Report
to/Rapport au :
Comité de
l'urbanisme
27 April 2012 / le 27 avril 2012
Submitted
by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice
municipale adjointe, Planning and Infrastructure/Urbanisme
et Infrastructure
Contact Person/Personne ressource:
Lee Ann Snedden, Manager, Neighbourhood Sustainability/
Gestionnaire, Viabilité des
quartiers
Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme et
Gestion de la croissance
613-580-2424, x. 25779,
Leeann.Snedden@ottawa.ca
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SUBJECT: |
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OBJET : |
That
Planning Committee receive this report as supplemental information to the 2012
budget.
Que le rapport soit
remis au Comité de l’urbanisme à titre de complément d’information au
budget 2012.
Executive Summary
Assumption and Analysis
In June 2011, staff provided an update
on the implementation strategies for two Neighbourhood Plans (ACS2011-ICS-CSS-0012)
and committed to providing a report on the proposed
changes for a new neighbourhood process in 2011.
The proposed changes were later
approved through the Corporate Planning Framework and 2011 budget approval
process pending a follow-up report outlining the proposed program and funding
allocations. In February 2012, the
Community Sustainability Department was reorganized and Neighbourhood Planning resources
were moved to the Planning and Growth Management (PGM) Department. Accountability for reporting was also
transferred from Environment Committee to Planning Committee.
On April 26, 2012, the City hosted a
Planning Summit with stakeholders and residents to discuss the needs, challenges,
and opportunities in shaping the future of Ottawa. Based on the need to address community issues
at the neighbourhood level, a new
Neighbourhood Connection Office (NCO) is proposed to support the development of complete, liveable neighbourhoods.
This report responds to the challenge of addressing community issues at
the neighbourhood level and provides supplemental information about the services the new NCO will provide to enhance PGM’s services, advance Council’s priories, and support the
development of complete, liveable neighbourhoods.
The NCO will act as a coordinating body for the implementation of long-term
sustainabilty goals, strategies and actions identified through the Corporate
Planning Framework, the Planning and Growth Management Department Term of
Council workplan and other guiding documents such as the Sustainability and
Resiliency Plan.
The NCO will provide the following services on a neighbourhood wide basis to
Councillor’s and their neighbourhood stakeholders:
1)
Needs Assessment and Priority Setting
2)
Project Implementation
3)
Stakeholder Relations
Next steps will include the development of tools and
resources to support the services identified.
This program will be piloted in 2012 with a full launch in 2013.
Financial Implications
The approved 2012 Sustainability Program funding includes $100,000
capital funds and $150,000 Strategic Initiatives operating funds. The budget
forecast includes an additional $25,000 capital funds in 2013, and $150,000
Strategic Initiatives operating funds in each of 2013 and 2014. The forecasted
budget requirements will be brought forward for Council consideration through
the budget process.
Public Consultation/Input
Best practice research, lessons learned
from the Neighbourhood Planning Initiative pilot projects, and consultation
with Councillors’ offices, key community stakeholders and staff have informed
the development of the NCO.
RÉSUMÉ
Hypothèses et analyse
En juin 2011, le personnel a fait le point sur les stratégies de
mise en œuvre relatives à deux plans de voisinage (ACS2011-ICS-CSS-0012)
et s'est engagé à présenter un rapport sur les changements proposés pour un
nouveau processus pour les quartiers en 2011.
Les modifications suggérées ont par la suite été approuvées dans le
cadre du processus d'approbation du Cadre de planification municipale et du
budget 2011, en attendant le dépôt d’un rapport de suivi précisant les
allocations de fonds et le programme proposés. En février 2012, le Service de la viabilité des collectivités a fait
l’objet d’une réorganisation et les ressources ont été transférées au Service
de l'urbanisme et de la gestion de la croissance. De plus, la
responsabilité de la production de rapports ne relève désormais plus du Comité
de l’environnement, mais du Comité de l’urbanisme.
