” graphically depicts the building profiles set out by the policies for key potential redevelopment sites in the planning area.
Sector 1 – Ambleside Area
c) City Council shall encourage the redevelopment of the automobile-oriented land uses along Richmond Road, and will support medium profile residential development with some ground floor neighbourhood-oriented commercial uses along Richmond Road to serve the 3000+ residents in this sector. Given the existing high profile nature of this sector, high profile residential development may be permitted internal to this sector provided that it can be integrated with the existing built form profile and that no adverse impacts for any adjacent low profile areas will result.
Sector 2 –Woodroffe North
d) City Council shall encourage the redevelopment of the
automobile-oriented and strip mall land uses along Richmond Road with low and medium
profile residential buildings with some ground floor neighbourhood-oriented
commercial uses to serve the residents in this sector. The designation of properties as low or
medium profile relates to the nature and profile of the land uses to the
north. In Sector 2, a low profile height
limit is generally appropriate for Richmond Road potential redevelopment sites
that are adjacent to, or in the influence area of, the low profile residential
neighbourhood north of Richmond Road. Where this is not the case, medium
profile residential development with some ground floor commercial will be
permitted when such development will not cause undue adverse impacts for
adjacent lands.
e) City Council shall protect the existing stable low profile residential character of this sector until such time as redevelopment opportunities in other sectors have been more fully realized.
(f) City Council shall:
(g) City Council shall:
Sector 6 – East Village
(h) City Council shall:
Scott Street
(i) City Council shall:
(j) City Council shall:
(k) City Council shall:
Sector 9 – McRae and Churchill Avenues
(l) City Council shall:
Heritage
Buildings
(m) City Council shall encourage the preservation and adaptive reuse of heritage buildings within the planning area in keeping with the City of Ottawa’s heritage policies.
1.4 Interpretation
1. Implementation and interpretation of this Chapter shall be made having regard to information in all of the Chapters of the Official Plan.
2. For purposes of this amendment, the term profile is a relative term, which refers to the general height of buildings compared to others in the immediate vicinity. While the policies normally ensure a transition in building profiles, the following general guidelines are also provided:
a. Low profile - buildings from one to four storeys;
b. Medium profile - buildings from five to nine storeys; and,
c. High profile – buildings of 10 or more storeys.
PART C
- THE APPENDIX
1.0 Proposed Streetscaping Improvements
1.1 Richmond Road between Golden and Tweedsmuir (Westboro Village)
1.2 Richmond Road between Tweedsmuir and Island
Park Drive (East Village)
1.3 Richmond Road between the Ottawa River Parkway and Golden Avenue
1.4 Scott Street, McRae and Churchill Avenues
2.0 Building Envelope Guidelines
2.1 Purpose
2.2 Westboro Village and East Village Guidelines
2.3 Scott Street Guidelines
2.4 Richmond Road West of Golden Avenue Guidelines
2.5 Infill Development Guidelines by Planning Sector
2.6 Utility Services Guidelines
2.7 Intensification Above the Levels in This Plan
3,0 Development Potential
4.0 Development Review Mechanism
5.0 Implementation
5.1 Status of the CDP
5.2 Proposed Zoning Changes
5.3 Implementation Actions
6.0 Introduction
6.1 The 3-D Model
6.2
Sector Views
6.3 Examples of Potential Infill Development and Enhanced Pedestrian Facilities
1.0
Proposed Streetscaping Improvements
This section provides a description of the proposed improvements to the
landscape of the public realm, complementing the redevelopment of private
properties.
1.1 Richmond Road between Golden and Tweedsmuir (Westboro Village)
The streetscaping of Westboro Village generally meets City design
standards for Traditional Mainstreets. However, supplementary work and
associated follow-up studies should be undertaken in the future to enhance, and
in some cases, remediate, the existing situation.
Such supplementary work should include:
1.2 Richmond Road between Tweedsmuir and Island Park Drive (East Village)
This section of Richmond Road does not yet project
the image of a traditional mainstreet.
Most notable is the absence of either a street-oriented building
alignment or a continuous building façade. As a result, additional work should
be carried out to foster a stronger pedestrian orientation along this street
segment.
