The GCA Parks Committee continued its work in the winter and spring of 2022 on the City’s current Parkland Dedication By-law Review and Replacement process as part of a broader inter-community effort organized through the Federation of Community Associations (FCA): the Parkland Dedication – FCA Working Group.
The fundamental goal of this work is to ensure that city-designated park land (per capita) [2 hectares per 1,000 residents] (not including NCC or school board held lands) be available as equally to the residents of a necessarily more densely populated downtown and inner core as it is to anyone else in the city.
The reason for the City’s current Parkland Dedication By-law Review and Replacement process is because of a provincial government requirement that municipalities put in place a new parkland dedication bylaw by September 18, 2022 in order to preserve the use of a formula for calculating parkland allocation requirements that is tied to the number of dwelling units created (as is the current standard set by the City of Ottawa’s Official Plan and Parks and Recreation Master Plan).
Without a new parkland dedication bylaw, parkland requirements would be calculated based on a percentage of the area of the property being developed, and therefore make parkland less available to the residents of a necessarily more densely populated downtown and inner core.
After engaging in the city’s Open House information session on this on March 31, the Working Group met again on April 4 to further consolidate a position that could be submitted to the City and its consultants, and re-affirmed as motions from the GCA (and others) in time to be incorporated into the city staff recommendations scheduled to go to committee in May.
The motion passed by the GCA Board at its April 26, 2022, as well as a preliminary one passed at the January 25 GCA Board meeting based on an FCA position struck in January, are linked below:
2022 Jan 25 Motion_ Parkland Bylaw – Google Docs
2022 April 26 Motion re_ Parkland Dedication Bylaw