3.5 Village Designations

The following sections of this Plan outline policies for the following land use designations found in the villages: Village - Residential, Village - Mobile Home Park, Village - Mixed Use, Village - Community Commercial, Open Space and Natural Environment Areas - A.

Retail or service commercial facilities in any village may not exceed a maximum size of 10,000 m² (GFA). Multiple lot residential development will generally be by registered plan of subdivision.

3.5.1 Village - Residential

Most land in the villages is occupied by low density housing. These areas of existing housing and as yet undeveloped residential lands are designated Village - Residential. Permitted land uses in this designation will primarily be single detached dwellings, low density multiples and open space and conservation lands. In addition the following complementary uses will also be permitted: schools, churches and cemeteries, day nurseries and seniors and nursing homes. These complementary uses will be subject to approval of servicing needs and consideration as to their location which should generally be along major roads, near the village core or in a location where the use is not incompatible with neighbouring residential uses.

New lots created for single detached dwellings shall generally have a lot size of at least 2,200 m² and a lot frontage of 25 metres. On larger sized existing vacant lots landowners may choose to locate a new house on the lot in such a manner as to allow for the possible future severance of the property should centralized municipal services become available.

Low density multiple dwellings, seniors and nursing homes, schools and churches should:

be of a relatively small scale in keeping with the character of the village and their location on a particular street in the village. Building height and massing should respect adjacent buildings and generally be limited to no more than two stories;
in the case of schools and churches, generally be located only along collector and arterial roads;
adequate off-street parking be provided;
locate in such a manner as to respect the privacy of adjacent residential properties, with buffering where necessary in the form of landscaping or fences;
be subject to water and septic servicing studies prior to consideration of a rezoning change for these land uses.

3.5.1.1 Notwithstanding the permitted uses in subsection 3.5.1 to the contrary, on the Village-Residential lands known municipally as 2108 Old Montreal Road, an office is a permitted use.

[Amendment 67, September 10, 2008]

3.5.2 Village - Mobile Home Park

This designation applies to the one existing mobile home park in the village of Vars and certain vacant lands to the west which are also in this designation. The permitted land uses will be mobile homes and accessory uses such as a private park for use of the residents and related buildings such as a laundromat and/or office for the mobile home park.

Prior to the development of any new or the expansion of an existing mobile home park, the City will require that consideration be given to planning matters including:

the provision of an on site park with recreational facilities for the use of park residents;
the construction and maintenance of the internal private roads to a standard acceptable to the municipality;
the details of proposed water and sewer servicing of the development having regard to Ottawa Official Plan Section 2.3.2;
how the overall development fits with abutting existing or future land uses; and,
village dwelling unit capacity numbers, if applicable.

3.5.3 Village - Mixed Use

A characteristic of the centre or core of the villages is the mixture of small commercial businesses, apartments and single detached dwellings. A compatible mixture of such uses have existed side by side throughout the history of the villages. It is Council's policy to preserve and enhance the character and architectural heritage of these village centres by encouraging development on a scale compatible with existing buildings, and by minimizing the removal of existing structures. The following policies will apply:

The permitted uses in the Village - Mixed Use designation will generally be: residential uses (which may include small apartments buildings or apartments above or at the rear of commercial businesses), retail commercial uses, restaurants, offices and personal service establishments. These uses should be of a size and scale compatible with other buildings along the street. Churches, parks, post offices and similar community uses may also be permitted. Larger commercial plazas, drive through restaurants, service stations and automotive related operations will be required to locate in the Village - Community Commercial designation.

Efforts should be made to use existing structures for commercial and residential purposes. Any new or renovated buildings should be designed to be sympathetic to the existing character of the village streetscape. Criteria to be reviewed for new buildings should include: building height, keeping the building at a set back close to the street, having a roof line similar to neighbouring roof lines and having a well designed front facade for the building. Council approved development guidelines, where they exist, should be followed and the advice of the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC) will be sought when reviewing any application for development.

The implementing zoning by-law will zone the Village - Mixed Uses areas in such a manner to permit a combination of residential and restricted commercial uses in accordance with the policies of this plan. For commercial and institutional uses site plan control measures will be used to limit the impact on any existing nearby residential uses. This would entail control on the type and location of lighting, parking lot design and access routes, signage, landscaping, fencing, etc. Off-street parking for commercial uses may be at a reduced standard and the municipality may use the cash-in-lieu of parking requirements as provided for in the Planning Act. Consideration may be given by commercial landowners to the provisions of small communal parking areas in strategically located areas of a village. Required parking areas should generally be located to the side and rear of the structure.

In the village of Cumberland a portion of the main street has been upgraded with a streetscape with on street parking lay-bys, decorative pavement stones and sidewalks, landscaping and historically designed lighting fixtures. An extension of the existing street improvements and provision of similar streetscapes is encouraged in the other villages especially those where the wide main streets can be narrowed to create a street width more in keeping with the character of a village.

All developments in the Village - Mixed Use designation must conform with requirements for water and septic servicing. Policies of Ottawa Official Plan Section 4.4.2.3 apply to multi-unit residential development.

3.5.4 Village - Community Commercial

Within the villages certain larger sized parcels of lands have been designated Village - Community Commercial. On these properties shopping plazas, tourist accommodations and automobile service facilities may be developed to provide a wide range of goods and services to the community. These sites are generally located near or adjacent to the centre of the villages and are intended to augment the village commercial uses by attracting new development of a scale not compatible with the constrained areas of the Village - Mixed Use areas. Any new development or redevelopment of a site must meet private servicing requirements. Parking areas, building design and setbacks should be sympathetic to the character of the village and its streetscape. Village - Community Commercial lands may also be developed for residential and commercial uses as set out in Section 3.5.3 above, Village - Mixed Use areas.

3.5.5 Open Space

Open Space areas are lands available for use by the public for a variety of active and passive recreational uses and may include community centres, arenas, sports fields, museums, picnic areas, nature trails and conservation lands. Open Space areas to be used for active recreational uses should generally be flat and easily accessible. Such lands will usually be obtained as a condition of development approval using the parkland dedication provisions of the Planning Act. Other lands, such as ravines, escarpments and waterfront flood plain lands, may additionally be dedicated to the City for passive recreational use but such lands will not generally be considered part of the parkland dedications requirement and they shall usually be designated as Environmental Feature, Wetland or Flood Plain. Open Space lands may be used for the development of active and passive recreation facilities depending on the needs of the community as established by the City. Prior to the transfer of lands to the City certain conditions of conveyance may be required to be met including such matters: site grading, sodding or seeding; plants to be retained and/or added; and, the provision of walkways and fencing.

3.5.6 Natural Environment Area (A) in Villages

Environmental Feature Ottawa Official Plan Section 4.8, Protection of Health and Safety, describes Council’s policies to protect from development certain areas that exhibit features which may include one or a combination of the following: unstable slopes (rock or soil), organic soils, and flood plains. Due to these characteristics most of these lands may be unsuitable or severely limited for development. Most of the lands in the villages designated Environmental Feature are already under public ownership or control. Where this is not the case, it is the intent of the City to secure such lands as a condition of development or to otherwise obtain public access or preservation of the lands by other means. Environmental Features in the villages are often the location of nature trails serving the local community, as supported by Official Plan Section 4.6.3 River Corridors, and may include woodlots that are significant in the community. [Amendment #58, December 07, 2007]