3.       AIRCRAFT NOISE CONSTRAINTS

AIRCRAFT NOISE CONSTRAINTS


 

 

Committee recommendation

 

That Council approve an amendment to the 2003 Official Plan to revise the areas affected by aircraft noise constraints on Schedule K, as detailed in Document 1 and replace Annex 10 with an updated Annex 10 as shown in Document 2.

 

 

Recommandation du Comité

 

Que le Conseil approuve une modification au Plan officiel de 2003 afin de réviser les secteurs touchés par les contraintes liées au bruit des aéronefs de l’Annexe K, comme il est détaillé dans le document 1, et de remplacer l’Annexe 10 par une Annexe 10 mise à jour, comme il est montré dans le document 2.

 

 

Documentation

 

1.                  Deputy City Manager's report (Planning and Growth Management) dated
9 November 2005 (ACS2005-PGM-POL-0066).

 

(See Minute Extract at Item 1 for a discussion of this item.)

 


Report to/Rapport au :

 

Planning and Environment Committee

Comité de l'urbanisme et de l'environnement

 

and Council / et au Conseil

 

9 November 2005 / le 9 novembre 2005

 

Submitted by/Soumis par : Ned Lathrop, Deputy City Manager/

Directeur municipal adjoint,

Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance 

 

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Judy Flavin, Program Manager, Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Police, Politique d’urbanisme, d’environnement et d’infrastructure

(613) 580-2424 x27886, Judy.Flavin@ottawa.ca

 

Bell-South Nepean (3), Knoxdale -Merivale (9)

Gloucester Southgate (14), River (16)

Ref N°: ACS2005-PGM-POL-0066

 

 

SUBJECT:

AIRCRAFT NOISE CONSTRAINTS

 

 

OBJET :

CONTRAINTES LIÉES AU BRUIT DES AÉRONEFS

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

 

That Planning and Environment Committee recommend that Council approve an amendment to the 2003 Official Plan to revise the areas affected by aircraft noise constraints on Schedule K, as detailed in Document 1 and replace Annex 10 with an updated Annex 10 as shown in Document 2.

 

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement recommande au Conseil d’approuver une modification au Plan officiel de 2003 afin de réviser les secteurs touchés par les contraintes liées au bruit des aéronefs de l’Annexe K, comme il est détaillé dans le document 1, et de remplacer l’Annexe 10 par une Annexe 10 mise à jour, comme il est montré dans le document 2.

 

BACKGROUND

 

The areas affected by aircraft noise constraints are shown on Schedule K of the Official Plan.  The Airport Operating Influence Zone (AOIZ) and the Airport Development Vicinity Zone (ADVZ) on Schedule K are based on the Noise Exposure Forecast (NEF) and Noise Exposure Projection (NEP) prepared by the Ottawa International Airport Authority. The Airport Authority has revised the projections of aircraft noise around the airport.  The purpose of the amendment is to amend Schedule K and update Annex 10, which is provided in the Official Plan for information purposes.

 

 

DISCUSSION

 

The Ottawa International Airport Authority has revised the projections of aircraft noise around the airport.  The new projections warrant a change in the boundary of the AOIZ, where housing and other noise-sensitive uses are restricted, and a change in the 25 NEF/NEP line, where noise-sensitive uses are permitted provided measures are taken to mitigate the noise.  The proposed boundaries of the policy areas in the Official Plan are based on the noise projections and were developed through consultation with the Airport Authority and the Ottawa-Carleton Homebuilder’s Association.  The consultation was used to review the new contours and map them against physical features on the ground so that they can be easily interpreted and incorporated in the Official Plan.

 

The kinds of changes that could result from the amendment include:

-  Where the AOIZ has been deleted - there is potential for larger-scale residential development and other noise-sensitive uses where only limited infill and redevelopment of noise-sensitive uses are permitted now.

-  Where the AVDZ has been deleted or the development falls outside 25 NEF/NEP line - measures to mitigate noise will no longer be required for noise sensitive developments.

 

The amendment addresses only the noise constraint on the affected properties.  Any development applications will continue to be reviewed on their merits and subject to existing Official Plan policies, community design plans or secondary plans, current zoning, availability of municipal services and other relevant planning considerations.

 

 

CONSULTATION

 

Notice of the amendment was carried out in accordance with the City’s Public Notification and Consultation Policy.  The Ward Councillors are aware of the proposed amendment.

 

The boundaries of the AOIZ and the AVDZ were developed through consultation among the Airport Authority, the Ottawa-Carleton Homebuilder’s Association and the City. 

 

The City received one letter requesting that the wording of the Official Plan be revised to allow the 35 contour to be interpreted to the natural feature or City road or property boundary closest to the airport.  The staff response provided in Document 3 does not support this approach.

 


 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

N/A

 

 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

 

Document 1      Proposed Official Plan Amendment to the City Council Approved Official Plan

Document 2      New Annex 10

Document 3      Consultation Details.

 

 

DISPOSITION

 

Department of Planning and Growth Management to prepare the implementing by-law and forward to Legal Services and undertake the statutory notification.

