Ontario Construction News staff writer
High-density residential developments are moving forward in Ottawa after the city’s Planning and Housing Committee approved zoning amendments that could bring nearly 500 new homes to Woodpark and Kanata North.
If finalized by City Council tomorrow (June 10), the decisions will clear the way for a 24-storey residential tower near a major transit station and the next phase of a master-planned suburban subdivision.
In the Woodpark community, the committee approved a zoning amendment to permit a 24-storey residential building northwest of Carling and Edgeworth avenues. The project is designed to add 262 new units to the area.
According to a committee release, the development will sit “less than 200 metres from Lincoln Fields Station” and features “a new public pathway connecting to the National Capital Commission’s pathway network and to Lincoln Fields Station.”
In Kanata North, a second approved amendment will allow for the continued expansion of the Arcadia subdivision, located at 8370 Campeau Dr. near Terry Fox Drive.
As reported by CTV News Ottawa, the 8.26-hectare project is being spearheaded by Minto Communities, which initially filed the development application in December 2021. The site is positioned less than 400 metres from a future O-Train station and is projected to add 232 new homes to the area, which the city stated will improve “housing choice and supply.”
Minto requested rezoning to permit the residential development alongside relief from minimum setback and lot area standards.
“The proposed residential subdivision consists of 58 lots for detached dwellings, 25 townhouse blocks, three open space blocks, five new public streets, two pathway blocks, and one stormwater dry pond block,” the planning application stated.
The application noted that the 232 residential units will include 58 single-detached dwellings, 100 townhouse dwellings, and 74 back-to-back townhouse dwellings. Higher-density units will be placed closest to Campeau Drive.
The two neighbourhood approvals combined account for 494 potential new homes. According to city data tracking, the Planning and Housing Committee has enabled the development of an estimated 1,320 units since the start of 2026.
Between January 2023 and the end of 2025, Ottawa City Council has provided planning approvals for more than 69,600 new homes. This marks roughly 46 per cent of the city’s broader provincial target to support the construction of 151,000 market homes by 2031.
While prioritizing new land-use approvals, the committee also adjusted its financial strategy for federal housing money, approving a change that gives the municipality more flexibility in how it allocates $44 million in federal housing funds expected in 2027.
The money represents the final installment of a $176.3-million commitment to Ottawa through the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). The city has received approximately $132 million under the program so far.
The final payment is scheduled to be issued early next year, “based in part on City efforts to stimulate housing development in a challenging housing market,” according to the city.
Council’s current HAF spending framework directs 90 per cent of the funding allocation directly into projects listed on Ottawa’s Affordable Housing Pipeline. City officials noted that the newly approved financial flexibility will let staff “take advantage of emerging opportunities and new partnerships to advance the construction of more affordable homes.”
To date, the city says HAF funding is supporting 1,500 new affordable units, with non-profit partners having completed more than 800 homes since 2024.