Cumberland's Maple Hall literally overflowed with people – many waiting outside in line for entrance into the at-capacity room – during the Tuesday, April 14 public meeting on the urban boundary extension, organized by the Cumberland Village Community Association (CVCA).
Though there are two areas in the east end up for inclusion in the revised urban boundary as part of the city's mandated, five-year Official Plan review, it's the section east of Cardinal Creek in Cumberland Ward – 337 gross hectares of general rural area land – that has raised the ire of residents. While concerns voiced at the meeting ranged from overburdened infrastructure to crowded roads to destruction of rural culture, the core issue was the potential future creation of an "Orléans-type" subdivision there.
"This represents about 28 per cent of the total (being considered for urban boundary extension) for the entire city of Ottawa," said Tamara Belle-Isle, the CVCA's city liaison and community development coordinator. "It looks like nothing to city councillors, but to us, we might recognize it as a beautiful stretch of land."
Her concerns lay with a preliminary proposal for a portion of the property put forward by Tamarack Homes at a March 31 city committee meeting, which she said calls for more than 4,000 homes and an additional 12,500 residents.
"It opens the floodgates to all kinds of development," Belle-Isle continued. "We can imagine what 12,500 additional (individuals) would do to the existing infrastructure. The implications are enormous."
That documentation was "simply a vision" of what could be proposed in the future, stressed Cumberland Coun. Rob Jellett, not an official application for development. Both Jellett and city staff emphasized the proposal given to them by Tamarack Homes was preliminary, and that numerous requirements would have to be satisfied before the land was even deemed suitable for development.
Many residents at the meeting remained skeptical, however, questioning whether pushing that land inside the urban boundary would set the future in stone.
"What bothers me is the lack of due process," suggested Sean Crossan, planning director of the Cardinal Creek Community Association, who has also raised issue with the cutting of an estimated 20,000 trees on the property. "We have some serious concerns about that. (Both residents and politicians) are being forced into this tight timeframe to make difficult decisions. That's where city staff needs to think about the public good."
Future development is being directed to both set the groundwork for light rail and create targets that all future applications must meet, currently working within a two-decade timeframe, explained Lesley Paterson, a program manager in the city's planning and growth management branch.
"We try to be realistic about what can happen in 20 years," she continued, indicating their goal of creating a more urbanized, convenient network for residents, especially with an aging population.
Part of that, Paterson said, will be accommodating the demand for single-family dwellings. Intensification can only generally provide for new townhomes and apartments, she explained, creating the need for urban boundary expansion.
"We still have an unmet demand for single, detached houses," Paterson added, with the city trying to establish a framework to support intensification. "(But in the meantime) that demand cannot be met in the existing urban boundary."
The city has identified 850 hectares of land – broken into 11 parcels – that could potentially be included, she continued. All are general rural areas abutting the current boundary, Paterson said, which are being compared in relation to each other and against an average based on varied criteria including environment and infrastructure.
"We don't look at who owns the land," she added. "It has nothing to do with who owns the property."
Encouraging all residents to submit their thoughts and concerns to the city – including issues with the extension itself or criteria – Paterson explained the proposed Official Plan amendments will go before the city in May, with council adoption expected later that month and ministerial approval scheduled for late fall.
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