Corydon Osborne Neighbourhood Plan
Frequently Asked Questions
(click the question to view the answers)
What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
| A Neighbourhood Plan is a vision to guide future growth and change. It will advance and implement the principles from the OurWinnipeg Complete Communities Direction Strategy at the neighbourhood level. The Plan will outline the City's commitments and priorities over next 20 years for land use, transportation network, service delivery, and parks and open space systems. It is expected to be adopted by City Council as a by-law. |
How were the boundaries for this Plan arrived at?
| The Plan area incorporates both the Corydon commercial corridor (the Corydon Business Improvement Zone, which is between Harrow and Pembina) and the area around the Osborne Rapid Transit Station. The extent north and south of Corydon is 400 metres, which is approximately a five minute walk. The railway track was chosen as the eastern boundary because it serves as a physical and psychological boundary as well as a gateway to the South Osborne area, which may be the subject of a separate planning exercise. |
What are the City's plans for rapid transit?
| City Council approved the construction of a 3.6 km transitway between Queen Elizabeth Way & Stradbrook and Pembina & Jubilee with up to 4 new rapid transit stations at Harkness, Osborne, and in the Fort Rouge Yards, plus new active transportation pathways along the route. Now completed, a network of transit routes are using this new infrastructure and existing transit priority measures (Graham Transit Mall, Main Street diamond lanes, transit signal priorities) to provide fast, reliable transit service between the downtown and the southwest part of the city (including the University of Manitoba, and residential, commercial, and industrial areas). http://winnipegtransit.com/en/southwest-transitway/ |
What is Transit Oriented Development (TOD)?
| Moderate to higher density compact mixed-use development, located within an easy five to ten minute walk of a major transit stop. TOD involves high quality urban development with a mix of residential, employment and shopping opportunities, designed in a pedestrian oriented manner without excluding the automobile. See also: http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/TOD/default.stm. |
How will the Plan lead to changes in the neighbourhood?
| While existing buildings will be grandfathered as they are, any new development, redevelopment, expansion or renovation will need to comply with the requirements of the Plan. Neighbourhood change will evolve incrementally over time. As growth and development proceeds, the form and design of new construction will be shaped by the Plan. Any policies pertaining to the public realm (parks, streets and sidewalks) would be implemented subject to capital budget availability. |
Does the Neighbourhood Plan affect the zoning?
| A Neighbourhood Plan lays out broad policy and strategies for how we want the neighbourhood to look and function. Changes to the zoning by-law are one possible way to help implement the Plan. Zoning regulates land use, parking, landscaping and dimensional standards for new development or redevelopment. The implementation of the Neighbourhood Plan is expected to include a wide palette of tools and approaches in addition to zoning. |
Will the Plan affect my property value or taxes?
| Over the long term, it is hoped that the implementation of the community's vision for Corydon-Osborne will make it an increasingly popular area in which to live and do business. This, in turn, would enhance property values. Locations next to rapid transit have statistically shown greater land values, reflecting consumer preference for mixed-use transit-oriented developments. The value of a property as a fraction of the total assessed value of all similar property in the city determines its share of the tax burden. Property taxes are based on the mill rate applied by City Council in a given year. |
Why is this planning process taking place now?
| Based on direction by Standing Policy Committee, background studies on the Corydon area were completed in 2008 and 2009. 2009 was also launch of the OurWinnipeg initiative. The decision was made to delay the start of the Corydon-Osborne planning process until the OurWinnipeg process was complete, to ensure consistency and alignment with the new plan. OurWinnipeg provides a strong policy framework that the Corydon-Osborne plan can build upon. |
What are the next steps in completing the Plan?
| The text and layout of the draft Plan will be prepared over this spring and presented at an open house. Final revisions may be necessary based on feedback received at the open house. It will then be prepared as a draft by-law and will be submitted into the approval process. |
When will the Plan be complete?
| It is expected that the Plan will be presented to Community Committee at a public hearing in late fall or early winter. It will be reviewed by other committees of Council, and requires three readings by City Council to be adopted as by-law. This approval process can take up to several months. |
Who is involved in creating the Plan?
