Ontario Construction News staff writer Ottawa’s municipal planning and housing committee has approved a plan to develop 9,000 jobs, 1,400 new homes, and a school, park, community centre, and public library branch in Riverside South. City council will review and vote on the committee’s recommendations tomorrow (May 1). The new Secondary Plan for Riverside South will also update the community design plan which was last updated in 2016. The plan was approved at the committee’s April 24 meeting, with amendments that includes a bus rapid transit (BRT) network, which would connect Riverside South t ..read more

    Ontario Construction News staff writer There is strong evidence of a steady increase in home sales in Ottawa, with the recent release of data revealing that 313 new homes were sold in March, which is a 58% increase compared to March 2023. This is a welcome sign for the housing market, as it shows that consumer confidence is improving and pent-up demand from last year is starting to be seen in sales centres. Jason Burggraaf, executive director of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA), commented on the data, saying, “It feels like consumer confidence is improving ..read more

Ottawa Construction News staff writer The Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA) has applauded the measures outlined in the recently released draft of the City of Ottawa’s new Zoning By-law. The GOHBA has been advocating for several of these measures, including increasing the supply of housing by allowing up to four units per lot and making changes to parking provisions. The new Zoning By-law proposes allowing for four units per lot citywide, which is in line with the city’s commitment under the Housing Accelerator Fund. This proposal is welcome as it will help to address the city ..read more

Ottawa Construction News staff writer With the federal budget tabled on April 16, the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA) has outlined what it believes are key initiatives aimed at addressing the housing crisis across the nation. The association says that the government’s commitment to building nearly 3.9 million homes by 2031 underscores the urgent need for supply-side measures to help combat affordability. In a statement, GOHBA executive director Jason Burggraaf said: “We applaud the federal government for investing in a diverse range of initiatives related to the housing and ..read more

Ontario Construction News staff writer The Ottawa Planning and Housing Committee has approved zoning for new subdivisions in Stittsville and Kanata North, which could help increase supply in the housing market. The 570-home subdivision in Stittsville would be located northeast of Hazeldean and Carp roads, and would include 20 detached homes, 150 townhouses, four-storey apartment buildings, a nine-storey mixed-use building, and a public park. The nine-storey building in the centre of the development would be required to include at least 1,500 square metres of non-residential space, and the buil ..read more

Ontario Construction News staff writer H&H Construction, based in Petawawa, Ontario, has acquired the operations of Bonnechere Excavating Inc. (BEI), a move aimed at streamlining operations and ensuring a smooth transition for the two companies. The 76-year-old H&H business has operated pits and quarries, an asphalt plant, a landscape depot, and related buildings across the Ottawa Valley. The acquisition will include all of the company’s assets, including the network of pits and quarries, the asphalt plant, the landscape depot, and related buildings. The operations of H&H Construc ..read more

Ontario Construction News staff writer Ottawa’s municipal Built Heritage Committee has recommended that seven properties in Britannia Village be designated as heritage properties, including the Britannia Yacht Club. The committee cited a number of criteria, including the buildings’ connection to the creation of the Britannia Yacht Club, the development of the area into a suburb, and the expansion of the Ottawa Electric Railway to Britannia, for the purposes of designating them as heritage properties. In a separate recommendation, the committee recommended the designation of two properties on ..read more

Ottawa Construction News staff writer H&H Construction, based in Petawawa, has acquired the operations of Bonnechere Excavating Inc. (BEI), a move aimed at streamlining operations and ensuring a smooth transition for the two companies. The 76-year-old H&H business has operated pits and quarries, an asphalt plant, a landscape depot, and related buildings across the Ottawa Valley. The acquisition will include all of the company’s assets, including the network of pits and quarries, the asphalt plant, the landscape depot, and related buildings. The operations of H&H Construction will ..read more

Ontario Construction News staff writer To help the City of Ottawa achieve its goal of building 151,000 new homes by 2032, the Ontario government has announced funding of $37.5 million for the construction of 10,313 new homes in 2023. “This provincial funding will help Ottawa create the conditions for builders and community agencies to build homes faster,” Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said in a statement last Friday (April 5). “We have an ambitious but achievable target that I believe we can reach by working together.” The funding is being provided through the Building Faster Fund, a $1.2-billion progr ..read more

Ontario Construction News staff writer The City of Ottawa has taken a major step forward in its plan to build a new event centre and north-side stands at Lansdowne. On Tuesday (April 2), the Finance and Corporate Services Committee approved a design-bid-build procurement model for the project. The model will see the city first prepare a detailed design for the new event centre and north-side stands, which will then be used to inform construction costs and final air rights values. The city expects to sell or lease the air rights above and below the retail building at the Lansdowne development ..read more