The city has been working for the last several years to finalize a brand-new set of Zoning By-laws to replace the current ones from 2008. December 17 was the last chance to speak publicly with city councillors and staff.
I took the opportunity to highlight two ways that Orléans can transform itself from a sleepy suburb to a truly sustainable village. A lot of people in the suburbs are unaware that our Orléans communities do not pay for themselves, in fact they are slowing draining our financial reserves and making it hard to pay for anything.
Below, you can watch my delegation, go through my slides, and read the transcript of my comments. The video link below starts at [2:17:04].
Slide 1: Two Simple Zoning Changes
Good morning Chair and members of the joint Committees.
My name is Rob Attrell. I am here as a resident of Orléans who wants to live in a convenient and sustainable community. When I use the term ‘Village’ today, I’m talking about a place you’d want to live rather than just a place where your house is. A ‘Village’ here is full of safe streets and accessible amenities.
My daily experience living in one of the least dense suburban communities in the city is that large parts of Ottawa are lacking in density and transportation options, and are completely missing public amenities.
Slide 2: Suburban Zoning Is (Still) Too Restrictive
This image shows what the next 20 years of N1 zoning looks like, according to city projections.
This zoning update barely moves the needle on the status quo where I live. This is a land-use model that we know for certain does not generate enough tax revenue to replace the roads, pipes, and sewers that serve it.
By locking so much of our city’s land into this extremely rigid form, we are only digging deeper holes in future budgets. The proposed Zoning By-laws definitely help, but don’t go far enough. It loosens the belt by one notch when we really need a better way to hold our pants up.
Slide 3: Our Suburbs Are Being Handcuffed
This is about flexibility. Denser N3 zoning, for example, allows the setbacks and built forms necessary to fit modern family apartments or multi-generational housing into existing neighbourhoods.
Transit-oriented development and denser main streets are great for people who end up living there, but don’t help older suburban communities unlock their potential.
Slide 4: Two Simple Zoning Changes
So, here is the proposal. Two changes to set our city on the path to a prosperous future:
First: Eliminate the restrictive N1 and N2 zones entirely. Establish a universal baseline closer to N3, with up to 10 units per lot, across the city. Give every street more flexibility to evolve.
Second: Integrate permissions for low-impact, neighborhood-serving commercial uses, also called the ‘-c’ suffix, directly into all residential zones, rather than just N5 and N6. Enable the Village.
Density provides the customers; and mixed-use provides the revenue. You cannot have one without the other if you want a village.
Slide 5: Our Suburbs Need Density AND Mixed-Use
Let’s look at why this matters on the ground. Here is a street zoned N1.
This is a totally average suburban street near my house, and functionally, it is an island. It is a 15-20-minute walk to the nearest business. A 25-minute walk to a grocery store.
Because zoning rules block mixed-use commercial activity here, almost every errand for any household necessitates a car trip.
Slide 6: Keeping Mixed-Use Out of the Suburbs Forces Driving
Now, let’s look at a denser ‘modern’ suburban street a little further east. More people and families live here.
But looking at the map, it is still an island. It is still a 20-minute walk to any amenity.
This is the failure of exclusionary zoning. Density without mixed-use does not create a village; it’s a recipe for car dependency.
Slide 7: More Local Destinations Means Fewer Trips
Finally, we make our way to a medium-density apartment complex near the eastern edge of the city. Housing here is very dense, large parking lots aside, but it’s still a 25+ minute walk to get anywhere but a couple of businesses.
Exclusionary zoning with high density housing only leads to even more driving.
Slide 8: Let the Suburbs Evolve – We Need It
We talk endlessly about traffic management and congestion. But the root cause of a lot of suburban traffic is that we have nowhere to work or play near our homes, and of course only one safe and reliable transportation option.
The most effective traffic reduction strategy is not a wider road; it’s a corner store. If someone can walk 5 minutes to get a coffee or fill a prescription, that is a car trip that never happens.
Slide 9: Suburban Infill Deserves Mixed-Use Options
This is my vision. A modest, three-story building full of ‘neighbourhood character’ with a shop or two on the ground floor.
Right now, in most of our suburbs, this building is illegal and would face a mob with pitchforks. Zoning compliance is the number one barrier to building the ‘Villages’ where people actually want to live.
We need to unlock this form. Let the baker open a cozy café on the corner. Let the chef open a small restaurant. Let the suburbs pay for themselves.
Slide 10: In Conclusion
We are sliding down a budgetary cliff. We can continue with the exclusionary zoning of the past, and accept the eventual higher taxes and crumbling infrastructure that come with it.
Or, we can make these two simple changes to what can be done by right:
- A city-wide N3 Zoning Baseline.
- Low-impact, mixed-use Commercial freedom.
Let’s start building Villages.
Thank you.
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