| The project is managed by the Planning, Property and Development Department of the City of Winnipeg. Through the course of the project, there will be a number of opportunities for involvement by residents, community groups, businesses and their customers within the neighbourhood and across the City. An extensive, multi-faceted consultation program is being employed to engage the community using tools and techniques that are new to neighbourhood planning in Winnipeg. The project has also been assisted by planning consultants working on behalf of the City. The City also has experts on transportation engineering, parking, community services, parks planning, and other subject matter who will be brought in as technical resources. |
How will I find out about consultation meetings and public hearings?
| There will be a media release before each open house. Posters will go up around the neighbourhood. You can request to receive email notifications by clicking on E-Subscribe here or at the top of the main page for the Corydon-Osborne Neighbourhood Plan. Facebook users can get notifications in their News Feed by clicking ‘Like’ on our Facebook site, Facebook.com/CorydonOsborne. |
What is Infill and where will it be allowed?
| Infill describes any addition of residential units (secondary suites, townhouses, multi-unit buildings, etc.) within an established neighbourhood. In order to address increased population growth in a sustainable fashion, it will be important for the city to "grow up" instead of just "growing out". While the focus of this growth will be largely within transformative areas (such as Corydon Avenue, or the Osborne Transit Station area), even existing residential areas will need to accommodate low to moderate density infill. How much infill and what form it takes will be guided by this Neighbourhood Plan. As the Plan is being drafted, community input will help define what kind of infill is appropriate in different parts of the neighbourhood - what fits in the middle of a residential street versus a corner location, for example. |
What if I don't want the area to change? Can the Plan help maintain things as they are?
| While the Plan can help maintain the unique flavour of Corydon and Osborne, all areas are subject to change over time. Winnipeg is experiencing increased growth and even existing residential areas will need to accommodate low to moderate density infill development to support more efficient use of land, infrastructure and services. |
Can the Plan protect the local character of the businesses along Corydon?
| The Plan will guide the form and design of new commercial development (see built form question below) with a principal emphasis on creating mixed-use pedestrian oriented environments. Design standards pertaining to scale, connection to sidewalk, accessibility, animation and transparency can contribute to creating a comfortable and active street edge. Plans and zoning regulations do not address ownership or brand of businesses, or the range of goods offered. |
Will the plan look at alternative configurations for Confusion Corner?
| No, the Plan will focus on land use, built form and parking with potential improvements to pedestrian connections. Other transportation issues are outside the scope of this project. |
What does built form mean?
| While traditional neighbourhood plans focused on the regulation of land uses, current planning under the OurWinnipeg Complete Communities Direction Strategy encourages mixed use in combination with good urban design. Corydon Osborne is the first neighbourhood plan since Complete Communities was adopted and is a new type of plan for Winnipeg. It places the emphasis on form and design of new development, in other words, the size of building lots, the height and shape of buildings, their setbacks, alignments and the location and design of off-street parking. |
What is the difference between a Laneway House and a Secondary Suite?
| A Secondary Suite is any small self-contained dwelling unit that is attached to or contained within a single-family house. Some cities have allowed Secondary Suites that are detached from the principal dwelling, located adjacent to the back lane. This type is also known as a Laneway House (or carriage house). Although current zoning does not support Laneway Houses, the Complete Communities Direction Strategy recommends a review of Laneway Housing in order to expand the palette of infill opportunities available for mature neighbourhoods. |
What is a Complete Community?
| Complete Communities are places that both offer and support a variety of lifestyle choices, providing opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to live, work, shop, learn and play in close proximity to one another. Complete Communities provide options for mobility by facilitating a range of transportation options. Complete Communities celebrate diversity and provide housing options that accommodate a range of incomes and household types for all stages of life. |
Who decides what the final Plan looks like?
| The City of Winnipeg Planning, Property and Development Department will write the plan, drawing on input from the many neighbourhood stakeholders through the public consultation process. The Plan will be subject to a public hearing at City Centre Community Committee where members of the public can address decision-makers directly. City Council is responsible for the final adoption of the Plan as a by-law, and may approve it as submitted, or with changes. |
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