Le 26 avril 2012, la Ville d’Ottawa a organisé un sommet de
l’urbanisme regroupant des parties intéressées et des résidents afin de
discuter des besoins, ainsi que des défis à relever et des perspectives quant à
l’avenir d’Ottawa. Étant donné la nécessité de s'attaquer aux problèmes
d’intérêt communautaire à l’échelle du quartier, il est proposé d’établir un
bureau de liaison avec le voisinage afin de favoriser l’aménagement de
quartiers complets, où il fait bon vivre.
Le rapport permet de relever le défi consistant à s’attaquer aux
problèmes communautaires à l’échelle du quartier et fournit de plus amples
renseignements sur les services qu’offrira le nouveau bureau de liaison avec le
voisinage afin de promouvoir les
priorités du Conseil municipal, d’améliorer les services offerts par le Service de l'urbanisme et de la gestion de la
croissance et de favoriser l’aménagement de quartiers complets, où il fait bon
vivre.
Le bureau de liaison avec le voisinage agira à
titre d’organisme de coordination pour la mise en œuvre des objectifs, des
mesures et des stratégies de viabilité à long terme définis dans le Cadre de
planification municipale, dans le plan de travail du Service de l’urbanisme et
de la gestion de la croissance pour la période d’exercice du Conseil ainsi que
dans d’autres documents-cadres, comme le Plan de durabilité et de résilience et
les plans directeurs municipaux.
Le bureau de liaison avec le voisinage offrira aux conseillers et aux
intervenants de leur quartier les services suivants :
1) évaluation des besoins et établissement des priorités
du quartier;
2) mise en œuvre de projets;
3)
relations avec les
intervenants.
Le Programme
de développement durable 2012, qui a été approuvé, comprend des crédits
d'immobilisation de 100 000 $ et des crédits de fonctionnement pour
les initiatives stratégiques de 150 000 $. Le budget prévisionnel comprend
des crédits d'immobilisation supplémentaires de 25 000 $ en 2013 et
des crédits de fonctionnement pour les initiatives stratégiques de 150 000
$ par année en 2013 et 2014. Les besoins financiers établis dans le budget
prévisionnel seront soumis à l'examen du Conseil lors du processus
d'établissement du budget.
Les prochaines
étapes consisteront notamment à mettre au point les outils et les ressources
pour soutenir les services désignés. Ce programme sera lancé en tant que projet
pilote en 2012 et dans son état définitif en 2013.
Consultation publique/commentaires
On a
tenu compte de la recherche sur les pratiques exemplaires, des enseignements
tirés des projets pilotes de l’Initiative de planification du voisinage ainsi
que des consultations avec les bureaux des conseillers municipaux, avec les
principaux intervenants communautaires et avec le personnel, pour la création
du bureau de liaison avec le voisinage.
In
February 2010, City Council approved the Neighbourhood Planning Initiative
(NPI) Pilots Report (ACS2010-ICS-CSS-0002) and the Neighbourhood Plans for Hintonburg/Mechanicsville and Vars. Council directed the
former Community Sustainability Department to report back with implementation
strategies for each Neighbourhood Plan and an assessment of how NPI could be integrated into the City’s overall
community planning processes.
In June 2011, staff provided an update
on the implementation strategies for the two Neighbourhood Plans (ACS2011-ICS-CSS-0012)
and committed to providing a report on the proposed
changes.
In July 2011, Council approved the new Sustainability
Program, which included the proposed changes resulting from the review
performed, as part of the Corporate Planning Framework, pending budget approval (ACS2011-COS-ODP-0011).
On November 30, 2011, Council approved
the 2012 budget, which included $150,000 in strategic initiative operating
dollars and $100,000 in capital for the Sustainability Program, pending a
further report on the details of the proposed changes prior to spending the
approved funds.
