Committee of Adjustment
Comité de dérogation
DECISION MINOR VARIANCE
Date of Decision: January 23, 2026
Panel: 1 - Urban
File: D08-02-25/A-00259
Application: Minor Variance under section 45 of the Planning Act
Applicant: Mattamy (Rockcliffe ll) Inc.
Property Address: 615 Mikinak Road
Ward: 13 - Rideau-Rockcliffe
Legal Description: Block 105, Registered Plan 4M-1559
Zoning: R4UC [2311] and I1A
Zoning By-law: 2008-250
Heard: January 14, 2026, in person and by videoconference
APPLICANT’S PROPOSAL AND PURPOSE OF THE APPLICATION
1The Applicant wants to construct a Planned Unit Development containing 111 dwelling units (60 back-to-back townhouses and 51 rear lane townhouses) serviced by an internal private road network, as shown on plans filed with the Committee.
REQUESTED VARIANCES
2The Applicant requests that the Committee authorize minor variances from the Zoning By-law, as follows:
The requested variances apply to dwelling units to be identified in the following blocks:
Blocks 1-16
a) To permit an increased building height of 11.42 metres, whereas the By-law requires a maximum building height of 10 metres.
Blocks 1-5, Block 9, Blocks 13-16
b) To permit a reduced setback of 1.05 metres for a garage entrance or carport entrance from a private way, whereas the By-law requires a minimum setback of 5.2 metres for any garage or carport entrance from a private way.
c) To permit a reduced setback of 1.05 metres for a wall of a residential building on a private way, whereas the By-law requires a minimum setback of 1.8 metres for any wall of a residential building to a private way.
d) To permit no opaque screening where a deck or balcony occurs above the first floor and is within 1.5 metres of an exterior side wall or interior side lot line of a residential zoned lot, whereas the By-law requires a 1.5 metre high opaque screen when a deck or balcony occurs above the first floor and is within 1.5 metres of an exterior side wall or interior side lot line of a residential-zoned lot.
3The property is the subject of a Site Plan Control application (File No. D07-12-25-0063) and a Plan of Condominium application (File No. D07-04-25-0006).
PUBLIC HEARING
Oral Submissions Summary
4Serene Shahzadeh, agent for the Applicant, provided a slide presentation, a copy of which is on file with the Secretary-Treasurer and available from the Committee Coordinator upon request. In response to questions from the Committee, Ms. Shahzadeh advised that the request for additional building height is requested to accommodate additional space for future residents and to provide flexibility to accommodate the grade of the site.
5The Committee also heard oral submissions from the following individual:
- J. Thompson, Wateridge Village Community Association, expressed support for the application and noted that it provides needed affordable housing, with a desirable design. She expressed concerns with snow removal and parking in the area and requested that future residents be informed of limited visitor parking on site.
6City Planner Penelope Horn responded to the Committee’s questions, highlighting that the site can functionally accommodate the minimum parking requirements.
7City Planner Erin O’Connell was also in attendance.
DECISION AND REASONS OF THE COMMITTEE: APPLICATION GRANTED
Applications Must Satisfy Statutory Four-Part Test
8The Committee has the power to authorize a minor variance from the provisions of the Zoning By-law if, in its opinion, the application meets all four requirements under subsection 45(1) of the Planning Act. It requires consideration of whether the variances are minor, are desirable for the appropriate development or use of the land, building or structure, and whether the general intent and purpose of the Official Plan and the Zoning By-law are maintained.
9Evidence considered by the Committee included all oral submissions made at the hearing, as highlighted above, and the following written submissions held on file with the Secretary-Treasurer and available from the Committee Coordinator upon request:
Application and supporting documents, including planning rationale, plans, photo of the posted sign, and a sign posting declaration.
City Planning Report received January 8, 2026, with no concerns.
Rideau Valley Conservation Authority email dated January 8, 2026, with no objections.
Hydro Ottawa email dated January 8, 2026, with comments.