Specific work includes:
1.3 Richmond Road between the Ottawa River Parkway and Golden Avenue
This
section of Richmond Road should be subject to an extensive streetscape redesign
in conjunction with the more compact and pedestrian-oriented form of
redevelopment identified by the CDP. In
particular, the City should take advantage of the presence of the linear Byron
Tramway Park located on the south side of Richmond Road in order to:
In
addition, alternative streetscaping scenarios should be identified to treat the
north side of Richmond Road to:
The transportation impact study determined that between Broadview and
Fraser there is an opportunity to enhance pedestrian facilities by reducing the
road cross-section to two to three vehicular lanes, where possible, with the extra
lanes being converted to provide widened sidewalks and streetscaping.
1.4 Scott Street, McRae and Churchill Avenues
Theses roadways should be redesigned in order to create a more
pedestrian-friendly environment. Measures to support this objective should
include:
2.0 Building Envelope
Guidelines
2.1 Purpose
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide urban design guidance in
response to two objectives:
·
To promote
redevelopment that will:
-
reinforce the
existing character of well-defined Traditional Mainstreet sections, namely
Westboro Village between Golden and Tweedsmuir, and the developing mainstreet
between Tweedsmuir and Island Park Drive;
-
contribute to the
creation of a renewed urban form, including buildings located close to the
street and a stronger pedestrian orientation, in the other sections of Richmond
Road and on Scott Street; and,
·
To guide infill
development in each of the nine planning sectors identified previously.
Where there is no established building pattern or defined character in a
sector, the first new infill buildings need to feature high quality
architecture in order to set the standard for future infill development.
The following two sets of design guidelines complement one another. The
first set is more general in terms of scope and the second is more specific
because it provides guidance on infill development issues affecting key
areas/sites in the planning area.
·
Provide only the
minimum number of parking stalls required by the Zoning By-law, taking into
account the presence of parking on the street;
·
Locate surface
parking in the rear yard with vehicular access off side streets and laneways;
where properties are landlocked in the middle of a block and no other
alternative exists, parking may be provided in side yards and access may be off
Richmond;
·
Provide a minimum
three-metre wide landscaped area along the edge of a parking lot fronting on a
public street;
·
Provide a minimum
three metre landscape area, which may include a solid wall or fence in addition
to planting, at the edges of sites adjacent to residential or institutional
properties;
·
In the East
Village where the street wall is discontinuous due to larger lots and varied
setbacks:
-
incorporate front
yards with the streetscape and consider the creation of public plazas
complementing the street animation; and
-
plant trees at
the edge of the building line to complement the alignment of trees between the
sidewalk and the street.
2.3 Scott Street Guidelines
Scott Street between Churchill and McRae presently has an industrial and
automobile orientation. The purpose of the guidelines is to establish a more
pedestrian-friendly environment, taking into account the proximity of the
Transitway station and its impact on pedestrian movements.
The redevelopment of Scott Street is based, in general terms, on the
same guidelines as those applicable to Westboro Village since the design strategy
is to extend the mixed use character along Churchill and McRae to link with
Scott and the Transitway station.
However, due to the nature of the urban fabric, the following elements
should be addressed in these guidelines:
2.4 Richmond Road West of Golden Avenue Guidelines.
The purpose of these guidelines is to foster the evolution of the
existing mixed traditional/arterial mainstreet type of development toward a
more compact, mixed-use, pedestrian- oriented form, including buildings located
close to the street. These guidelines
also aim to help create a continuous and attractive streetscape respecting the
character of adjacent established residential communities:
Open Spaces, Landscaping and Parking
Sector 1 Ambleside Area
·
Design infill
projects with a less significant footprint and building height compared with
the existing high-rise development. This will help ensure an intermediate scale
and massing of development between high-rise buildings oriented toward the
Ottawa River and low profile neighbourhoods south of Richmond and to the east;
·
Orient new
development to enhance and frame McEwen Park.
Sector 2 Woodroffe North
·
Encourage the conversion/redevelopment
of existing automobile-oriented uses fronting on Richmond Road to more
pedestrian-friendly, mainstreet uses;
·
Create a
transition in building height where new development is to be higher than the
existing adjacent residential area, with a minimum height of two storeys;
Sector 4 Maplelawn/495 Richmond Road
·
Provide a
transition between the four to six storey mainstreet scale and built form of
Richmond Road and the existing high profile apartment buildings in the easterly
part of this sector;
Sector 5
Westboro Village
·
Encourage the
conversion of existing non-Traditional Mainstreet-related uses to more Traditional
Mainstreet types, in keeping with the existing Village character, especially
between Churchill and Tweedsmuir Avenues.