In February
2012, the
Community Sustainability Department was reorganized. The Sustainability Program
resources were moved to the Planning and Growth Management (PGM) Department;
therefore, accountability for reporting was also transferred from Environment
to Planning Committee.
Further to this, on April 26, 2012,
the City hosted a Planning Summit for stakeholders and residents to discuss the
challenges in shaping the future of Ottawa. The Summit highlighted the
importance of working with the community on issues at the neighbourhood level
and emphasized the importance of neighbourhood diversity and uniqueness to the
fabric of the city.
This report will highlight the research, consultation, best practices,
lessons learned and results of the recent Planning Summit that has all
contributed to the formation of the NCO. By using existing resources the NCO will
enhance PGM’s services, advance Council’s priorities,
and support the development of complete, liveable neighbourhoods.
For the third year in a row, MoneySense
magazine has named Ottawa the best city in Canada within which to live. Some of
the key factors that helped Ottawa earn this title include diverse cultural
offerings, access to services, and transit-friendly lifestyles. Many of these factors and quality of life indicators
are experienced at a neighbourhood level.
Neighbourhoods are
the places we live, call “home”, and pursue the many routines of everyday life including
shopping, school, work, recreational activities, and social gatherings. Because
neighbourhoods are such an intimate part of our daily life, residents want to
be involved in how their neighbourhoods are planned, how they will grow, and
how they will evolve over time.
Through the development of
the NPI process, the City heard that residents wanted a service delivery model that linked land use, community
services, and infrastructure planning together; therefore the NPI pilots adopted a model to support this need. The
pilots resulted in collaborative, place based, long-term plans that reflected
the neighbourhood’s needs, priorities, and concerns, however the process was
labour intensive and the plans were difficult to implement as they were not
aligned to City priorities and budgets.
Based on the benefits and
lessons learned from the NPI pilot projects and current resource availability,
staff recognized that the existing NPI model was not replicable, practical, or
sustainable on a city wide basis and could not be integrated in its existing form into the City’s overall community
planning processes. This recognition led to an examination of
lessons learned from the Neighbourhood Planning Initiatives (NPI), best
practice research from five North American cities, and stakeholder consultation
in order to assess how an improved model could be integrated into the City’s
overall community planning processes.
Although not replicable,
the City has gained valuable insights from this process and has since created
and launched other successful initiatives such as the Community Development
Framework (CDF). The CDF has been in existence for three years, and during
this time has developed into a service delivery model supporting five of
Ottawa’s more vulnerable neighbourhoods.
Residents today have high
expectations about what is included in planning processes and how plans will be
implemented. Residents
expect planning processes to include and address economic, environmental, cultural
and social issues and opportunities. The principal
tools that address planning at the neighbourhood level in Ottawa are: Secondary
Plans, Community Design Plans, and Community Improvement Plans. This broad
suite of planning tools serve a legislative and technical purpose and focus on
long-term land use, urban design, zoning, and infrastructure. They are not always suited for addressing
complex neighbourhood issues.
Residents want to be involved though;
for example, the number of resident
requests for planning services exceeds PGM’s capacity to deliver them. In this term of Council, PGM has
prioritized planning services
for “areas of growth” such as arterial
main streets, mixed use centers, and transit stations in the Light Rail Transit
(LRT) corridor. Although dedicated
PGM services exist for rural communities through the Rural Affairs Office,
there is a need to provide dedicated PGM support
to urban and suburban neighbourhoods that increase neighbourhood access
to planning services in these areas now.
The formation
of the NCO will support the creation of complete, liveable neighbourhoods
through needs assessments, priority setting, City coordination, stakeholder
engagement and project implementation.
The new office will work with Councillors and the community on issues at
the neighbourhood level and act as a coordinating body for the implementation
of long-term sustainabilty goals, strategies and actions identified through the
Corporate Planning Framework, the Planning and Growth Management Department Term
of Council workplan (ACS2012-PAI-PGM-0064) and other guiding documents such
as the Sustainability and Resiliency Plan.
