July 18, 2008

Ottawa approves construction of high-density Longfields subdivision

Construction Corner

Korky Koroluk

The need for greater population density is proving to be a hard sell in Ottawa — so hard, in fact, that the city’s planning committee has approved construction of its own model subdivision, a sort of object lesson for the local development community.

Various experts have told the city that its finances are being undermined by urban sprawl as roads and underground infrastructure become more and more expensive to build and maintain.

The dream of a big home on a big lot in the suburbs is turning into a nightmare for many cities.

That’s why higher population density has become something of a mantra for many urban planners, and that, in part, is what Ottawa’s model subdivision is supposed to demonstrate.

It is to be built in the southwestern suburb of Barrhaven, where cookie-cutter tract housing extends to the horizon, dotted, here and there, with immense parking lots surrounding big-box shopping malls. Dubbed Longfields, the city’s model will be different.

For a start, the planned density will be 46 dwelling units per hectare of residential land, compared with an average suburban density of 24 units. The city’s ultimate goal is to reach an average density of 42 units per hectare in suburban areas, a density that is high enough to support light rail transit.

To achieve the higher density, only a quarter of the homes will be detached houses. Another quarter will be townhouses, and the remaining half will be stacked townhouses and apartments.

And, hoping people will be able to work in Longfields, as well as living there, space will be reserved for retail and other businesses in a village-like core area.

In all, the hope is for 1,400 dwelling units, to be built in four phases.

And who will do the building?

Instead of having one builder using perhaps half a dozen home models, the city intends to tender a few houses and other buildings at a time.

The aim is to ensure a mix of models and styles, as well as giving smaller builders a chance to strut their stuff and compete for work they usually don’t have a chance at.

Jan Harder, the councillor for the area, has said the subdivision will demonstrate where the city intends to go in its over-all planning. It will, she said, be a template that others will be able to use.

A city report calls the subdivision a “definite movement towards the creation of an environmentally sustainable community,” and an example of innovative development that makes better use of city infrastructure and resources.

Interestingly, just two days after the planning committee OK’d the subdivision, the city’s infrastructure people had an announcement of their own.

Of the 50 planned repaving jobs planned and approved for this summer, 10 are being put off until next year because skyrocketing costs have made them unaffordable.

Roadbuilders have been hit with a double whammy. Not only are their material costs going up, but their fuel costs are climbing almost every day. And now, there is less work to compete for.

Again, Ottawa is not alone in this. Browse city Web sites across North America and you’ll find that many are scaling back their roadwork. And transit systems across the continent are hurting because of the price of diesel. That makes it tough to provide adequate bus service to the suburbs.

The higher costs also mean fewer new roads leading to new suburbs where people live, but don’t work.

That is part of the rationale for the Longfields project. If businesses can be convinced to locate in such areas, some people, at least, would be able to walk to work. That would mean, the thinking goes, there would be less need for new roads, and less wear and tear on existing roads.

Where all this leaves you if you’re a roadbuilder, is not a comfortable thought.

Korky Koroluk is an Ottawa-based freelance writer. Send comments to editor@dailycommercialnews.com

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