By Sylvie Grenier
The City is proposing a zoning amendment to maintain the ability to operate long-standing commercial businesses in residential neighborhoods, and to permit additional commercial uses beyond what currently exists. The intent is to provide pedestrian and cyclist access to more neighborhood shops and services in areas inside the Greenbelt.
Several properties in Lowertown are subject to this proposed zoning amendment. Among them are the garage and the corner store occupying the block between Guigues and St. Andrew on Cumberland, a bakery on Nelson near Clarence and a convenience store on Beausoleil, across from York Street Public School.
Under current rules, most small commercial businesses located in a residential zone are grandfathered”. That is, they can continue to operate as long as they wish, but once a business closes, the property must revert back to residential use. The city proposes to allow these commercial uses to continue even if they are temporally discontinued. In addition, new types of businesses would be permitted: restaurants, instructional or medical facilities, personal service businesses, artist studios, retail stores and retail food stores.
The idea of providing easy access by foot or bicycle to neighborhoods products and services is widely supported. Many neighborhoods, like Alta Vista or Barrhaven, do not have enough corner stores and residents have to use their cars to get what they need. However, as more details of the zoning by-law amendment have emerged, some problems have been identified.
The Lowertown Community Association (LCA) has opposed the rezoning of several of the properties in Lowertown. It argues that there is no shortage of retail services for residents. In fact, the problem is the opposite – over the years, commercial uses have expanded at the expense of the few remaining residential clusters. Rather than accommodating new businesses in the middle of established neighbourhoods, efforts should be directed at enhancing nearby commercial streets, such as Dalhousie and Murray, where many shops remain vacant or turn over frequently.
There are also concerns about the impact on residents and adjacent properties of some of the new businesses that would be permitted, especially retail food outlets and restaurants – which too easily can turn into bars – and the outdoor patios that would be allowed to operate.
City planners are seeking to address some of these concerns by narrowly defining the size and nature of the businesses that would be permitted and, in particular, by restricting the operation of restaurants and outdoor patios. However, the question remains as to whether this zoning amendment meets the needs of Lowertown residents.
The final proposal will be tabled at Planning Committee in April. Comments can be directed to Councillor Mathieu Fleury at Mathieu.Fleury@ottawa.ca.