Tools and
resources will be available to all neighbourhoods – urban, suburban, and rural
– but the focus of the NCO will be on suburban and urban neighbourhood priorities
given the services already provided to rural neighbourhoods through the Rural
Affairs Office and the recently completed Rural Village Review.
The NCO will
work collaboratively with other City departments by sharing neighbourhood
priorities as they are identified and applicable to the relative City
departments for their consideration in future work plans. The NCO will
participate in the existing Municipal Services Table, a communication mechanism
currently used for departments supporting the CDF in order to use an existing
forum to share information.
The NCO will contribute to each of the PGM work plan priorities as
outlined below:
1. Advancing the Transportation Agenda to connect the
Transportation System to Neighbourhoods:
During this term of Council, PGM will undertake a series
of planning and transportation studies to maximize economic development and
neighbourhood connectivity opportunities along the proposed Light Rail Transit
Corridor. The NCO will work with neighbourhoods to identify any missing links to
key neighbourhood destinations, for example, Bus Rapid Transit and future Light
Rail Corridor routes that will support the Cycling and Pedestrian Master Plans
in order to increase neighbourhood connectivity and liveability.
2. Service Excellence to our Clients
PGM will
review several of its business processes and standard procedures with the aim
of moving towards a Gov 2.0 platform removing bureaucratic and internal
barriers to the development process, and promoting a culture of measured risk
and empowerment through a common customer-oriented culture. The NCO will support PGM as it focuses on customer
service and community outreach through evolving consultation techniques to
include on-line consultations, social media, and refreshes to Ottawa.ca/planning.
The NCO will take a client centered approach with providing a point of contact for
Councillors and neighbourhood stakeholders interested in improving the
liveability of their communities.
3. Bringing Certainty to the Design Priority Areas
PGM will undertake several planning exercises to provide
certainty about where residential intensification will be encouraged and where
communities will be minimally impacted by development. As the City works towards
intensification targets, the need for amenities and services at the
neighbourhood level will also intensify. In order to create liveable, complete
communities, the NCO will work with neighbourhoods to identify service and
amenity priorities associated with intensificaiton. This work can be used to
inform future planning and development processes.
4. Sustainable Planning
PGM will undertake several initiatives to include
economic, social, cultural and environmental considerations in the development
review process. The NCO will support the implementation of the Sustainability and Resiliency
Plan long-term sustainability goals, strategies, and actions at the
neighbourhood level. The NCO will
help stimulate creative thinking, highlight opportunities, and build support in
neighbourhoods.
Neighbourhood Connection Office
With the goal of developing complete,
liveable neighbourhoods, the NCO objectives to achieve this goal are outlined
below:
a) Improve
neighbourhood access to PGM services.
b) Increase
resident engagement and build capacity to “help neighbourhoods help themselves”
through the provision of tools and resources that support resident connections,
the identification of neighbourhood needs and setting priorities.
c) Identify priorities
for the future services and amenities required to achieve complete, liveable
neighbourhoods as our neighbourhoods continue to grow and intensify.
d) Identify and
engage community partners that may be able to contribute resources to
neighbourhoods, and to provide funding for projects or support the completion
of applications to other funding sources.
The scope of services that the NCO will provide to Councillor’s and
neighbourhood stakeholders are as follows:
1)
Neighbourhood Needs Assessment and Priority
Setting
Neighbourhoods
are the fundamental building blocks of our city, and there is a need for action
at the local level to address city wide goals.
The NCO will support PGM planning capacity in urban and suburban
neighbourhoods through the following:
a)
Needs Assessment– the NCO will work with Councillors,
neighbourhood stakeholders, and residents to identify the neighbourhood’s needs,
assets, opportunities and barriers to improving liveability.
b)
Priority Setting – the NCO will lead
facilitated priority setting sessions with Councillors, neighbourhood
stakeholders and residents to identify the neighbourhood’s top three to five key
priorities.
