On October 27th, Ottawa's Planning Committee voted on a motion to amend zoning by-laws to allow for a development of four towers (2 28 storey, one 32 storey and one 24 story) adjacent to the provincially significant wetland at Petrie Island. Three public delegations were made, including an Orleans resident, Greenspace Alliance, and CAFES Chair Barbara Ramsay. Ramsay presented concerns that community groups have raised with this proposed development, namely that it appears to be within the 1:100 year flood level, in an area that has already seen historic flooding in 2017 & 2019, and is likely to see worse flooding as climate change accelerates. Further, the city report on the matter stated the development had the sign of from the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, but no documentation was provided.
The motion at Planning Committee passed, with only two city councillors voting against it.
CAFES, Ecology Ottawa, Greater Avalon Community Association, and Greenspace Alliance have penned an open letter to outgoing and incoming city councillors to urge City Council to reject this Committee recommendation and ask for all documentation to be revealed and proper consultations to be held. You can learn more by reading the open letter here.
On November 9th, Councillor Shawn Menard put forward a Motion at City Council to add the following as conditions for the requested zoning amendments: Landslide Hazard Risk Assessment updated to the satisfaction of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, and a review undertaken on whether the site can accommodate the four proposed towers proposed, recognizing the site and soil conditions and environmental risks. The motion further asked that staff be directed to continue to work on flood and climate change mitigation measures.
Thank you to everyone who signed the petition, put pressure on City Council on this matter and to the City Councillors who listened to the community and pushed for greater clarity of risks. Now we keep an eye out for what comes next.
