Committee approves affordable housing applications in Barrhaven, Overbrook

The Planning and Housing Committee today approved development applications that promise new affordable and below-market rental housing in Barrhaven and Overbrook.  In Barrhaven, the Committee approved a zoning amendment that would facilitate development of 117 affordable housing units, southwest of Jockvale Road and Bending Way. Ottawa Community Housing Corporation plans to build a nine-storey, 99-unit apartment building, as well as a three-storey stacked-townhouse building with another 18 units. This would be the second phase of a larger development, and a wide range of unit sizes is proposed, including 28 units with at least three bedrooms to better accommodate larger families. Overall, 20 per cent of units would be accessible.  The amendment would change the zoning for the property from Residential Fourth Density to a mix of Residential Fourth and Residential Fifth Density, to permit a mid-rise apartment building. It would also limit heights to 31.5 metres for the apartment building and 14 metres for the stacked-townhouse building. It would also reduce the amount of parking required for both residents and visitors.  In Overbrook, the Committee approved Official Plan and zoning amendments to facilitate development of a six-storey apartment building on Presland Road. The Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation is committed to providing a mix of affordable and market-rate units, with 30 per cent of units being rented at 80 per cent of the average market rate. The new building would have 62 apartments, with units ranging in size from studios to three-bedrooms, including some accessible units.  The Official Plan designates this area as Neighbourhood and the amendment would permit a mid-rise building in the Neighbourhood designation while also capping height at six storeys. The zoning amendment would change the zoning from Residential Fourth Density to Residential Fifth Density to allow a mid-rise apartment building. It would also establish a maximum permitted height of 21 metres.   Tracking Ottawa’s housing approvals  To help address the housing crisis, City Council committed to providing home builders enough opportunities to build 151,000 quality market homes by 2031. The City tracks the progress of residential development in Ottawa and shares that data through an interactive housing approvals dashboard.   From Q1 2023 to Q4 2024, Council provided approvals for more than 52,000 new homes, putting applicants in a position to build roughly one third of the homes required to meet that 2031 goal. If Council approves the land-use permissions recommended today by the Planning and Housing Committee, applicants will be in a position to build another 179 new dwellings. Since the start of 2025, it is estimated this Committee has enabled the development of nearly 5,500 new dwellings.  Recommendations from today’s meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, July 23.