2)
Project Implementation
Projects will be initiated, planned and implemented by neighbourhood stakeholders and
residents with the support of Councillors and the NCO. The NCO will support project implementation by
providing advice, guidance, and connections to relevant stakeholders, funding,
partial funding, or the completion of funding applications.
Projects will be
defined by neighbourhood priorities. Priority will be given to projects
that align with City priorities, advance neighbourhood
priorities, and are short term in nature with completion within one year. The NCO will
triage projects and work with relevant staff to develop implementation
strategies. For example, if the NCO process identifies the need for
reconsideration of some of the zoning in the neighbourhood, the NCO office will
share the request with a zoning team that will work with the neighbourhood and
property owners on the specific concern. The NCO will also support neighbourhoods
advance projects that align with Council’s priorities through the following project categories created for
illustrative purposes:
a) Pop-up
projects – temporary
projects that literally 'Pop Up' in different locations around the city. Examples of pop-up projects could include pop-up plazas, cultural events, and temporary use of
vacant lots or heritage buildings for community cafes, art installations, and
stores.
b) Pilot
projects – small scale projects that evaluate
whether or not innovative project ideas could be replicated in other
neighbourhoods. Examples of pilot projects could include economic revitalization, neighbourhood energy audits, or urban design measures to make business areas
more attractive, pedestrian, and cycling-friendly.
c) Stock
projects – pilot
projects which have demonstrated
their feasibility in another neighbourhood or another municipality and could be
expanded to other areas. Examples of stock projects could include bike share programs, local food
markets, and painted murals on local roads for traffic calming measures.
In 2012, staff will generate a list of pop-up,
pilot, and stock projects in collaboration with stakeholders.
To
implement projects, the NCO will provide support through:
a.
Funding Projects – For those neighbourhoods
selected to work with the NCO funding will be made available to support the three
to five key priorities identified by the neighbourhood. For those projects that
require additional funding or do not qualify may need to be identified through
future budget considerations or through alternative funding sources. It is
anticipated that more funding will be requested than is allocated. The NCO will
identify sources that neighbourhoods can access through traditional foundations,
community, or corporate fundraising.
b.
Grant writing services – The NCO will provide
grant writing support to access alternative funding sources.
3)
Stakeholder Engagement
Essential to
providing the services listed above will be positive stakeholder relationships
with Councillors, neighbourhood stakeholders, community groups, residents, and City
departments. In order to strengthen these relationships, a communications and
engagement plan will be developed in 2012 to prepare for the launch of the NCO.
One of the primary
considerations in the development of this model has been inclusiveness, wanting
to ensure that the NCO services were accessible to all neighbourhoods. The Ottawa Neighbourhood Study
(ONS), led by the University of Ottawa, set geographic boundaries for over 100 neighbourhoods in Ottawa through an extensive
consultation process involving many collaborators including City staff.
Given the large number of neighbourhoods, it will be
necessary to develop on-line solutions that provide tools to residents to
participate in creating complete, liveable communities. With an on-line social
media tool, any size of groups of motivated individuals living in proximity could take action in
creating an improved neighbourhood at any time of the day without having to necessarily
participate in meetings. The NCO will work with Service Ottawa to ensure
alignment with corporate plans and policies surrounding the creation of an
interactive website.
Examples that have
emerged to meet the objectives of the NCO are outlined below. The NCO will
provide:
a)
An Interactive Website – The website will
provide an overview of the NCO, details on this Term of Council priorities,
information on what the City is doing to advance these priorities and how a
neighbourhood can get involved. The website will be an on-line hub for
activities such as crowd-sourcing campaigns, social media postings, and
awareness videos to spark interest and involvement. It will connect and network stakeholders (ex. teleconferencing and
webhosting). The online hub
will post "how-to"
information for residents to identify their neighbourhood needs, how to set
priorities, how to implement and manage projects and apply for funding.
