Committees receive second draft of Zoning By-law that addresses feedback on first draft

The City’s Planning and Housing Committee and Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee received the second draft of a new Zoning By-law for Ottawa. In a joint meeting today, the Planning and Housing Committee and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee received the second draft of a new Zoning By-law for Ottawa. The Zoning By-law is a land-use regulation tool that shapes the way Ottawa grows. It sets rules about what can be built without having to seek specific permission from the City. Ottawa’s new Zoning By-law implements Official Plan policies that aim to build healthy, equitable communities and a more affordable city. The report’s focus is on explaining key issues identified last year, during consultations on the first draft, and providing options to address them. The most significant changes proposed in the report address five key issues identified during public consultations on the first draft:

• Minimum parking rates in villages: While the second draft continues to propose no minimum parking rates, leaving decisions to market demand, staff continue to consider options to reflect the limited transportation alternatives available in rural villages. Staff have proposed options to implement some minimum parking requirements in new developments.
• Maximum building heights in N1 and N2 Neighbourhood zones: The N1 and N2 zones are replacing existing R1 and R2 residential zones. The first draft set restrictive height limits of 8.5 metres or two-storeys that would result in properties in suburban neighbourhoods losing existing development rights of 11 metres or three storeys. Staff are proposing reinstating these existing height limits.
• Conversion of R4 zones to N3 and N4 zones: In the first draft, all R4 zones were proposed to be zoned N4. Certain R4 subzones, however, currently limit height and density such that their present zoning permissions more directly correspond to a N3 zone. The staff-recommended option is to convert these areas to N3 zones, to more closely correspond to their existing zoning standards.
• Building-height transition framework: The first draft included a height-transition framework to regulate heights in mixed-use zones abutting low-rise residential areas. The new proposed approach provides a more user-friendly framework that would permit high-rise development as-of-right on lots large enough to ensure adequate transition. It would also ensure mid-rises are feasible on smaller lots.
• Communal parking lot permissions in all Neighbourhood zones: Communal parking is under consideration as a potential permitted use in Neighbourhood zones to manage parking for neighbourhood residents. The first draft only permitted communal parking lots for developments with more than one residential building on one lot. Consultation showed appetite for a more permissive approach, where excess parking could be used by other neighbourhood residents.

Options to address the key issues above, and many of the more technical changes proposed as part of the second draft, were developed in response to feedback gathered during the extensive public consultation process on the first draft. Most revisions in the second draft are technical and generally do not represent a significant shift from what was proposed in the first draft. These include changes to correct errors when older zones were converted to newer ones, exceptions that were not carried forward and that needed to be reinstated, and changes made to properties on a site-specific basis. City Council will receive the New Zoning By-law – Draft 2 report on Wednesday, April 16. Consultations on the second draft will begin soon after and will continue through June. More information about how to provide feedback will be available at engage.ottawa.ca/zoning. Following public consultations on the second draft, staff will present a third and final draft to be released in September, followed once more by consultation. The Committees will consider a final report in December, with staff-recommended modifications based on consultations. Council will consider that report when approving the new Zoning By-law in January 2026.