Dalhousie Community Association

The year in review 2017 was another busy year in our downtown neighbourhood. The next few decades will see substantial transformation with several major developments happening. Intensification brings challenges but also rewards to local residents. Ground has recently broken for utilities work at 900 Albert , the vacant lands between the City Centre complex and Albert Street. The proposed development has yet to be approved, but will include up to three residential towers of about 50 stories, mixed with retail and commercial space. The DCA remains concerned about how the development will interact with the neighbourhood, and expects a formal development application in the new year. Plans for redevelopment of the Booth St. Complex by Canada Lands Corporation are well underway. In the past year, consultations and open houses have been held to gather feedback on how the 6.5 acre area between Booth, Orangeville, Rochester and Norman Streets should be developed. Open access to community spa...

Dalhousie Community garden The Dalhousie Community garden benefited from the extended warm weather in the fall with a good harvest. Gardening has wrapped up for the season with a plot cleanup and an Annual General Meeting. The first year of the garden was a success and planning is underway for next year. Traffic on Booth Street Heavy traffic on Booth St. remains an issue. Last June, residents met with Councillor Catherine McKenney and Phil Landry of Ottawa Traffic Services to review the problem. As a result, several improvements have been made, including traffic counts and spot checks by Ottawa police, changes to parking and a reduced speed limit. Two concrete planters at the intersection of Booth and Primrose will bring more greenery to the street as well as further deter speeding. City of Ottawa Budget 2018 The 2018 City of Ottawa Budget mentions Dalhousie ward a few times. The city has allocated money towards making the intersection of Gladstone Ave. and Rochester St. safer for pe...

Norman OMB Appeal After years of hard work and preparation by your neighbours, the DCA had its appeal of the decision to build a 10-story condo tower on Norman St. at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). This would be the only tower that was permitted on any of the dead-end residential side streets in our neighbourhood, and will set a dangerous precedent if approved. The OMB is notoriously unfriendly to appeals from community groups, but we remain optimistic that an egregious case of over development will be overturned. The decision has been reserved, meaning it will be some months before the board delivers a decision. 900 Albert A proposal has been submitted to redevelop the vacant lands between the City Centre complex and Albert Street, officially known as 900 Albert. A public open house was held on March 8, and details are now online at  900albert.com . The proposal includes at least three 55-story apartment/condo towers and a substantial amount of retail spa...

We hope that you have had a chance to review the two proposals for the redevelopment of Lebreton Flats. If not, you can view details of both online via the National Capital  Commission’s  website  until February 8 th . The DCA will explore opportunities for hosting materials for review after that date. The official public consultation continues until February 8 th online . The questions are straightforward, and they ask what you think about each of the proposals and general overall comments. It’s important that you take the time to express your concerns and what you would like to see at Lebreton Flats through this process. It is the primary way that we can signal to the NCC and proponents what we are looking for in the eventual development. Remember: what we’ve seen so far are proposals, and may change a great deal even before a winner is selected. The DCA will not be advocating for one proponent or another, but does believe that the following issues mus...

  What Residents Should Look For At Lebreton Flats Open House

Lebreton Flats Redevelopment. The NCC will be holding a public open house for the two bids to redevelop Lebreton Flats on January 26 th and 27 th at the Canadian War Museum. This will be the only scheduled opportunity for the public to view and provide in-person comments on the proposals. It will also be the first opportunity to see officially what they include. An online consultation will continue into early February. It has been widely reported in the media that both remaining bids will include an NHL-ready arena. There has been no other details as of yet about other aspects of proposals, including greenspace and residential and commercial uses. There is every reason to be disappointed that this process has remained relatively opaque with limited opportunity for the public to provide feedback. We would encourage you to attend the open house in person if possible as well as to provide your thoughts to the NCC afterwards. We would suggest that you consider the fol...

1) AGM Update 2) DCA Priorities Project Update 3) McNabb Park Re-Opening: July 5th 11-4 4) Get involved in a DCA committee! 1) AGM Update On June 16th, the DCA held it's annual general meeting at the Dalhousie Community Centre. There, we heard from Ottawa Centre MP Paul Dewar, who updated us on some of the matters affecting the neighbourhood at the federal level, including home delivery of mail and the NCC LeBreton Flats process, and Councillor Catherine McKenney, who provided an update on some of the matters affecting the ward and goals she has for improving how the community can interact with the city. The DCA also released the results of the Dalhousie Priorities Project, details of which are below. The DCA board was also elected. Thanks to all those that have opted to join the board, as well as those who have served in the past year.  2) DCA Priorities Project Update At the Annual General Meeting, the DCA released the r...