NEWS ARCHIVESApril 11, 2008 Council’s authority undermined in 60 Sweetnam file Last year the City received a development proposal for stacked townhomes at 60 Sweetnam Drive, located on the northeast corner of Sweetnam Drive and Harry Douglas Drive. The applicant proposed to develop four, three and one-half storey stacked townhouses that will accommodate a total of thirty-two residential units with eight units per townhouse block. On May 23, 2007 City Council rejected the zoning by-law amendment application to rezone the land from “Local Commercial” (CL) to a “Residential Type 4” (R4) Exception Zone to allow for stacked townhomes. The applicant has appealed this decision to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). The OMB hearing will be on May 12, 2008 and 5 days have been provided for the hearing. Concurrently with the zoning application, the applicant has also submitted the Site Plan Control Application. Site Plan Control is the process that is used to control or regulate the various features on the site of an actual development, including building location, landscaping, drainage, parking, and access by pedestrians and vehicles. Both the zoning request and the site plan will be dealt with at the OMB hearing. In preparing for the OMB hearing, the City must hire an outside planner to represent the City's case at the OMB. City planners cannot be used for this case because the City's Planning Department supported the application as it followed the City's Official Plan infill policy. The City's legal council contacted 4 planning firms and they declined the offer to represent the case. I then suggested 8 other planning firms, some from the Stittsville area, and all those firms declined the offer. Professional planners will only accept cases that they believe they can represent given their interpretation of the City's Official Plan. The recommendation from the City's legal department is that if 12 planning firms have declined the case, then they will not be able to find a planner to represent the City Council decision to refuse this development. If there is no planner to represent the City Council decision, then there will not be a case to put in front of the OMB for the rezoning proposal. On April 2, I held a meeting in the community with legal staff to explain this situation to the Granite Ridge community. Since a planner could not be found, legal staff brought a report to Planning and Environment Committee on April 9 and City Council on April 10 advising that legal services could not find a planner to support the City Council decision to refuse this development. Therefore, the City will not be able to fight the zoning request at the OMB. However, the City can still work on the site plan issues with the developer. The major site plan issues that have been raised by the community have been building locations, parking, garbage storage, pedestrian connections and landscaping. I feel this process has compromised City Council’s authority. I am extremely disappointed with the outcome and that we will be unable to fight the proposed zoning at the OMB. Please be assured that I have done everything in my ability to reject this proposal. The major issue in this situation is the City's Official Plan and how it defines infill and compatibility. Currently, the definitions of infill and compatibility are very vague and left to individual interpretation. This year the City's Official Plan is being reviewed and I will urge the City to make proper definitions for these terms. I encourage residents to please submit comments on the Official Plan review. Please send your comments to my office and to plan@ottawa.ca. For further information, please visit the city’s website at: http://ottawa.ca/residents/public_consult/beyond_2020/index_en.html. To view the plans for this proposal, please visit my
website at
http://www.shadqadri.com/planning.htm. Tapping into the Fountain of Youth On April 8 I held a Ward Council meeting to discuss strategies for getting the youth of Stittsville involved in the community. This meeting provided me with an opportunity to hear directly from the youth, community associations and current youth service providers. I was able to gauge what kind of services and amenities the youth of Stittsville want and what their needs are. Several students spoke to about desire to have a dirt bike ramp/track built in Stittsville. Geatan Morin from the City’s recreation department confirmed he would get some background information and come back to this project at a later date. Residents from the community discussed having the current location of the outdoor ice rink at A. Lorne Cassidy public school transformed into a basketball court with the paving of the area. City Staff has been asked to further investigate this possibility. Some of the other requests from the ALC parent council were to look at things like the addition of trees, an outdoor drinking water fountain, bleachers, and a new play structure. Parent council members from ALC feel that the addition of a bowling alley, movie complex, and better bus service would help the youth of our community. Those in attendance seemed to rally around the idea that a drop-in centre for kids to play games and get together with their friends would be a good idea. Emergency housing for kids kicked out of their homes is also needed as there does not seem to be any in the west end. I would like to move away from providing just sports programming for the youth of our community and also adopt drama and music programs for interested youth. This will ensure we reach as many young community members as possible. I encourage the youth of our community, as well as their parents, to visit my website at www.shadqadri.com for information pertaining to youth issues as well as volunteer opportunities in our community. Students needing volunteer hours in order to graduate high
school can contact Stittsville Village Association member Marion Gullock at
www.stittsvilleva.com.
The SVA is always in search of volunteers for Villagefest, Canada Day, and the
Stittsville Parade of Lights. Funding available for civic events Funding is now available for local not-for-profit organizations, such as volunteer-based community or recreation associations. Community associations are invited to apply to the Community Funding Division for funding to help organize one or two-day civic events with free admission that foster civic pride and develop community cohesion. These events must be linked to civic or statutory holidays, such as Victoria Day or Canada Day. The maximum allocation for funding is $3,000 and the deadline is April 18. I encourage all local not-for-profit organizations to take advantage of this funding and help further Stittsville’s civic pride. To request an application form, please contact Brenda
Denault at 613-580-2424 ext. 26459 or by e-mail at
brenda.denault@ottawa.ca. Arrests made in break and enter cases During the Ward Council meeting, Constable Ryan Strotmann informed residents that arrests have been made in connection with a rash of local break and enters. On April 2, 2008, three people were arrested for possession of stolen property. The stolen properties were linked to a break and enter from a nearby residence that occurred a few hours earlier. The three people, all males in their late teens, are facing several charges including break and enter and possession of stolen property. Hopefully this should help alleviate some of the concern stemming from break and enters and car thefts. I applaud the work of Police services for their quick
response to this matter, and continuing efforts to ensure our community remains
safe. “Always Listening and Acting on Your Concerns” As your Councillor, I always welcome your keen input and ideas on how we can sustain and improve Stittsville-Kanata West. Please contact our office anytime by phone at 613-580-2476 or by e-mail at shad.qadri@ottawa.ca. Please note that you can also contact my ward office every Monday and Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and every Wednesday from 1 p.m.-8 p.m. at 613-580-2424 ext. 33440 or 33442. Also, feel free to stop by anytime at 1532 Stittsville Main Street. Sincerely, [ close window ] |
