2023 City of Ottawa Community Improvement Plan Program Review

The recitals

• the City established a Brownfield Redevelopment Community Improvement Plan (CIP) in 2007, which was amended in 2010 and 2015, and was suspended by City Council in December of 2022
• at the time the Brownfield Redevelopment CIP program was suspended, there were seven applications deemed complete that could be submitted to Finance and Corporate Services Committee for consideration
• the city of Ottawa declared a housing and homelessness emergency in January 2020
• these projects were submitted in good faith, and found by City staff to be compliant with the Brownfield Redevelopment CIP program criteria at the time
• City staff found the program to operate as designed stating “The brownfield redevelopment incentive programs have proven effective in promoting remediation and redevelopment of brownfield sites, which are often located in key downtown areas.”
• the report finds “the total construction value for the projects is estimated at over $5.5 billion, with the City collecting over $13 million in building permit fees and $124 million development charge revenues”
• the Brownfield Redevelopment CIP program “assisted with the development of 18,000 new residential units and the development of new complete communities and urban destinations such as Zibi and Greystone Village”
• Council committed in March of 2023 to “work with industry partners” by approving 15,000 new homes per year to help address the housing emergency
• these projects could add an additional 4,176 residential units and increase the supply of housing
• the economic consensus is that the only way to decrease house prices and rental costs is to increase the supply of available housing.