Council approves housing taskforce to reduce red tape and encourage more builds

Council today approved developing a new housing taskforce that will evaluate ideas to advance housing projects and reduce approval times for development applications. Staff will report back to a joint meeting of the Planning and Housing Committee and the Finance and Corporate Services Committee later this year with the results of their research, recommendations and opportunities for early adoption. Council directed staff to develop a new public-facing dashboard showing:

• The average time it takes to get an application approved
• The number of approvals so far this year
• The number of homes being built in Ottawa

With guidance from the taskforce, staff will also review:

• Enhancing the role of Build Ottawa in housing innovation
• Accelerating disposal of City land for innovative housing models
• Discounting long-term leases on City-owned lands
• Exploring the viability of lease-to-own models for attainable housing, vendor take-back mortgages, issuance of bonds and other potential financial tools for developments on City land
• Streamlining the urban design review process
• Accelerating development approvals
• Using new technologies to speed up Building Code reviews
• Fast-tracking non-profit affordable housing projects and pre-zoning City land for affordable housing
• Speeding up development approvals for federal surplus lands in the Canada Public Land Bank or lands close to existing servicing that could be developed quickly
• Creating a program for deferring development charges
• Encouraging innovation around Transit Oriented Development
• Working with other levels of government to replace growth revenue

Council also approved its Mid-term Governance Review report and related matters, including changes to committee structures, mandates and memberships. Some key changes include:

• Dissolving the Light Rail Sub-Committee and renaming the Transit Commission to the Transit Committee
• Renaming the Transportation Committee the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee
• Bringing revised terms of reference for the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and the Finance and Corporate Services Committee back to Council for approval later this year
• Reducing the frequency of standing committee meetings to six regular meetings per year, excepting the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, the Built Heritage Committee and the Planning and Housing Committee, which will generally continue with current schedules to meet statutory timelines
• Updating various matters related to advisory bodies, local boards and governance-related by-laws and policies
• Appointing Councillor David Brown as Chair of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee
• Appointing Councillor Alan Hubley as Vice-Chair of the Audit Committee
• Appointing Councillor Steve Desroches as Vice-Chair of the Transit Committee

Other minor changes were made to standing committee membership. Council also deferred acquiring a large rural property northwest of Old Birch Road and Ferry Road in Fitzroy Harbour until staff review and report to Council on opportunities to partner with another agency on the acquisition. Council directed staff to prepare a supplementary report showing lands outside and inside the urban boundary that could benefit from additional City protections and conservation. Staff will consult with rural Councillors and bring forward a report that clarifies and updates the criteria for acquiring natural lands in the rural area.  For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, X (Twitter) and Instagram.