Sector 6 East Village
·
Promote the
reuse/redevelopment of existing industrial and automotive-oriented uses to
traditional mainstreet type of uses;
Sector 7 Scott Street and the Westboro Transitway Station Area
·
Encourage the
redevelopment of the former CBC site as a new pedestrian-friendly mixed-use
office/residential complex, including a landscaped courtyard and improved
pedestrian access to the Transitway station;
·
Build a new
public plaza and potential new building bridging the Transitway station, and
improve pedestrian access to the station along McRae and Churchill Avenues;
Sector 8: Westboro Beach/Atlantis-Selby
Sector 9 McRae and Churchill Avenues
2.6 Utility Services Guidelines
The following guidelines are intended to ensure that utility services
are appropriately accommodated and designed as part of the overall streetscape:
2.7 Intensification Above the Levels This Plan
Development applications proposing levels of intensification above what is envisioned in the CDP should be evaluated based on the following:
· The building should safeguard exposure to sunlight along the sidewalk;
· The building should not have significant negative effects on surrounding properties and residential neighbourhoods regarding shadowing and visual impact;
·
The lower portions of buildings facing
Richmond Road in Westboro Village should be designed with vertical distinctions
that reflect the existing village character;
·
The applicant must address the
planning strategy and the urban design guidelines of the CDP and undertake a
transportation impact study.
3.0
Development Potential
Table 1
provides a comparison between the maximum development potential under the
existing zoning and the maximum development potential as proposed in the CDP
and the Secondary Plan for each sector.
The number of residential units and square metres of floor space of
other uses (e.g., retail, restaurant, office, institutional, institutional,
recreational) are compared for each category.
An important
proviso in reading the numbers in Table 1 is that maximum development potential
has been used for comparison purposes in order to provide a sense of what the
impact would be of full build-out under both the existing zoning and the
CDP/Secondary Plan projections. It is
unlikely that every property will redevelop to its full potential for many
years. A few properties may not
redevelop for many years because of difficulties of land assembly, existing
land uses, property owner intentions, and market conditions, among other
reasons. Many properties, if not most, are not developed to their existing
development potential under the existing zoning.
For example,
redevelopment in Westboro Village will likely continue to include two storey
commercial buildings that contain no residential units, along with taller
residential/mixed-use projects. Table 1
illustrates what could be developed following the mixed-use principles for
Traditional Mainstreets.
The development
assumptions are as follows:
·
On sites to be zoned TM-Traditional
Mainstreet, or GM-General Mixed-Use, ground floor is commercial, upper floors
are residential;
·
For 250 Lanark Avenue, Table 1 assumes
commercial-only buildings on the south half and residential-only buildings on
the north half (actual development will
be determined at the time of a development application);
·
Residential and mixed-use buildings that
have been approved but not yet built or not fully occupied by December 31 2006,
are included in the existing and proposed development potential columns because
the development has established the maximum zoning potential but there were no
residents yet to generate traffic impacts;
·
Zoning changes would occur as per the
CDP/Secondary Plan recommendations;
·
In some cases, such as the East Village,
some of the potential development under the existing zoning for other uses
(e.g., commercial, industrial) has been allocated to residential units in the
proposed maximum potential development;
Only properties that have redevelopment potential are included in the table. Properties deemed to not have redevelopment potential, such as existing residential buildings along Richmond Road, and heritage buildings, are not included.
