Developer Caivan Communities received approval from Ottawa's planning committee Thursday for a new subdivision in south-end Barrhaven, but only after councillors scrutinized the possible ramifications of building on what used to be a flood plain — and hearing strong concerns from a former whistleblower.
Caivan intends to build 942 new houses on 66.6 hectares east of Borrisokane Road and north of the Jock River. The company plans to build those 701 detached homes and 241 townhomes off-site at its new manufacturing facility nearby.
For its Barrhaven Conservancy development, Caivan applied to the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) in 2019 for a permit to "cut" land in some areas to create volume for water, and "fill" other areas and take them out of the flood plain so houses could be built.
At 407,000 cubic metres, it was the largest volume of fill the conservation authority had ever been asked to consider and "not a common" request, said the RVCA's director of science and planning, Glen McDonald.
In a rare appearance at committee, he sought to answer councillors' many questions about the history of the Jock River flood plain, and address concerns that have been raised at city hall over recent years.
McDonald assured the planning committee that the conservation authority and engineers had done their due diligence.
"Our executive committee would never have approved the...
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