There are several ways to review and comment on Ottawa’s new Zoning By-law - open houses June 2 and 3

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  2. There are several ways to review and comment on Ottawa’s new Zoning By-law - open houses June 2 and 3

The City of Ottawa is inviting residents to review and provide feedback on Draft 2 of the new Zoning By-law. Residents are encouraged to review and comment on Draft 2 of Ottawa’s new Zoning By-law on the project’s EngageOttawa page and to attend virtual and in-person open-house events.   

  • In-person open house: Monday, June 2, 6:30 to 8 pm at Ben Franklin Place,101 Centrepointe Drive. No registration necessary
  • Virtual open house: Tuesday, June 3; 6:00 to 8 pm. Registration for the virtual Open Houses is now open. 

For more details on the project, please visit the Engage Ottawa. If you have any questions or comments, please contact the New Zoning By-law project team at [email protected] or use the public comment form. The final version of the new Zoning By-law, Draft 3, will be presented later this year for Council approval.

What’s different in Draft 2?

Most of the differences between Draft 1, which was introduced in April 2024, and Draft 2, introduced in April 2025, are technical in nature. However, after extensive public consultation, four issues in particular are being reconsidered in Draft 2.  

Building heights and density in Neighbourhood Zones

Various approaches to building heights and density are being considered in different areas. Namely:
  • Draft 1 proposed limiting building heights in all N1/N2 zones to 8.5 metres, but R1/R2 zones in the Suburban transect permit heights of 11 metres. Draft 2 proposes three options to resolve this.
  • Draft 1 proposed to replace all R4 zones with N4 zones. However, the R4 zones have density limits whereas the N4 zones do not. A more tailored approach is proposed in Draft 2 which would result in some R4 zones changing to N3 zones with a reduced maximum density.
Communal parking lots in Neighbourhood Zones

Communal parking lots permit unused parking spaces to be used by residents who live nearby, rather than just residents who live in an individual development. City staff, however, want to ensure these are appropriately regulated to achieve the desired intent.  
  • Draft 1 only permitted communal parking lots for planned unit developments (PUDs) – that is, developments with more than one residential building on one lot.  
Height Transition for high-rise buildings in Mainstreet Zones that are next to low-rise Neighbourhood Zones
  • Draft 1 proposed a series of maximum height steps at 6, 9, 18 and 25 storeys, increasing based on distance from abutting low-rise property. In Draft 2, instead of steps, a buffer area of a given depth is proposed to ensure space for adequate transition.  
More information on these options can be found in Document 3 – Overview of Key Issues and Options of the Draft 2 staff report.

What are the next steps?  

Staff will review comments from the public during May and June, and prepare Draft 3 of the new Zoning By-law to be released on September 8, 2025. Public consultations on Draft 3 will continue through to October 3, 2025. The final draft of the new Zoning By-law will be considered at a Joint meeting of the Planning and Housing Committee and the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee in December 2025. Council will consider the final draft of the new Zoning By-law in January 2026.  

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