J. Thompson, D. Kipp, and J. Grant, Wateridge Village Community Association email dated January 12, 2026, with comments.
Effect of Submissions on Decision
10The Committee considered all written and oral submissions relating to the application in making its decision and granted the application.
11Based on the evidence, the Committee is satisfied that the requested variances meet all four requirements under subsection 45(1) of the Planning Act.
12The Committee notes that the City’s Planning Report raises “no concerns” regarding the application.
13The Committee also notes that no evidence was presented that the variances would result in any unacceptable adverse impact on neighbouring properties.
14Considering the circumstances, the Committee finds that, because the proposal fits well in the area, the requested variances, from a planning and public interest point of view, are desirable for the appropriate development or use of the land, building or structure on the property, and relative to the neighbouring lands.
15The Committee also finds that the requested variances maintain the general intent and purpose of the Official Plan because the proposal respects the character of the neighbourhood.
16In addition, the Committee finds that the requested variances maintain the general intent and purpose of the Zoning By-law because the proposal represents orderly development that is compatible with the surrounding area.
17Moreover, the Committee finds that the requested variances, both individually and cumulatively, are minor because they will not create any unacceptable adverse impact on abutting properties or the neighbourhood in general.
18THE COMMITTEE OF ADJUSTMENT ORDERS that the application is granted and the variances to the Zoning By-law are authorized, subject to the location and size of the proposed construction complying with the elevations dated December 2, 2025 and the revised site plan dated January 7, 2026 filed with the Committee of Adjustment as they relate to the requested variances.
"Ann M. Tremblay" ANN M. TREMBLAY CHAIR
"John Blatherwick" JOHN BLATHERWICK MEMBER
Declared Interest COLIN HASKIN MEMBER
"Arto Keklikian" ARTO KEKLIKIAN MEMBER
"Sharon Lécuyer" SHARON LÉCUYER MEMBER
I certify this is a true copy of the Decision of the Committee of Adjustment of the City of Ottawa, dated January 23, 2026
“Michel Bellemare” MICHEL BELLEMARE SECRETARY-TREASURER
NOTICE OF RIGHT TO APPEAL
To appeal this decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), a completed appeal form and the filing fee must be submitted via one of the below options and must be received no later than 3:00 p.m. on February 12, 2026.
OLT E-FILE SERVICE – An appeal can be filed online through the E-File Portal . First-time users will need to register for a My Ontario Account. Select [Ottawa (City): Committee of Adjustment] as the Approval Authority. To complete the appeal, fill in all the required fields and provide the filing fee by credit card.
BY EMAIL - Appeal packages can be submitted by email to cofa@ottawa.ca. The appeal form is available on the OLT website at Forms | Ontario Land Tribunal. Please indicate on the appeal form that payment will be made by credit card.
IN PERSON – Appeal packages can be delivered to the Secretary-Treasurer, Committee of Adjustment, 101 Centrepointe Drive, 4th floor, Ottawa, Ontario, K2G 5K7. The appeal form is available on the OLT website at Forms | Ontario Land Tribunal. In person payment can be made by certified cheque or money order made payable to the Ontario Minister of Finance, or by credit card. Please indicate on the appeal form if you wish to pay by credit card.
Please note only one of the above options needs to be completed. If your preferred method of appeal is not available at the time of filing, the appeal must be filed with one of the other two options.
The Ontario Land Tribunal has established a filing fee of $400.00 per type of application with an additional filing fee of $25.00 for each secondary application.
Only the applicant, the Minister or a specified person or public body that has an interest in the matter may appeal the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal. A “specified person” does not include an individual or a community association.
There are no provisions for the Committee of Adjustment or the Ontario Land Tribunal to extend the statutory deadline to file an appeal. If the deadline is not met, the OLT does not have the authority to hold a hearing to consider your appeal.
If you have any questions about the appeal process, please visit File an Appeal | Ontario Land Tribunal
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