I think you're right that it's different than contemporary angular planes, but the language of the section is quite... complex.

Altogether, the work by Bacon and Matthew cost taxpayers $4,124.73 ($40,000 today). Their report may not have made a big impact on Ottawa's first zoning bylaw, but the saga showed that the voices of external experts carried less weight than the perceived wants and desires of suburban homeowners.

Bacon was a admirer of Parliament Hill’s gothic architecture, calling it “one of the finest expressions of Victorian exuberance in the world.” During his early December stay at the Chateau Laurier, he took many snowy pictures of the buildings. You can view them here: www.flickr.com/photos/ed_ba...

One of Bacon’s ideas was adopted, however: pegging the maximum building heights downtown to top of the Peace Tower. He’d already used that idea back home in Philadelphia, where building heights were capped to the tip of William Penn’s hat on city hall (over 200 feet higher than the Peace Tower).

The report suggested Ottawa limit parking downtown and encourage pedestrian movement. This didn’t pan out. Ten years after the bylaw was adopted, the core was littered with surface parking—producing the “dead areas” Bacon warned about.

52 years ago this month, Edmund N. Bacon—father of Kevin Bacon—came to Ottawa to provide the city with advice as it prepared its first comprehensive zoning bylaw in 1963. Bacon was the Planning Commissioner in Philadelphia, and landed on the cover of Time Magazine a year later.

The City of Ottawa is nearing the finish line on its new zoning bylaw. Did you know Ottawa's zoning is only two degrees from Kevin Bacon? 🧵...

I was surprised to learn today that there used to be bike lanes on Colonel By Drive.

The lanes were installed in 1972, but I'm not sure when they were removed. With the pathways getting busier, this is something that @ncc-ccn.bsky.social should consider bringing back—there's a precedent for it.

Percy & Catherine intersection: drivers get a green light, pedestrians get a walk signal, but cyclists (in between) get a red light. I can't think of any rational explanation for this set-up, and I don't think it exists anywhere else in the city (anybody know?) @arieltroster.com can you fix this?

Unfortunately, these sixplexes are still not legal to build because Ottawa's new zoning bylaw requires entrances on the front. For a building like this, a side entrance creates larger apartments and more sides with windows per apartment. Maybe the 3rd draft can allow some wiggle room here.

Big news for flat walls: the 2nd draft of Ottawa's new zoning bylaw ditches the rule from the 1st draft that 20% of a front façade had to be recessed 60 cm. Flat walls mean more interior space for apartments and simpler construction for builders.
jordobicycles.substack.com/p/three-spee...