Orléans and Ottawa’s East End has held the reputation of being the bedroom community for Public Servants, and those that commute to the City’s West, South, or Core for jobs. Sadly, this characterization has not been historically inaccurate, however this need not be the case. With the extension of Ottawa’s LRT the entirety of the suburban East End, this opens opportunities for a thoughtful redevelopment of the surrounding corridor, as well as the opportunity for an explosion of economic growth.
In 2014, the Edward Drake Building opened on Ogilvie Road, and with it a modern and efficient work environment for more than 2,200 Federal Communications Security Establishment (CSE) employees. This is fantastic for those that work for CSE, but for other Public Servants working in other departments, there was no effect. Although the new Alternative Work Hub that opened at Place d’Orléans is certainly a fantastic opportunity for some Federal employees to work remotely, it is not however a permanent solution for those who are looking to stay close to home.
While we will always encourage and support our Federal representatives to consider Orléans and Ottawa’s East End when looking at new locations for employees, for our community to thrive, we must also look to diversify the employment options that we have in the East.
Orléans East Economic Corridor
The City is undertaking a review of land use in proximity to the Orléans Light Rail Transit Corridor and its four future stations. The goal is to prepare a new plan that will guide future development of neighbourhoods that are livable, resilient, affordable, support transit and complementary to existing neighbourhoods. The study will produce plans that identify permitted land uses, height and density of development as well as improvements to pedestrian, cycling and transit connections to and from the future stations.
Orléans Community Improvement Plan
A program that encourages the creation of new knowledge-based jobs in Orléans to make the area a complete community where residents can live, work and play.
The principal goal of the Orléans Community Improvement Plan (CIP) is to attract major knowledge-based employers (e.g., clean technologies, photonics and life sciences) to the area and to encourage the creation of new high-quality jobs. In so doing, the Orléans CIP would result in significant improvements to the job-to-household ratio in Orléans. Additionally, the CIP aims to attract new employment-related private sector investment for lands and/or buildings that are underutilized, idled, or in need of repair or renovation.
The plan provides financial incentives for property owners that would encourage investment in the redevelopment of properties that currently, or in the past have been developed. Eligible projects must target a minimum of 15 net new knowledge-based jobs within 10 years of project completion and result in a minimum of 15 immediate net new jobs at time of project completion.
For eligible projects, the Orléans CIP offers “Tax Incentive Equivalent Grants (TIEG).” These grants are based on the increase in the property’s contribution to municipal property taxes resulting from the value created through re-development. After the taxes have been paid each year, and all other accounts with the City are in good standing, the City then reimburses 75% of the increment in the municipal property tax each year for a period of 10 years. The plan does not apply to greenfield development.
You can learn more about the program on the City of Ottawa’s website HERE.
