The first staff report for the new Zoning By-law project is now live on the City’s agenda minutes page. The report will be tabled at the April 29 Joint Committee of the Planning and Housing Committee, and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. The full text of the proposed By-law will be released in its entirety on May 31 here on the project’s Engage Ottawa page.

The staff report serves as a preview of the first draft of the new Zoning By-law provisions. It summarizes the proposed By-law in plain language and how the By-law is implementing the new Official Plan.

This report is just the start of the Zoning By-law review. Over the course of the project there will be two other iterations of the draft by-law that will be developed based on the feedback and comments we receive until the final version of the By-law is approved by Council in Q4 2025.

Consultation for the entire project starts now and will continue until the proposed By-law is approved by Council in Q4 2025. Active engagement for this first draft starts in June and continues through October.

The new zoning by-law recently held open houses featuring information on key elements informing the development of Ottawa’s new zoning by-law. Below are posters displayed at the Open houses. The comments received at these events will help inform the first draft of the proposed by-law being released next year.

• Pre-Draft 1 Open House
• Virtual Open House Presentation

The City of Ottawa is hosting a virtual Open House that builds on the success of our in-person Open Houses held in September. We're here to share essential updates about the new Zoning By-law project and encourage your participation. The event is set for Thursday, October 5, starting at 6 PM.

Here's what you can expect:

• Presentation: The Virtual Open House will kick off with a presentation that covers the project's overview, timelines, and key topics.
• Questions and Answers: Time will be set aside to answer questions submitted during the presentation.

How to Participate:

• Date and Time: Thursday, October 5, Starting at 6 PM.
• Online Platform: The Open House will be held virtually on Zoom.
• Registration: To attend, please register by clicking on this link.

Join us for a series of three interactive open houses this September. These open houses mark the initial steps in our New Zoning By-law Project. They offer you the chance to learn what zoning means, understand how the new Zoning By-law implements the recently approved Official Plan, and receive a high-level overview of key zoning topics.

September 16 - Nepean Sportsplex: 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM

September 20 - City Hall (Jean Pigott Place): 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

September 23 - Ray Friel Recreation Complex: 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM

A virtual open house will be hosted on October 05 starting at 6 PM. Register here.

The Form and Function Discussion Paper serves as an overview of regulation for low-rise infill development in residential neighbourhoods. This report builds onto the Neighbourhood Character and Neigbhourhood Zoning Discussion Papers that were released earlier this year. This paper delves deeper into considering the interplay of functional site design elements, such as where a residential site's waste storage, bicycle parking, landscaping, balconies, and other essential functions should be located.

Making rules for neighbourhoods involves finding a balance among all these different things so that a property works well. The City welcomes feedback and input from members of the public. The survey for this discussion paper will be available until November. The comments received will be summarized the received responses in an "As We Heard It" report in Q1 next year.

Consultations on this and the previous discussion papers will inform the development of the first draft of the new Zoning By-law. We encourage members of the public to review the discussion papers and share their thoughts and ideas, as their input will play a critical role in shaping the future of our city.

• Low-rise Form and Function Paper
• One Pager - Form and Function
• Low-rise Form and Function Survey

Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022,(External link) received Royal Assent on November 28, 2022. The Bill made changes to the Planning Act and other provincial acts. Changes to the Planning Act include overriding municipal zoning by-laws to allow up to three “gentle intensification” principal units on any urban-serviced residential parcel, including in a detached, semi-detached or townhouse and prohibiting a zoning by-law from restricting such from occurring. Residents will find the most up-to-date information on Bill 23 on this webpage.

Consultation on developing a new Zoning By-law is now open with the release of seven Discussion Papers and corresponding surveys. These papers address key issues relating to the implementation of the new Official Plan, including:

• Climate Change, Resiliency, Public Health Discussion Paper
• Climate Change, Resiliency, Public Health One Pager
• Climate Change, Resiliency, Public Health Survey
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
  • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Discussion Paper
  • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion One Pager
  • Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Survey
• How Zoning Can Regulate Trees
  • How Zoning Can Regulate Trees Discussion Paper
  • How Zoning Can Regulate Trees One Pager
  • How Zoning Can Regulate Trees Survey
• Land Use Strategies for the New Zoning By-law
  • Land Use Strategies for the New Zoning By-law Discussion Paper
  • Land Use Strategies for the New Zoning By-law One Pager
  • Land Use Strategies for the New Zoning By-law Survey
• Neighbourhood Character
  • Neighbourhood Character Discussion Paper
  • Neighbourhood Character One Pager
  • Neighbourhood Character Survey
• Neighbourhood Zones
  • Neighbourhood Zones Discussion Paper
  • Neighbourhood Zones One Pager
  • Neighbourhood Zones Survey
• Rural Zoning Issues
  • Rural Zoning Issues Discussion Paper
  • Rural Zoning Issues One Pager
  • Rural Zoning Issues Survey

The release of these discussion papers is the first chance for the public to consult on the implementation of the recently approved new Official plan through the development of a new Ottawa Zoning By-law. The City welcomes feedback and input from members of the public and will summarize the received responses in an "As We Heard It" report later this year. Consultations on the discussion papers will inform the development of the first draft of the new Zoning By-law. We encourage members of the public to review the discussion papers and share their thoughts and ideas, as their input will play a critical role in shaping the future of our city. The surveys close Friday, July 28.

The Zoning Discussion Papers will be residents’ first opportunity to have their say about the future of zoning in the city of Ottawa. The Discussion Papers focus on key policy directions in the Official Plan that must be implemented in the Zoning By-law:

• Climate Change, Resiliency and Public Health
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
• Land Use
• Neighbourhood Zoning
• Neighbourhood Character
• Rural Zoning Issues
• Trees

Timeline (REVISED)

Recent changes to Provincial planning legislation, including Bill 109 (More Homes for Everyone Act, April 2022) and the recently proposed Bill 23 (More Homes Built Faster Act), have the potential to cause significant changes to the planning framework underlying Ottawa’s growth and housing objectives. The Province has also announced that changes will be made to the Provincial Policy Statement and that new regulations relating to planning issues in Ontario will be coming into effect. Additionally, the new Official Plan’s recent approval will require an evaluation of the thirty (30) Ministerial modifications made to the Plan as part of its approval by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

As such, the release of the discussion papers will be placed on hold pending the resolution of the above issues, and a review of how this may impact Ottawa’s planning framework and zoning strategy. A new timeline will be developed following a review of the impact of the above changes to Provincial legislation.

November 17, 2022

The Zoning Implementation Report was approved by Ottawa City Council on July 6th.

The report provides an overview of the strategy for implementing the policies of the Council-approved new Official plan through the development of a new zoning by-law. Specifically, it looks at how the policies in the Official Plan concerning equity, inclusion and diversity, the growth management strategy, public health, housing, 15-minute neighbourhoods, climate change and the urban forest tree canopy will be implemented in the new Zoning By-law.

The report also includes an overview of best practices in zoning in Canada and other jurisdictions, renderings that illustrate the proposed strategy for achieving the density targets in the growth management strategy, information on the enhanced interactive capabilities in the new Zoning Map, an overview of the content of upcoming discussion papers, and information concerning the public engagement strategy and project timelines.