 

Department of Corporate Services, Legal Services Branch to forward the implementing by-law to City Council.  

 

Department of Planning and Growth Management to delete Annex 10 in the Official Plan and replace it with a new Annex 10. 

 

 

 


Document 1

 

PROPOSED OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT TO THE CITY

COUNCIL APPROVED OFFICIAL PLAN                                                                                   

 

 

 

AMENDMENT NO. XX TO THE OFFICIAL PLAN (2003)

OF THE CITY OF OTTAWA


INDEX

 

 

COMPONENTS

 

PART A – THE PREAMBLE

Purpose............................................................................................................................................. 1

Location............................................................................................................................................ 1

Basis................................................................................................................................................. 1

 

PART B – THE AMENDMENT

Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 2

Details............................................................................................................................................... 2

Implementation.................................................................................................................................. 4

 


COMPONENTS

 

PART A – THE PREAMBLE does not constitute part of this Amendment.

 

PART B – THE AMENDMENT, consisting of the following text and the attached maps designated as Schedule “1 to Amendment No. XX, constitutes Amendment No. XX to the Official Plan of the City of Ottawa.

 

PART A - THE PREAMBLE

 

1.         Purpose

 

The purpose of the amendment is to change the boundary of the Airport Operating Influence Zone (AOIZ) and the Airport Vicinity Development Zone (AVDZ), shown on Schedule K to reflect the new noise contours that have been prepared by the Ottawa Airport Authority.

 

2.         Location

 

The amendment applies to area affected by the Ottawa Airport Authority aircraft noise contours as shown on Schedule K of the Official Plan. 

 

 

3.         Basis

 

The Ottawa International Airport Authority has revised the aircraft noise contours around the airport.  The new contours warrant a change in the boundary of the Airport Operating Influence Zone (AOIZ), where housing and other noise-sensitive uses are restricted, and a change in the Airport Vicinity Development Zone (AVDZ), where noise-sensitive uses are permitted provided measures are taken to mitigate the noise. 

 

The boundaries of the areas affected by aircraft noise are shown on Schedule K of the 2003 Official Plan.  These boundaries are based on the previous noise contours and need to be changed to reflect the revised noise contours.  The boundaries proposed in this amendment were developed in consultation with the Ottawa International Airport Authority and the Ottawa-Carleton Homebuilder’s Association.  The revised boundaries are based on the revised noise contours, but mapped against physical features on the ground so that they can be easily interpreted and incorporated in the Official Plan.

 

In general, the amendment reduces the area of land affected by noise constraints due to aircraft noise.  The amendment does not place new constraints on land where no constraint is now applied, nor does it increase the level of constraint on land that is already constrained by aircraft noise.

 

The amendment will revise Schedule K to identify new boundaries for the areas subject to aircraft noise constraints.  Annex 10 will also be revised to show the revised 25 line and 35 contour.  The text of Section 4.8.7 Land-Use Constraints Due to Aircraft Noise is revised slightly to add clarification as to how the Noise Exposure Forecast (NEF) and Noise Exposure Projection (NEP) system works and how the policies for aircraft noise are being implemented in the Official Plan. 

 

PART B – THE AMENDMENT

 

1.         Introduction

 

All of this part of this document entitled Part B - The Amendment, consisting of the following text and the attached maps designated as Schedule “1”” to Amendment No. XX, constitutes Amendment No. XX to the Official Plan of the City of Ottawa.

 

2.         Details

 

The following changes are hereby made to the Official Plan of the City of Ottawa:

1.       Schedule K – Environmental Constraints – is hereby amended by changing the boundary of the Airport Vicinity Development Zone (AVDZ) and the Airport Operating Influence Zone (AOIZ), as shown in Schedule “1”.

 

2.      Section 4.8.7 Land Use Constraints Due to Aircraft Noise, the preamble is hereby amended by

 

a)      deleting the third sentence in the first paragraph and replacing it with the following: “Noise sensitive land uses are housing, institutional and public facilities.”

 

b)      inserting a new paragraph following the second paragraph to read:

“The NEF and NEP were revised in 2005 to reflect current airport operations and new projections of future airport activity and associated noise.  The 25 NEF/NEP and the 30 NEF/NEP are used to define the boundaries of the areas subject to land use constraints due to aircraft noise.  For each planning area, the more restrictive of either the NEF or the NEP is generally used as the basis for the area boundary.”

 

c)      inserting the words “more restrictive of either the” between the phrase “The Ottawa Airport Operating Influence Zone is based on the” and “30 NEP and NEP contours.” in the first sentence of the fourth paragraph;

 

d)      deleting the words “The composite of the 25 NEF and NEP contours has also” from the second sentence of the fifth paragraph and replacing it with “The boundary of the Airport Vicinity Development Zone has” so that the sentence reads “The boundary of the Airport Vicinity Development Zone has been drawn to coincide with physical features such as roads, creeks, rail lines, and lot lines where possible.”

