NEW HOME BUYERS NEED TO KNOW PLANS FOR SURROUNDING LAND

One comment I hear frequently when there are plans for new development is that people bought their homes because of the natural areas nearby and don’t want to see them paved over. In every case the lands being developed have been designated for development since before people who contacted me bought their homes.

Similarly, when I represented all of Kanata, I heard from many of the people living in or near the proposed Town Centre who were unaware that the plans for the site adopted by the former City of Kanata called for apartment buildings. It was a surprise for them when they heard that eight to 10 floor buildings would be built near their homes.

What is very clear is that often people buying new homes are not getting the information they need when buying their homes. As buying a home is the largest single purchase most of us will make, that is a serious problem.

Once land is included in the urban boundary in the Official Plan or zoned for development, the decision cannot be reversed without the agreement of the owner.  The argument for not allowing municipalities to remove land from the urban area is that what developers paid for the land and the plans they made may be based on the fact it is designated urban. However, if it is not possible to reverse decisions on official plans or zonings then people purchasing new homes should be able to expect that developers will give them complete and accurate information on plans for the area. 

Consumer protection legislation is a provincial responsibility, but I feel it is important that the City speak out. At the last Planning and Environment Committee meeting I gave notice that I would be moving a motion to have the City call on the provincial government to improve consumer protection legislation so that people thinking of purchasing new homes would get information on zoning and official plan designations near their new homes. The goal would be ensuing that people know what is happening to the wooded area behind their new home before any bulldozers arrive.

What people can do in the interim is check on what the Official Plan and zoning say about nearby land when thinking of buying a home. If you can’t get the information elsewhere, I am always happy to provide information on plans in Kanata South.

OTTAWA TAP WATER RATED HIGHLY

According to the provincial Ministry of the Environment, Ottawa tap water is very safe. The inspection of municipal water systems in Ottawa gave the City a rating of between 99.34% and 100%.

After incidents like Walkerton some people felt that for safety reasons they should switch to bottled water. The test results from Ottawa suggest that tap water is safe – as well as being much, much cheaper.

WORKING FULL-TIME FOR KANATA SOUTH

I appreciate the chance to hear from you about issues affecting our community. You can reach me at 580-2752 (office), 580-2762 (fax), www.feltmateforkanata.com or peggy.feltmate@ottawa.ca