everything you need to know about ottawa's new zoning bylaws
here's why the city is changing everything from height allowances to the elimination of mandatory parking minimums for home builders.
6 minute read
carol ruddy, program manager of the zoning & interpretation unit at the city of ottawa, poses for a photo at ottawa city hall friday. the city is undergoing a major overhaul of its zoning bylaw across the city.
tony caldwell
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postmedia
the city’s planning staff heard a steady stream of questions, motions and directions from councillors during a lengthy debate wednesday over the city’s sweeping overhaul of its zoning bylaw.
staff presented the second draft of its new comprehensive zoning bylaw to the april 16 council session, where they fielded questions on amendments ranging from building height allowances to the elimination of mandatory parking minimums for home builders.
the new zoning bylaw will impact “practically every neighbourhood in the city with significant impacts in the years and decades to come,” said river councillor riley brockington.
the zoning overhaul represents the first major change to the city’s zoning allowances since amalgamation in 2001, and is based upon the requirements under city’s official plan that dictates the need for the updated bylaw.
the official plan was approved by council in 2021 and officially adopted in 2022 with provincial approval. the city is now in the final year of the three-year window to implement the official plan.
“the official plan directs how the city will grow for the next 25 years and we’re trying to focus growth to locations where it’s going to make the most sense for the city — in a bunch of different ways, like around transit stations — to make complete, livable communities and a financially sustainable city,” said carol ruddy, the city’s manager of zoning and intensification.
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here’s what you need to know about the changes the city plans to make to its zoning laws.
why is the city overhauling its zoning bylaw?
cities are under pressure from the federal and provincial governments to end so-called “exclusionary zoning,” classified as r1 zoning, a relic of the postwar housing boom with single-family homes located in sprawling, car-centric suburbs. the ontario government banned single-dwelling zoning in 2022 when it passed bill 23, the more homes built faster act.
bill 23 directs all ontario municipalities to allow three or more residential units per building lot, and dictates that a semi-detached house can also be divided into three units on each side of the split property.
“it’s really changed the whole framework of zoning in cities and towns across ontario,” ruddy said. “we’re starting from the bill 23 point of permissions that we have to require that number of dwelling units, and we’re building onto that to allow those units to be built in different ways.”
council declared a “housing emergency” in 2020 and the new bylaw is designed to increase the supply of market housing and to diversify the options available to developers.
the city has committed to having 151,000 new homes constructed over 10 years by 2031 and 37,500 new homes built by the end of next year. the most recent provincial figures, with data up to october 2024 showed the city well behind on its targets. the city had constructed fewer than half of the required 12,583 homes up to that point in 2024.
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what are the major zoning changes?
ottawa’s current zoning bylaws were largely carried over from pre-amalgamation cities and towns, dividing the city’s neighbourhoods into five zones — labelled r1 to r5 — with sub-categories and distinct regulations resulting in more than 140 variations, with about 600 variations within those sub-categories.
the labyrinthine bylaw included decades of complex zoning allowances that had accumulated prior to amalgamation.
the amended bylaw would streamline regulations and divide the city into six zones — labelled n1 through n6, with six sub-zones labelled a to f — regulating the density and maximum height of buildings.
the overhaul includes amended zoning allowances for transit hubs, main street zones, minor corridors and neighbourhood mixed-use zones, along with industrial and transportation zones, zones for institutional, recreation and green space, and “special districts” for areas such as the byward market.
barrhaven west coun. david hill introduced two motions, which were both carried, asking staff to include an option that would set a building height limit of 11 metres in single-family neighbourhoods.
the second draft currently allows for 11 metres in some zones, but a restriction of 8.5 metres in older suburbs.
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“we are at a turning point when it comes to creating the right conditions for the next generation of city building here in ottawa,” said hill, who called the zoning overhaul a “once in a decade” opportunity.
the proposals would better align with the official plan, “which calls for greater density and greater heights in the urban boundary transects, especially along the lrt corridor,” hill said.
he asked that staff be directed to “consult with industry and residents to determine what building height changes with respect to low-rise housing could be considered in (the third draft) that would have the most substantial impact on enabling housing development and more effectively addressing the housing crisis.”
why is the city eliminating minimum parking requirements?
the city will no longer require developers to include a minimum number of parking spots at new builds, which was the source of some consternation around the council table wednesday, particularly from suburban councillors.
kanata south coun. allan hubley introduced a motion to allow public feedback on the idea of imposing a minimum of one parking spot per dwelling in suburban communities that do not have access to peak-hour rapid transit.
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eliminating parking minimums “does not mean that parking won’t be provided,” ruddy told councillors. “businesses developing these lands understand that in order to sell them, to make them marketable, parking is almost always provided.”
somerset coun. ariel troster said the elimination of minimum parking requirements is the “gold standard” in promoting housing affordability.
“just because there isn’t a parking minimum doesn’t mean the developer won’t provide (parking), if the developer believes the market is there for it,” troster said wednesday. “they shouldn’t be compelled to (include parking) if they don’t think they need it… it doesn’t mean parking is going away. it just means it won’t be imposed on developers as a cost they have to add to housing.”
troster encouraged staff to explore a citywide on-street parking permit program.
stittsville coun. glen gower said the “market will respond to demand… i don’t think there’s any risk we’re going to end up with a lack of parking in the suburban area.”
gower cited a recent city survey that found 48 per cent of suburban households have either one or zero vehicles, while 16 per cent of suburban apartment-dwellers are car-free.
how do the changes address the housing crisis?
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“changing zoning is not the magic bullet, it’s not going to solve the housing affordability crisis, but it has been identified as one of the factors that have held back more housing being built. and, certainly, increasing housing supply is a way to address housing affordability,” ruddy said.
planning staff have heard “a wide gamut” of opinions through the public consultations.
“there are people who are scared about this and they don’t like the idea of change, they want their neighbourhoods to stay the same, and that’s very typical of what i’ve heard over my 20-year planning career. what’s new this time around is we’re hearing from a demographic of ottawa who are in their 20s and 30s and locked out of the housing market,” ruddy said.
“they can’t even afford rent and they are hurting. and this is impacting their generation. this is an equity issue.”
the new bylaw would allow a wider range of housing, including the much-needed “missing middle housing” — typically low-rise, multi-unit infill with between three and 16 units.
it also eliminates a range of planning approvals that require time and money, which adds to the cost of housing.
according to data from urbanation inc. and rentals.ca, rent for a two-bedroom apartment increased 3.6 per cent annually to an average of $2,599.
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according to the ottawa real estate board, home sales totalled 1,103 units in march, a 6.2 per cent decline from march 2024 and 24 per cent lower than the five-year average for march.
what are the next steps?
city planners issued the first draft of the bylaw amendments in may 2024 and held extensive and targeted consultations with key stakeholders prior to the release of the second draft on march 20.
the second draft was amended and carried at wednesday’s council session following a round of questions from city councillors.
the third and final draft is scheduled for release in september and will head to committee debate in december, followed by a council vote scheduled for january 2026.
the city has posted numerous supporting documents on the engage ottawa website, including a 3d interactive map that illustrates each of the zoning changes and the new proposed allowances.
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