Marianne Wilkinson Councillor, Kanata North Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw

City planners have prepared a draft zoning bylaw that covers the entire City of Ottawa. This is a massive document that can have a significant impact on our communities. I've just received the documentation but in perusing it one major area of concern sprang out of the pages. The City is recommending that the provision of parking for apartment buildings be 0.5 per unit. That means that there would only be one parking spot for every two units. Implementing such a standard would result in many owners or tenants having no place for their vehicle. The staff position seems to be based on forcing more people to use transit. However, even if transit is used most of the time, most residents have a car for weekend trips, shopping trips and the like. If parking isn't provided at the apartment site there will be many cars parked on the street, creating congestion, safety hazards and a huge demand for on-street parking permits. Last week the Transportation Committee considered a report about the on-street parking permits. Such permits are now only permitted in a few downtown areas. The report would permit permits to be issued anywhere in the City provided that in a street block (or equivalent where there are long curving streets) 60% of owners in central areas and 75% in more suburban areas (like Kanata) agree to having on street permits. There is a charge for these permits as it creates the equivalent of a parking lot along streets and increases the cost of winter maintenance. The process for obtaining permits recommended by staff required studies and evaluations that would be costly in staff time. Along with other Committee members I supported deleting the studies and instead requiring a resident who wanted on-street parking to get the necessary approval from other home owners. This is just one example where the staff recommendation would have resulted in excessive administration costs. I expect Council to approve our scaled down version that would require minimal staff involvement. Back to the proposed parking space requirements for apartment buildings. Image buildings like those at Campeau and Kanata Avenues with only one half a parking spot per apartment and the impact that would put on the community. You can view the zoning bylaw documents at any City library or Client Service Centre (Kanata's is at 580 Terry Fox Drive) and submit your comments to the City or appear as a delegation at meetings to be held in June. We need to have massive objections to this parking provision to get it changed. I'll also focus on the issues in the zoning bylaw that I feel will impact on our communities at the next Ward Council Meeting On May 28th.

Public Meetings - Campeau Drive and Pedestrian System

There will be a Pedestrian Public Open House in May to provide information on the development of policies and standards for pedestrian ways. Please visit my website, mariannewilkinson.com, where I will post details as soon as they are available. A meeting on the final design for Campeau Drive will be held on May 22nd at W. Erskine Johnston Public School (in the Gym) at 50 Varley Drive from 6-9PM.

Give Away Day is Coming

I've noticed that many people are putting useful items out with your garbage. The Give-Away Day that will be held on June 23rd is a much better way to dispose of items you no longer want without adding to our landfill problems. Re-use is better than recycling and is good for the environment. Please keep those items until June 23rd and participate in Give-Away Day. On that day you simply put the items at the curb with a sign saying free and watch them disappear! Give-Away days are an easy way to help us in our goal of closing the Carp landfill and protecting the environment. Many thanks to the hundreds of residents who picked up litter and cleaned up our communities over the past couple of weeks. Many of you do this year round, carry a bag for trash on your walks along our many pathways. If you haven't been helping out in this way please join those who do to keep our community clean and attractive year round.

Environmental Talks
The Kanata Environmental Network has a talk by Michael Nickerson entitled A Sustainable Future on Thursday, May 10th at 7 pm at the Beaverbrook Community Centre (west end of the Calian Mall). On June 7th they will have a session on Bullfrog Power, Ontario's first 100% green electricity retailer. Ottawa Talks presents Environmental Protection from Knowledge to Action: A Discussion on Climate Change and Toxic Pollution on Friday, May 11th at All Saints High School, 5115 Kanata Avenue. Prof. Aaron Freeman of the Department of Law at the University of Ottawa hosts the interactive forum. Doors open at 6:45 pm.

Coming Events
April 15- May 15, Spring Cleaning the Capital May 11th, Deadline for Citizen's Priority Questionnaire at Ottawa.ca or call into 311 May 11th, Climate Change and Toxic Pollution with Prof. Aaron Freeman, All Saints High School, 7:00 pm May 12th, Briarbrook/Morgan's Grant Community Garage Sale May 12th, Senior's Centre, inside Garage Sale

May 22nd, Meeting on Campeau Drive widening May 28th, Ward Council Meeting June 15th, Deadline for Green Partnership Pilot Program June 23rd, Give-Away Day

Working for the residents and businesses in Kanata North

To receive the Kanata North Newsletter, to deal with a concern or make a suggestion you can contact me at City Hall at 613-580-2474 or by email Marianne.Wilkinson@ottawa.ca or through www.mariannewilkinson.com