The website
will be bilingual and designed according to the new accessibility
requirements. The website will be linked
to www.ottawa.ca.
b)
Tools and Resources – The NCO will offer in-person
assistance through various resources including information sessions, webinars,
project management and facilitation tools.
As identified previously the City
conducts planning through a diverse range of tools including the Official Plan,
Secondary Plans, Community Design Plans, and departmental strategic plans. The
NCO will not replace other City planning processes. The NCO will complement and enhance PGM’s
current planning services by providing a mechanism to identify neighbourhhood
needs, work with neighbourhoods on setting their priorities, identifying,
supporting and implementing projects that are aligned to current plans and City
priorities.
The above section of the report established why the City
requires a NCO and the types of services this new office will provide. The
remainder of the report defines how neighbourhoods can participate, what
resources are required to support the NCO, how success will be measured, and
timelines associated with next steps.
Participation
The first tier
of neighbourhood participation is open to all neighbourhoods and starts with
the self-serve interactive NCO website. This website will provide tools and
resources for motivated residents and stakeholders from any neighbourhood –
urban, suburban, or rural – to complete a needs assessment and set priorities
that will help them create a complete and liveable community. Staff will
promote the current community grant options for the first tier neighbourhoods.
The second
tier of neighbourhood participation involves the services (facilitated needs
assessment, priority setting, project implementation and funding) provided by
NCO staff for selected neighbourhoods. The NCO will work with approximately three
to four urban/suburban neighbourhoods per year who:
a) Have support from the Councillor’s Office;
b) Are not scheduled for a Community Design Plan during this term of
Council;
c) May have identified projects through a recently completed City planning
process that align with this term of Council’s priorities;
d) Have demonstrated volunteer capacity to work with City staff; and
e) Are willing to enter into an agreement that clearly outlines human and
financial resource expectations, roles, and responsibilities of both the City
and the neighbourhood organization.
An application process will be established in 2012 in preparation for the
launch of this new office and its services. The application will include
demonstration of the above noted criteria in addition to a statement of
perceived needs of the neighbourhood in order for the NCO to determine whether
the services it provides are the most appropriate for the neighbourhood applying:
other City services may be more applicable in some cases.
Given it is
anticipated the requests for assistance for the NCO services will surpass
capacity, PGM will prioritize the requests and bring forward a recommended list
of neighbourhoods as part of their annual work plan report to Planning
Committee. Bay Ward for example has been following the NPI process and the
development of the NCO and has volunteered to assist with participating in a
pilot in 2012 as staff further develops the program prior to a full launch in
2013.
Bay Ward has identified two neighbourhoods that will join together for
the purpose of this pilot. This neighbourhood will serve as an ideal candidate
given it meets the above criteria and represents a neighbourhood that is aging
and changing, however not demonstrating the levels of growth required to be
considered for a Community Design Plan at this time. This community also meets
the volunteer requirements and commitment to completing the process including
project implementation. Once completed, this pilot may assist other Bay Ward
neighbourhoods to help themselves by duplicating the process taken with this
pilot on their own.
Resources
The NCO will be supported by four
full-time employees (FTE’s). These FTE’s have been transferred to Planning and
Growth Management from the former Community Sustainability Department; no
additional funding is required at this time.
The 2012 budget includes $150,000 in Strategic
Initiatives operating expenses. These funds will be spent on the development of
tools and resources needed to deliver the services identified above in the
first year. Funds will be primarily spent on Purchased Services and Materials
and Supplies. The $150,000 in operating for 2013 and 2014 will be used primarily
to support the implementation of neighbourhood projects.
Key requirements for this new service
delivery will be the development of an interactive website that allows
communities to solicit and share ideas, communicate with others who have
similar interests, and generate volunteer support to implement projects within
their neighbourhoods.
