Background – Residential Gardening within the ROW

Modernizing the City of Ottawa Use and Care of Roads By-law 2003-498 will provide residents with more gardening opportunities abutting their property, versus the grass treatment currently observed. The current provisions do not allow for the removal of grass and require the owner of land zoned residential to cut the grass and weeds in the ROW abutting their land.

There are a host of benefits in having more gardening options, some of which include:

• Encouraging naturalization, pollinator gardens, and biodiversity while avoiding monocultures
• Increasing drought and soil erosion resistance
• Preventing heat-island effects
• Reducing fertilizer, pesticide, and herbicide usage
• Improving stormwater retention
• Conserving water
• Promoting climate change resiliency
• Promoting mental and physical health benefits