Table
1 - Summary of Maximum Existing and
Proposed Development Potential by Sector
|
# EXISTING POTENTIAL |
# PROPOSED POTENTIAL |
||||
Sector |
*Other Uses m2 |
Residential Units |
|
Other Uses m2 |
Residential Units |
|
1 Ambleside |
5384 |
562 |
|
5384 |
562 |
|
2 Woodroffe North |
9446 |
560 |
|
9446 |
548 |
|
4 495Richmond/ Maplelawn |
1000 |
316 |
|
1000 |
445 |
|
5 Westboro Village |
31591 |
1019 |
|
31591 |
898 |
|
6 East Village |
24574 |
133 |
|
19797 |
608 |
|
7 Westboro Transitway |
31841 |
0 |
|
45660 |
152 |
|
Station (250 Lanark) 7 Scott Street |
4693 |
430 |
|
5498 |
470 |
|
9 McRae Avenue |
11895 |
0 |
|
3965 |
79 |
|
9 Churchill Avenue |
4180 |
208 |
|
4180 |
208 |
|
TOTAL |
124604 |
3228 |
|
126521 |
3970 |
|
*Other uses include retail,
restaurant, office, industrial, institutional and recreational uses.
#
Existing potential is the maximum development potential permitted under the
existing zoning and proposed potential is the maximum development that could
occur as proposed in the CDP.
This table
shows that modest intensification from what can be developed under the existing
zoning could occur across the planning area and need not be focused on any one
or two sectors. Modest maximum potential increases in
the number of residential units from the maximum potential under the existing
zoning are shown in Sector 4 and the Westboro Transitway Station area of Sector
7. In Sector 2, potential increases
adjacent to the Unitarian Church complex and the Ottawa River Parkway open space are balanced by decreases adjacent to the Woodroffe
North community. Redevelopment under the existing zoning would have permitted
intensification in all sectors, and in some cases the reductions in the
existing maximum building heights are in keeping with the unifying vision
and principles of the Secondary Plan and the policy direction for Traditional
Mainstreets.
The maximum
potential for new residential units is projected to increase from 3228 units
under the existing zoning to 3970 units if there were full build-out of every
property with redevelopment potential, an increase of only about 750
units. As previously noted, this type
of growth will likely take many years to be realized.
Sector 6, East
Village has a larger potential increase for residential units based on a
proposed shift from industrial use to residential mixed-use on 175 and 145
Richmond, should these properties be redeveloped in the future as per the
development assumptions of Table 1.
Sector 5, Westboro Village, has the greatest potential for new
residential units, although the CDP shows a small decrease in the maximum
potential units from the existing zoning potential because of the reduction of
much of the existing maximum height limits in the Village from eight storeys to
six and four storeys.
For the entire
planning area, the total floor area of other uses is proposed not to change
significantly from the existing situation, although the type of use could
change in some areas and it could be distributed differently. In Sectors 4 and 6 and McRae Avenue,
industrial uses would eventually be replaced by mixed use. As previously noted, the Westboro Transitway
Station area, particularly 250 Lanark, provides an excellent opportunity for
intensification for office employment and residential uses.
Intensification can be achieved in Richmond Road/Westboro that is in keeping with the Official Plan’s growth management strategy while addressing the issues of compatibility with existing neighbourhoods.
4.0 Development Review Mechanism
During the preparation of the CDP, the PAC proposed that "density caps" and "triggers" were needed to monitor intensification in Richmond Road/Westboro on an on-going basis. They felt that a development monitoring/review mechanism was necessary to determine if intensification was having negative impacts on the community (e.g., impact on traffic and infrastructure capacities, level of cut-through traffic, the transit modal share, among others). At a certain percentage increase in the number of residential units in the overall CDP area or subarea, a review mechanism of these impacts would be triggered to determine if the CDP's maximum development potential projections needed to be adjusted, the zoning amended accordingly, and/or future community infrastructure or facility needs should be addressed.
This issue is not unique to the Richmond Road/Westboro area. It has been raised in other CDP studies, and was most recently dealt with, on October 24, 2006, by Planning and Environment Committee in the report on the Queensway Terrace North Interim Control By-law study. The Committee directed staff to consider the Development Review Mechanism model, proposed by the Queensway Terrace North Public Advisory Committee, as part of addressing the interpretation and implementation of the City's intensification objectives during the five-year review of the Official Plan in 2008. The establishment of a development review mechanism to monitor the impact of intensification on established neighbourhoods is a City-wide issue and is better addressed on a City-wide basis. The Richmond Road/Westboro planning area should also be included in the Official Plan review of intensification objectives.
