Will Your Zoning Unlock the Right Amount of Housing?
Understand 24 Requirements Competing for Space on a Real Lot
Permitting more homes on a lot is a hopeful beginning, but it’s not the same as building them. A project only becomes real when all the things a site plan needs to account for, including zoning rules, the building code, water and sewer connections, trees, utilities, room to get in and out, the messy logistics of construction, and livable floor plans, can fit together. And the numbers still have to work well enough for someone to finance it.
When our team of architects and development consultants advise what can be built on a certain lot, the question is never simply, “How many units are we allowed to build?” It becomes a game of site plan jenga. We wrestle with our drawing software programs to fit the bins, bike parking, transformer, tree roots, exit stairs, stormwater, and everything else on the list, while still delivering the right mix of unit types, sizes, and parking to make the business model work. In Ottawa right now, margins on small-scale infill are razor thin (or non-existent), and that’s a big reason we’re not seeing more construction starts for low-rise infill across the city, despite Ottawa’s new zoning by-law permitting higher densities on neighbourhood lots.
A Real-Lot Test: 24 Requirements
Consider this example of a small apartment building proposed in Ottawa on a 50’ by 107’ lot.
To successfully meet the various regulations and requirements, we had to fit 24 distinct site elements. Each one consumes land, creates access needs, or imposes clearances that affect what housing can be built.
Waste storage: bins, enclosure, and collection access
Bicycle storage: secure resident bike parking and path of travel
Other storage shed: maintenance, garbage, or resident storage
Rear-yard landscaping: required soft landscaping and recreation space
Balconies: private outdoor space projecting from the building
Porches: weather-protected entrance
Transformer: pad-mounted electrical equipment and clearances
Meter closet: utility meters and service access
Electrical switches: exterior electrical equipment and access
Bay windows: projecting building elements and setback implications
Canopies: entrances, walkways, and weather protection
Parking in front or not at all: whether parking can fit beside or behind the building
Landscaping for tree roots: soil volume and protection for tree canopy radius
Underground infrastructure: maintenance access for water, sanitary, gas, and telecom connections
Window wells: light and emergency egress for below-grade units
Sunken patios: below-grade amenity space (not shown in diagram below but a common feature in infill development)
Exit paths: safe, code-compliant routes from units to the street
Vegetable gardens: growing space for community gardens (not shown in diagram below but a common feature in infill development)
Accessibility ramps: paths for entering and exiting accessible buildings or units
Stormwater runoff: Open areas for overland or stormwater flow
Required landscaping under zoning
Steps and stairs: space for grade changes
Underground or rooftop stormwater storage: retention tanks, rooftop storage, and maintenance access
Clearance from overhead wires: safe separation for buildings, trees, and equipment
Why This Matters for Zoning
Before finalizing zoning changes, planners should test the combined effect of the rules on representative lots with a development team: architect, civil and electrical engineers, arborist, mechanical engineer, construction manager, and planner. This is the point at which abstract permissions become buildable housing.
When every site element fits and the pro forma holds up, homes get built. When they don’t, infill targets look strong on paper and fall short at the building permit stage.
If you’re looking to understand how much housing your zoning will likely produce in practice, we can help. We work with planning departments to map likely development outcomes block by block. We test how requirements, constraints, and market realities interact on real lots, to show how many units the rules actually unlock and what stands between those units and a financing or building permit decision. Once the barriers are visible, they’re much easier to solve. That’s when planners can find smarter ways to protect the housing capacity they want while still making room for everything a site has to hold.
Book a free discovery call to talk through your municipality’s planning goals.
Rosaline Hill is a principal architect, planner, and development consultant with over 25 years dedicated to designing homes and communities that work. She founded RJH Architecture + Planning, Walkable Ottawa, Ottawa Cohousing, and BuildingIN, each building on her passion for smarter, more sustainable housing solutions.
With support from her CMHC Housing Supply Challenge winnings, Rosaline launched BuildingIN, an infill consulting practice advancing a data-driven approach that unifies Canada’s fragmented housing market for low-rise, multi-unit infill. Her proven methodology has guided municipalities, large and small, through transformative change. Today, she partners with governments across the country, empowering changemakers to unlock scalable, affordable housing solutions where they are needed most.
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