Orléans development of 1,505 homes sent back for review over parking concerns

The City of Ottawa Planning and Housing Committee sent a major Orléans development proposal back for review Wednesday, Aug. 19, after residents and business owners raised serious concerns about parking.

The developer, Forum Asset Management, had proposed four high-rise and one mid-rise building totalling 1,505 residential units at 530 Brisebois Rd. and 265 Centrum Blvd. The project included no dedicated resident parking.

Orléans East-Cumberland Coun. Matt Luloff said residents and local business owners have expressed growing concern since the proposal arrived in March. "Orléans is not the downtown core," Luloff said during the committee meeting. "Many residents may use transit to get to work and still rely on a vehicle for children, shopping and other everyday needs."

The fundamental problem, Luloff argued, is that the development depends on transit infrastructure that does not yet exist. The proposal relies on an eventual Orléans Town Centre LRT station, but the station has not been designed, funded, or scheduled for implementation.

"We cannot make decisions about how this development will function today based on transit infrastructure that does not yet exist," Luloff said. "We cannot approve 1,505 homes with no identified resident parking and leave fundamental questions about where those vehicles will go to be addressed later."

Tannis Vine, executive director of the Heart of Orléans BIA, said businesses feared the development would push hundreds of cars into nearby streets and lots. "We appreciate Councillor Luloff's efforts to have the application deferred and believe this provides an important opportunity for the applicant to reconsider the proposal and, hopefully, identify solutions that address the parking concerns raised by the local business community," Vine said.

The Heart of Orléans BIA submitted written feedback to the project lead in March and later invited the developers to present to the board, where the business community again raised concerns about parking and the state of transit infrastructure.

The committee approved Luloff's motion unanimously, directing staff to continue working with the applicant on a revised proposal. The next Planning and Housing Committee meeting is scheduled for Sept. 2.