5.0 Implementation
5.1
Status of the CDP
The Richmond
Road/Westboro CDP, approved by City Council on July 9, 2007, is Council’s
policy for the planning area and is intended to guide City staff, the community
and developers in evaluating applications to amend the Official Plan and the
Zoning By-law, Committee of Adjustment and site plan control applications, as
well as the undertaking of public works.
The PAC
position was that the CDP should be added to the Official Plan as a Secondary
Plan. Council approved the undertaking
of an Official Plan Amendment to confer Secondary Plan status on July 9, 2007.
5.2 Proposed Zoning Changes
The proposed
zoning changes to implement the CDP and the Secondary Plan are accompanying the
staff report to Planning and Environment Committee and City Council
recommending approval of the Official Plan Amendment. These proposed changes, including the maximum building heights,
described in Section 6.0 of the CDP, and shown on Maps 3a and 3b below, will be
to both the new comprehensive Zoning By-law 2008-250 and the former Ottawa
Zoning By-law (because the latter By-law was still in effect at the time of
writing this document).
5.3 Implementation Actions
The following is a summary of follow-up actions necessary as part of the implementation of the CDP described previously in the CDP document.
·
The City, the NCC and affected community
groups work together to determine the means by which all of the Atlantis-Selby lands and
Rochester Field/Maplelawn parcel can be retained as green space.
·
Cash-in-lieu of parkland funds generated
by new development be applied directly towards the improvement of park and
recreational facilities and/or the purchase of other lands for park purposes in
the planning area.
·
The City add the extension of the
recreational pathway in Byron Tramway Park to Richardson Avenue to the 2009
Capital Works budget and consider a branch pathway/on-road route, crossing
Richmond at the New Orchard signalized intersection and then continuing along
New Orchard to the Ottawa River
Parkway greenspace to the north. Another branch route along Ambleside could
connect to the pathway link to the Ottawa
River Parkway greenspace to the west.
·
The City examine expanding programming in
Churchill Seniors Centre.
·
The City include the provision of a
minimum 2.0-metre sidewalks along Richmond Road as part of any future road
rehabilitation/reconstruction programs and acquire any lands necessary as part
of the right-of-way protection set out in the Official Plan at the time of site
plan control approval.
·
The Planning Branch undertake the
following as outlined in Section 7.0 of the CDP:
-
A streetscaping review of Richmond Road
in the Westboro Village and East Village;
-
A streetscaping plan for Richmond Road
between Golden and the Ottawa River Parkway;
-
Streetscaping plans for Churchill Avenue,
Scott Street and McRae Avenue.
·
The Planning Branch take steps, in
consultation with the affected residents, to create “Green Streets” on Ambleside
Drive, New Orchard, Woodroffe, Lockhart, Cleary, Berkley, Kirchoffer and Lanark
Avenues, as outlined in Section 1.3 of the Secondary Plan and Section 5.0 of
the CDP.
Prior to the
approval of development, utility providers shall confirm availability of
services to support the proposed development and proponents shall co-ordinate
with utility providers to ensure the necessary provision of utility services
consistent with the Secondary Plan policies.
Richmond
Road/Westboro Tomorrow
6.0 Introduction
This section, Richmond Road/Westboro Tomorrow, provides an illustration of what the planning area could look like twenty years in the future. It is based on the following:
6.1 The 3-D Model
A 3-D model (see following illustrations) was prepared to
illustrate what Richmond Road/ Westboro could look like at the end of the
20-year period. The model does not
represent exactly how future development will unfold, but is intended to
represent how it could occur on selected sites following the policies,
guidelines and recommendations of the Plan.
Although redeveloped parcels are shown at the maximum building height
recommended by the Plan, actual redevelopment may be more or less than the
recommended maximums.
6.2
Sector Views
Sector 1
View 1 illustrates Sector 1, the Ambleside area. The existing mostly automotive-oriented uses
are shown to be redeveloped with eight-storey mixed-use buildings, with ground
floor commercial and residential units above to provide a transition from the
high profile community to the north to the low profile residential
neighbourhoods to the south and east.
Sector 2
Views 2 and 2a
of Sector 2, Woodroffe North, shows a stepping down of the maximum building
height from eight storeys west of the Woodroffe North neighbourhood to four
storeys adjacent to that community.
Intensification returns this sector of Richmond Road to a Traditional
Mainstreet type of mixed-use development while recognizing the special
characteristics of this sector by spacing buildings to maintain views and
access to light and air for existing uses to the north.
