Ontario Construction News staff writer
Ottawa’s municipal planning and housing committee has approved its portion of the 2024 draft budget, including $83.6 million in operating expenses and $24.7 million in capital expenditures.
The city intends to invest the majority of the capital funding, $23.8 million, to develop more affordable and supportive housing for the residents most in need, it said in a statement after the committee meeting last Wednesday (Nov. 29).
The goal is to increase the annual investment to eventually reach a planned contribution of $25 million by 2027 as part of the Housing Services Long Range Financial Plan. The city hopes that by contributing this amount, it will attract an equivalent amount of new investments from the federal and provincial governments, which will in turn lead to the creation of up to 500 new supportive and affordable housing units per year for the next ten years.
Previously, City Council had approved the allocation of $15 million of the 2024 contribution. Staff will be returning to council in the first quarter of 2024 with a report that will recommend the allocation of the remaining $8.8 million to specific affordable housing projects.
The committee also approved a zoning amendment that will allow for the development of a 24-storey building and a public park on a site southwest of Baseline Road and Fisher Avenue, across the street from the Central Experimental Farm. This is part of a larger development proposal that includes three buildings and will add nearly 1,100 residential units and commercial space to the site.
While City Council has approved the rezoning for the first phase, Council has delayed making a decision on the zoning for the second phase until January 2024. This is due to concerns from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada that the proposed development could potentially have a shadowing impact on the research fields at the Central Experimental Farm.
The city continues to work with developers to ensure that the proposals respect the Official Plan and Zoning By-law and that any potential impacts on the surrounding area are properly considered, the statement says