Ottawa will not fulfill its promise to issue 15,100 building permits annually unless there are "supportive economic conditions" and backing from other stakeholders, according to city staff.
 

Earlier this year, the council approved the "Municipal Housing Pledge," with strategies to encourage the construction of 151,000 new homes across Ottawa by 2031.
 

The Ontario government has set its target for Ottawa as part of the province’s plan to support the construction of 1.5 million new homes.

A new report from the City of Ottawa indicates that the city issued land use permits and development applications for 16,237 new dwellings in the first six months of the year, and issued building permits for a net of 4,514 new dwellings.

Staff say that while Ottawa is "fulfilling its role" for the annual target of 15,100 by "providing ample opportunities to issue building permits" for new homes, the city has only achieved 30 percent of its building permit issuance goal from January to June.

"The commitment to issue 15,100 building permits annually will require additional contributions from other stakeholders and supportive economic conditions to build this large number of homes," staff say in the report presented to the planning committee meeting on September 20.

The report, signed by Acting Director of Economic Development and Long-Range Planning David Wise, did not specify what those "additional contributions" from other stakeholders are needed to increase the number of permits issued.

Among the 4,514 building permits issued in Ottawa during the first six months of the year, there were 3,327 permits for apartments, 807 for townhouses, 53 for semi-detached homes, and 327 for single-family homes.

The report states that construction began on 3,314 dwellings in the first six months of 2023, and 4,107 homes were completed.

The Municipal Housing Pledge supported by the council in March states that the municipality will do the following to help the Ontario government achieve the goal of providing 1.5 million new homes:

Work with industry partners to ensure approvals for the construction of 151,000 ready-to-build homes by 2031

Allow for a broader diversity of housing types and densities and occupancy arrangements

Provide supporting infrastructure and services

Partner with higher levels of government as well as housing providers and agencies to access available funding and build more affordable housing

Simplify approvals to transition from routine to building more quickly, including developing a new, more lenient, and clearer zoning bylaw

Allocate $66 million to support affordable housing projects in Ottawa.

The planning committee will vote on September 20 on plans to build two high-rise residential buildings on Carling Avenue across from the Central Experimental Farm and a nine-storey residential building on Lisgar Street.

Council members will also vote on an amendment to the zoning bylaw to rezone land on Mars Road for mixed-use development, with plans aimed at creating residential and commercial buildings ranging from six to 30 stories and 2,100 residential units.