Dalhousie Community Association

Centretown Citizens Community Association & Dalhousie Community Association invite you to an all candidates meeting Tuesday, October 19, 2010 (7 pm – 9 pm) Andrew Haydon Hall - Ottawa City Hall 110 Laurier Ave West (at Elgin) Join the CCCA, the DCA and candidates Don Fex, Diane Holmes and Barkley Pollock and hear what they have to say. Some refreshments will be served

The DCA was represented by its president at the Tuesday session with the City's Planning and Environment Committee (PEC) when it dealt with the proposal by Starwood-Mastercraft for a 16 and 20 storey condo towers at the corner of Champagne and Hickory. The small area around this intersection is a hotbed of condomania, with Domicile constructing  8 and 13 storey buildings, Arnon 14-19 storey structures, and eventually the Humane Society site will sprout condos too. Our purpose at the meeting was to emphasize the proposed pedestrian and cycling bridge over the OTrain cut at Hickory. The bridge greatly improves a whole bunch of neighorhood connectivity possibilities. At our request, our Councillor put forward a motion tieing the rezoning of the site to the building of a bridge (with developer/condo buyers putting up part of the money) and also requiring the bridge to be finished before the units are occupied. The first part was passed, the money from the developers is now part o

At its September meeting, the DCA discussed the Bambinos project proposed for the corner of Gladstone and Preston. The Association is firmly in favour of a gateway feature at this location. We appreciate the work of the BIA and its funding of the gateway. Other innovative projects of the BIA have worked out well. While we regret the loss of some trees at this location, their loss is mitigated by the additional landscaping along the street and improved pedestrian environment proposed for the corners of Preston/Gladstone. The Bambinos project is innovative in that it is not part of the 1% art program, and is privately funded. It will have a high neighborhood profile. The Association encourages the City and BIA to hold a public opportunity for residents, visitors, and business people to see the proposed Bambinos before construction. Eric Darwin. President, Dalhousie Community Assoc. http://www.ottawadalhousie.ca/

Starwood Mastercraft is proposing a condo development for the corner of Hickory and Champagne, consisting of two towers (20, 16 floors) and a podium of townhouse units and one commercial unit. The DCA supports intensification, supports transit oriented development, and supports less parking units and improved cycling facilities. Here is our letter to the City regarding the proposal: (we twice ask to be kept informed because the City has not been doing that to date) The Dalhousie Community Association represents the area immediately east of the proposed development at 125 Hickory Street. We have attended public meetings on this project and are aware of what the developer is proposing. We wish to be kept informed of the progress of this project. We have the following comments: we are concerned that the City's maximum parking restrictions for transit oriented development are unrealistically high. A clue to this comes from the wish of the developers to provide even less parki

Claridge is proposing three condo towers for the parking lot bounded by Queen, Lyon, and Albert. This parcel is directly west of the Crowne Plaza hotel, behind Barabarella's strip club. It is also directly over the west station of the new downtown transit tunnel. Will this site offer access to the station? It should. The DCA wrote to the Committee of Adjustment hearing on the height of the proposed development, arguing we want depth regulated too: to: Committee of Adjustment The Dalhousie Community Association traditionally represents residents on the western portion of downtown Ottawa extending over to Bayview and from the Ottawa River to Carling Avenue. As such, the Claridge proposal interests us. We have several concerns: there appears to be insufficient landscaped space or amenity space for the residents we have been unable to determine if an arrangement has been made with the city for access to the proposed downtown Ottawa transit tunnel station immediately under thi

From a letter sent by the DCA to Councilor Holmes: The Dalhousie Community Assoc. discussed the O-train corridor bike path at its last meeting. We are delighted that the City has given the go ahead to this cycling and pedestrian route. The path route has its challenges: isolated or less-visible sections, connections to other infrastructure, satisfying a variety of potential users, etc. While the members of the Association have numerous concerns about the path, we wish it to be as successful as possible, and our concerns are all about making the path work. We are mindful that meaninful consultation with various stakeholders has resulted in significant improvements to other public projects in the neighborhood. We therefore request that the City hold a stakeholders' consultation sometime shortly after the first draft plan for this facility is devised by the City, but before it becomes too late to make meaningful improvements. Eric Darwin. President, Dalhousie Community Assoc

 Minutes, 1 Sept 2010 The first fall meeting of the DCA, on 1 Sept 2010, started with a review of ongoing neighborhood issues, so everyone can be aware of what has transpired, gets up to date, and can give input going forward. The Association meets the first Wednesday of every month at the Dalhousie Community Centre, corner of Empress and Somerset, everyone is welcome. Present: Eric Darwin, Maija Kagis, Zsofia Orosz, Catherine Boucher, Charles Akben-Marchand, Archie Campbell, Michael Hatfield, David Seaborn, Laura Bergen, Jessica Scallen, Craig Haines. Minutes of June , 2010: approved as amended by board members and shown on our website www.OttawaDalhousie.ca. Moved by David, seconded by Craig. Mainstreets: Bambinos project , corner Gladstone/Preston: as part of the landscaping project, a colonnade gateway has been approved for this location and foundations will be installed probably this fall. Condolences were made for the five pine trees at the corner that will be removed.