On Wednesday, March 22nd, City Council endorsed a municipal housing pledge with strategies to encourage construction of 151,000 new homes across Ottawa by 2031. The Province assigned Ottawa its target as part of a larger plan to support construction of 1.5 million new homes across Ontario in the next nine years.
While the City does not build homes, it does provide the planning and regulatory environment to enable construction. To reach the target, the City will:
- Work with industry partners to ensure approvals for 151,000 shovel-ready homes by 2031
- Permit a wider diversity of housing types, densities and occupancy arrangements
- Deliver supportive infrastructure and services
- Partner with senior levels of government as well as with housing providers and agencies to access available funding and build more affordable housing
- Streamline approvals to move from concept to construction faster, including the development of a more permissive and clear new Zoning By-law
Council approved a zoning amendment to facilitate a development of stacked dwellings and townhouses on Kennedy Lane East in Orléans. The amendment would change the site’s zoning to allow for low-rise, multi-unit residential infill, often referred to as missing middle housing. Eight buildings are proposed with 81 rental apartments, 26 of which would be considered affordable units.