Funding will be used to create promotional
material, educational and information modules on how a neighbourhood can
conduct their own needs assessments, asset/opportunity inventories, set
priorities, and generate momentum to take action. Purchased Services Funding will include graphic
designers, video, technical audio/visuals, IT consultants, licensing,
translations, etc. Material and Services
funding will be spent on pop-up project equipment that can be used by
neighbourhoods to host pop-up projects such as temporary parks and cafes.
The $100,000 allocated in the 2012 capital
budget will be spent on neighbourhood projects identified through the 2012
pilot and 2013 neighbourhoods. Beyond operating and capital funding received
from the City, additional funding may be sought through external grants in
order to support future neighbourhood projects.
Measurements
of Success
The NCO will be successful when it
supports three to four neighbourhoods each year in their development of
complete, liveable communities. Connecting residents in neighbourhoods,
connecting residents to stakeholders with similar interests, connecting
neighbourhoods to their priorities, and supporting the delivery of actions at a
neighbourhood level will form the foundation of a successful outcome.
Measurements will be developed in 2012
and reported through the Corporate Planning Framework Balanced Scorecard. An
evaluation process will be developed to receive feedback on the NCO services
provided.
Anticipated
Timelines
·
Q3 2012 – Develop tools, resources, list of
potential projects, and communications plan
·
Q4 2012 – Pilot Neighbourhood
·
Q1 2013 – Launch
The first tier on-line tools and resources
will be available to all neighbourhoods, rural, urban and suburban. Given the
current service delivery offered through the Rural Affairs Office, and the
completion of the Rural Village Review, the second tier NCO services will be prioritized
for urban and suburban neighbourhoods.
The NCO is based on extensive consultation
with the following stakeholders:
1.
A Steering Committee composed of the General
Manager of Planning and Growth Management and Directors from the former Organizational
Development Performance (ODP) and the former Community Sustainability (CS)
Departments.
2.
Input from five North American cities with
experience in neighbourhood planning.
3.
A cross departmental Key Informant Group
(KIG) including over 20 managers and staff with experience in NPIs, Planning, CDF,
working with communities, and/ or working in the field of sustainability.
4.
Councillors involved or interested in the NPI
process.
5.
Key community stakeholders.
Consultation results, best practice research,
and lessons learned from the NPI process have informed the development of the NCO
and the services offered. The NCO will undertake additional consultation with
the pilot scheduled for fall 2012 to test its assumptions on the required services.
Based on results, the NCO will refine its service delivery in preparation for a
full launch in 2013.
This is a
City-Wide report – not applicable.
There are no legal implications associated with this report.
There are no risk implications management implications associated with
this report.
The approved 2012 Sustainability Program funding includes $100,000
capital funds and $150,000 Strategic Initiatives operating funds. The budget
forecast includes an additional $25,000 capital funds in 2013, and $150,000
Strategic Initiatives operating funds in each of 2013 and 2014. The forecasted
budget requirements will be brought forward for Council consideration through
the budget process.
The
content of this report does not negatively affect people with disabilities or
seniors. With respect to the communications products noted in the report,
staff will ensure the products comply with the AODA standards for
communications support. All community events will be designed to be accessible.
There are no environmental
implications with respect to implementing the recommendations set out in this
report.
There are no direct technical
implications associated with this report.
The NCO has the potential to
contribute to the advancement of all Term-of-Council
Priorities for the strategic directon of the City. The NCO supports the
City Strategic Plan Governance, Planning, and Decision Making priority “Make
sustainable choices” (ACS2011-COS-ODP-0011).
The NCO will
replace the existing Neighbourhood
Planning Initiative (NPI) Pilot Program.
In 2012, staff will transition the two
pilot NPI implementation plans to the respective neighbourhoods. NPI recommendations
have been shared with all related departments, neighbourhood representatives,
and Councillor’s Offices have agreed to monitor progress and results of their
plans. Subject to Planning Committee
receiving this report, staff will pilot the NCO services in Q4 2012 and launch
in Q1 2013.