 

e)      Deleting the word “generally” in the second sentence of the fourth paragraph;

 

f)       deleting the first sentence of the fifth paragraph that reads “The boundary of the Airport Vicinity Development Zone is based on the boundary set for the Ottawa International Airport Authority Zoning regulations and the composite of the 25 NEF and NEP contours.” and replacing with the following sentence “The boundary of the Airport Vicinity Development Zone is based on the more restrictive of either the 25 NEF and NEP contours, as well as the boundary of the area subject to Ottawa Airport Zoning Regulations”. 

 

g)      deleting the words, “Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Authority” from the first sentence of the fourth paragraph and inserting the words, “Ottawa International Airport Authority”;

 

h)      deleting the last paragraph and replacing it with the following:

Annex 10 shows the boundaries of the 25 line as mapped along physical features and the Ottawa International Airport Zoning regulations, and illustrates how the two combine to make up the boundary of the Airport Vicinity Development Zone.  Noise-sensitive uses are permitted between the 25 line and the boundary of the Ottawa Airport Operating Influence Zone, provided the noise is attenuated.  Noise-sensitive uses are permitted outside the 25 line without attenuation, although the Ottawa Airport Zoning Regulations may apply”

 

i)    inserting a new paragraph following the last paragraph to read

“Annex 10 also shows the Ottawa Airport Operating Influence Zone and the 35 NEP contour.  Residential and other noise sensitive land uses are not permitted above the 35 NEP contour, which is more restrictive than the 35 NEF contour and is used as the basis for land use policies in this section of the Plan.”

 

3.       Section 4.8.7 Land Use Constraints Due to Aircraft Noise, the policies are hereby amended by:

a)      deleting the words “25 NEF/NEP contour” from the first sentence in policy 2 and replacing it with “the 25 line as mapped along physical features”;

b)      deleting the words “35 NEF and 35 NEP contour, whichever is more restrictive” from the first sentence in policy 3 and replacing it with “35 NEP contour”

c)      deleting the words “35 NEF and 35 NEP lines (whichever is more restrictive)” from the first sentence in policy 4 and replacing it with “35 NEP contour”

d)      deleting the words “25 NEF/NEP composite” from the first sentence in policy 7 and replacing it with “the 25 line as mapped along physical features”;

e)      deleting the words, “Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Authority” from policy 7 b) and inserting the words, “Ottawa International Airport Authority”;

f)       deleting the words, “Ottawa International Airport Zoning regulations” from the first sentence of the policy 8 and inserting the words, “Ottawa Airport Zoning Regulations”.

 

4.         Implementation

 

The implementation of this Amendment to the Official Plan shall be in accordance with the policies of the 2003 Official Plan of the City of Ottawa. 

 


Document 2

 

NEW ANNEX 10                                                                                                                              


Document 3

CONSULTATION DETAILS                                                                                                           

 

NOTIFICATION AND CONSULTATION PROCESS

 

The boundaries of the AOIZ and the AVDZ were developed through consultation among the Airport Authority, the Ottawa-Carleton Homebuilder’s Association and the City. 

 

Notification and public consultation was undertaken in accordance with the Public Notification and Public Consultation Policy approved by City Council for Official Plan Amendments. 

 

PUBLIC COMMENTS

 

The City received a letter from Urban Aerodynamics Ltd. (UAL) suggesting that the wording of the Official Plan be revised to allow the 35 contour to be interpreted to the natural feature or City road or property boundary closest to the airport.  The definition of the 25 line for the AVDZ and the 30 line for the AOIZ are interpeted to the nearest natural feature or property boundary.  UAL wants the flexibility to allow the 35 contour to be interpreted in a similar manner.

 

Staff Response

The Provincial Policy Statement states that residential development above the 30 contour should only be considered if the proponent can demonstrate that there will be no negative impact on the long-term function of the airport

 

The Airport Authority is interested in restricting, in accordance with Transport Canada policy documents, residential development above the 30 NEF/NEP contour.  Given the volume of aircraft noise related complaints associated with residential development above the 30 NEF/ NEP and the potential negative impact organized complaints can have on Airport operations,  the Airport Authority is generally opposed to residential development within the AOIZ save and except for minor infill where appropriate.  It should be noted that according to Transport Canada Community Response Predictions, “Individual complaints may be vigorous and group action and appeals to authorities possible” where new residential development is permitted above the 35NEF/ NEP. 

 

The policies in the Official Plan generally do not permit new residential development within the AOIZ.  Notwithstanding, a policy exists within the Plan that allows the redevelopment of residential properties and residential infill  through the severance process between the 30 and 35 contour. 

 

Staff have met with UAL regarding the impact of the 35 contour on a property at 2911 Prince of Wales Drive.  While there is small portion of the property within the 35 contour, the constraint does not seem to affect the opportunity to permit infill development on the site.  There is sufficient space to create new lots where the dwelling could be located outside of the 35 line.  Through the consent process, conditions of development may be imposed to direct development to a location on site that is outside of the 35 contour.  While UAL has requested that an ‘inner’ AOIZ line be drawn to delineate the 35 contour,  no development proposal or rationale was submitted by UAL to justify revising the policy as earlier agreed upon by the City, the Airport Authority and the development community.  Moreover, UAL has not demonstrated how the potential for infill development on the site is adversely affected by the 35 contour.