Sector
4
The view of Sector 4, Maplelawn/495 Richmond Road,
illustrates how 471 Richmond (Rogers) could be redeveloped in a “ pavilion in
the park” type of building arrangement.
City Council’s 2005 approval of a twenty-storey height limit at the rear
of 495 Richmond is shown built-out, as well as the Committee of Adjustment
October 4, 2006 approval of the western portion of the Bourk site at nine
storeys.
Sector 5
Sector 5,
Westboro Village, shows the existing Traditional Mainstreet character to be
strengthened though redevelopment of some of the more automotive-oriented uses
to mixed-use buildings. Some larger
redevelopment projects, in keeping with the Traditional Mainstreet guidelines,
bring residents to live in the Village.
Sector 6
Similar to
Sector 5, Sector 6, East Village, takes on a more Traditional Mainstreet
character through redevelopment of the existing car lots to mostly maximum
four-storey mixed-use buildings that provide an appropriate transition to the
adjacent low profile neighbourhood. The
Convent site is shown with the wall removed to open up the green space to the
street.
Sector
7
Sector 7, Scott Street, and the Westboro Transitway Station
area has been redeveloped with Traditional Mainstreet type buildings along the
south side of Scott Street. North of
the Transitway station, 250 Lanark has been redeveloped with six and 12 storey
buildings (higher buildings closer to the Transitway station) with an access
over the Transitway connecting to Scott Street. A plaza adjacent to the station provides a pedestrian-friendly
public open space bridging the Transitway and improves pedestrian access from
the streets south of Scott linking to Westboro Village.
6.3
Examples of Potential Infill Development and Enhanced Pedestrian Facilities
The last group
of illustrations provides more detailed views of some of the areas featured
above in Section 10.2 in order to show how key sites and areas could be
redeveloped and enhanced pedestrian facilities created in keeping with the
Plan’s recommendations.
·
Sector 2 – Woodroffe North Area. The northeast corner of Woodroffe and
Richmond is shown with four storey mixed-use buildings featuring
well-articulated façades. Active ground
floor uses creates pedestrian interest on sidewalks that are a minimum two
metres wide.
·
Sector 4 - 471 Richmond Road. A potential redevelopment of the Rogers site
at 471 Richmond provides a closer look at the “pavilions in a park”
concept, demonstrating how new buildings can define a series of new public/semi-public
plazas and provide access to the Ottawa River corridor.
·
Sector 5 - Berkley Avenue as a “Green
Street”, with street trees and enhanced two-metre wide sidewalks, provides
improved pedestrian access to the Dominion Transitway Station.
·
Sector 5 – Westboro Village East of
Athlone Avenue. The eastern edge of
Westboro Village is a Traditional Mainstreet with mixed-use development built
close to the street, featuring active pedestrian-oriented uses at grade and
residential/ office uses above. Buildings are set back above the third storey
as per the CDP guidelines. The
Traditional Mainstreet extends into the East Village area.
·
Sector 7 - Scott Street and Westboro
Transitway Area. This illustration
provides a more detailed look at a potential future redevelopment of 250 Lanark
and a new Transitway station plaza described above in Section 4.2 - Sector
7. The south side of Scott Street has
been enhanced with sidewalks, street trees and mixed-use buildings that are set
back on the upper floors.
·
Sector 9 - McRae Avenue has evolved in
this illustration from an industrial street to a mixed-use image, providing
improved pedestrian and cycling links between Westboro Village and the
Transitway station.
SECTOR 1 –AMBLESIDE /ÎLOT
1 – SECTEUR AMBLESIDE
ÎLOT 2 – WOODROFFE-NORD
ÎLOT 2 – WOODROFFE-NORD
ÎLOT 2 – WOODROFFE-NORD AMÉNAGEMENT POSSIBLE – ANGLE NORD-EST DE L’AVENUE WOODROFFE ET DU CHEMIN
RICHMOND
ÎLOT 4 – MAPLELAWN/495, RICHMOND AMÉNAGEMENT
POSSIBLE DU SITE ROGERS – ACCÈS AU COULOIR RIVERAIN
WESTBORO – À L’EST DE L’AVENUE
ATHLONE