No Community In Community Plans: STANKOVIC

The recent flurry of comments posted on Bulldog criticizing the city’s public consultations made me think again about my most disliked city program – Community Improvement Plans.

Between 2014 and 2024, city council approved a total of approximately $153 million in property-tax grants or what the city calls Tax Increment Equivalent Grants plus another $74 million in reduced development charges involving 63 different land parcels or real estate developments under the different CIPs. The types of development ranged from a new Porsche dealership at the intersection of Montreal Road and St Laurent Boulevard in Vanier to a car-oriented suburban commercial strip mall within walking distance to the new Trim LRT station in Orléans. Only one application was not approved involving a proposed hotel near the Ottawa airport.

Despite the large amount of public dollars involved, which means forgone potential revenue to the city, not one application included any kind of public consultation or input which is somewhat incongruous with the label of Community Improvement Plans.The only way community members can become aware of an application is if they notice it placed on the agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the finance committee.

I am aware of only one application which had a significant number of delegations – the proposed Porsche dealership which pitted the Vanier residential neighbourhood against commercial property owners, including the applicant,  and members of the Quartier Vanier BIA. Perhaps the BIA members were influenced also by the fact that the applicant is also the largest property owner within the BIA boundary and therefore the biggest levy contributor to the BIA’s annual budget.

The exclusion of community input applies not only when individual applications are reviewed by staff but also when the initial overall CIP is designed and prepared. Take for example, the Integrated Orléans Improvement Plan approved by City Council in July, 2021. According to the staff report, City staff did meet with the Heart of Orléans BIA Board of Directors, 3 months before the Council meeting and did obtain feedback and suggestions. Staff also had a “Community Information Session” with interested developers a month later followed by a public meeting held in early June which I participated in (all 3 meetings were virtual because of the pandemic).

The key conclusion from the meeting is that “providing feedback” is not the same thing as providing input or offering ideas or direction. I had asked for a copy of the proposed CIP before the virtual meeting and was advised by staff that it would only be publicly available when it was placed on the committee agenda. It was clear that most other meeting participants from the public were also not sure what the CIP was really about. Most of the “feedback” related to things like rezoning properties allowing high-density developments, encouraging development on unstable Leda clay, and improving cycling-path issues that would seem somewhat logical to be part of “community improvement” but not within the scope of the CIP. The CIP focused on financial incentives to support new development (the commercial strip mall referred to previously is the only application approved so far under the integrate Orleans CIP).

Although the enabling legislation allowing Ontario municipalities to undertake CIPs comes from the planning act, unlike official plan amendments, rezoning and other planning related applications, municipalities are not required to undertake public consultation related to CIP applications. This might be one reason that CIP applications are dealt with at the finance committee and not the planning committee. CIP applications seem to be viewed by city councillors as issues associated more so with municipal financing and property taxes as opposed to community building and revitalization.

It is very hard to undo bad planning and development. Focusing on incentivizing real estate development also needs proper consideration of what the needs of the community are through real public consultation as well as what the outcomes and benefits might be once the development is completed.

Dan Stankovic is an Ottawa consultant and former municipal public servant in economic development and housing.

For You:

Where Was Leiper On The Convent? WHOPPER WATCH

Odd Weather Alters City Spring Operations

City Denies Bulldog, Public Lawsuit Amounts

Staff Often Resents Public Consultations: BENN

Troster Missed The Lessons Of Trump: THE VOTER

Bookmark The Bulldog, click here