Many thanks to everyone who attended the Official Plan Consultation meeting on September 24th at Richcraft Recreation Complex. The Official Plan is the City of Ottawa’s strategic document that outlines how our city will grow over time, where we will place major infrastructure, and what policies will be in place to support economic growth and guide the development and evolution of communities. The purpose of this review is to position Ottawa to be flexible, resilient, and, above all, a city where people want to live, work, and play.
We focused our September 24th discussion on two major themes of the Official Plan:
Urban Design:
- Can you identify distinctive design features of your neighbourhood?
- How should new development respect these features?
Resiliency:
- What are some environmental and public health challenges you face in your neighbourhood?
- Do you have ideas on how to make your neighbourhood more environmentally resilient and more supportive of a healthy lifestyle?
There were many great ideas shared. The most consistently noted was in the Resilience discussion around protecting green spaces and trees, supporting the idea of complete communities with improved active transportation infrastructure, as well as addressing climate change.
In the Urban Design discussion, it was highlighted how density will be necessary as we grow, the need for mixed use developments, and communities connected by walkways not just roads.
Please see Councillor Sudds New Official Plan Feedback for details.
Further information on the Official Plan can be found online. I encourage everyone to please take a look and to provide feedback on the 5 Big Moves: Growth, Mobility, Urban Design, Resilience, and Economy.