Rural landowners ask city for right to develop properties

Property owners and developers whose lands didn't make the City of Ottawa'scut for beingincluded inside a new urban boundary tried to make the case Monday for why they should be let in.

City staff released a map of which 1,011 hectares should be urbanized to meet the needs of a growing population, and nearly 50 people weighed in duringa joint meeting of theplanning and agricultural affairs committees.

• City staff propose 'gold belt' to hem in future Ottawa development
• Shifting urban boundary 'makes millionaires,' planning prof says

It's the second chapter ofa discussion about where Ottawa should house a projected400,000 more residents in the next two decades,aftercitycouncil decided last Mayit would need to convert rural land for urban development, a process that greatly increases land values.

Staff spent months scoring individual propertiesbased on such things as proximityto transit, and the costs of servicingthem with water, sewage and roads.

Golf course in, another left out

Some developers took issue that city council didn't let any agricultural land be considered.

Near Riverside South, "sterilizing"agricultural lands from development would leavefewer residents tosupport the futureO-Train Trillium Line, said Urbandale Corporation's Marcel Dnomm.

North of Kanata, meanwhile, landownersdidn't feel theyshould be excluded for being too close to the noise of the Department of National Defence's Connaught Range.

CedarhillGolf and Country Clubowner Noel Pererasaid he had plans to redevelop the money-losing golf course north of Barrhaven, and asked the committees to bring his land inside the line.

The owners of the Falcon Ridge Golf Club, on the other hand, are pleased, said their consultantMiguel Tremblay.Staff have placed their propertynear the future BowesvilleO-Train Station inside the urban boundary.

Algonquins say their 'time is now'

The Algonquins of Ontario were the first to address councillors, and argued they should be allowed to develop a vast parcel of some 2,000 hectares in the rural south-east now, instead of waiting years longer.

They have been working with developers Taggart on a sustainable community of up to 45,000 residents they call Tewin, and have held several meetings with the city.

"Our time is now," said Lynne Clouthier, the negotiation representative for the Algonquins of Ontario. "Tewin is notjust about abusiness deal for the Algonquins of Ontario. It is a matter of being included as people... who deserve a bright, healthy sustainable future for themselves and for future generations."

City stafffelt the property would have "very high" costs for servicing with water and sewers and want to do more study ofTewinasan optionfor a future community between now and 2026. The Algonquins of Ontario, disagree, and say they are backed by an experienced teamand shouldn't be made to wait years longer.

Mixed reviews on Gold Belt

In addition to setting a new urban boundary, city staff are looking to define a second, outer Greenbelt.

Coun. Eli El-Chantirypraised the idea as a way to protect food production andkeep urban areas from encroaching on rural villages through to the end of the century.

But many delegations said the"Gold Belt"came as asurprise that could cause home owners to move beyond Ottawa's city limits.

"Are we setting ourselves up for leapfrogging yet again? Are Carleton Place and Rockland going to send us a thank you card because now they can have that many more residents interested in coming?" asked Kevin Yemm, vice-president of land development for Richcraft.

Others welcomed the idea, but worried the Gold Belt left large gaps where tens of thousands more homes could be built.

"It's more like a very loosely fitted sash. This worries me," said Daniel Buckles of A People's Official Plan for Ottawa's Climate Emergency.

Councillors will reconvene Tuesday to ask questions of staff and vote onrecommendations.

Decisions on urban boundaries can often lead to legal wrangling and drawn-out disputes at the local planning appeal tribunal,but this time,whatevercouncil decides for setting its new urban boundary on Feb. 10 cannot be appealed.