RPCA New Official Plan Response

In March 2020, I spearheaded writing the new Official Plan response for the Riverside Park Community Association, of which I am a board member and the co-chair of the planning and land use committee. This process involved collecting feedback from residents in our neighbourhood during our public meetings and over email; attending webinars and meetings with the Ottawa-wide Federation of Community Associations Planning and Zoning Committee (of which I am a member); speaking with experts and conducting independent research on best practices for sustainable and equitable city planning. The result was a 20 page report that encapsulated the community’s top level concerns and offered a series of evidence-based revisions to the City’s plan.

While the final OP has yet to be released, the City has released their interim “What We Heard” document, which already acknowledges that the OP will be changed to reflect the issues our paper raised including (i) increased affordable housing across the city and (ii) building up infrastructure including sidewalks, bike trails, and public transit before intensifying building to ensure active transportation is possible.

You can read our full report here.