January Newsletter: Lebreton Flats Redevelopment and Transitway Detours

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 following matters. 

Print this and bring it with you!:

• How does the proposal interact with the existing community? Does it connect in logical places? Is it easy to walk from nearby neighbourhoods, such as Chinatown and Little Italy, or are there apparent barriers that keep these areas separate, including not enough places to cross the LRT track?
• Do any proposed commercial uses reflect the needs of the neighbourhood? What would you like to see there?
• Do you think that there is an appropriate mix of housing types? Is there enough space for families? Are there rentals? Is there any affordable housing?
• What is envisioned for any greenspace? Is it the sort of thing that you would use? What could improve it?
• Do you think that the primary use (e.g. an Arena) is appropriate for public land?
• How does the primary use animate the space on a regular basis, and how could that be improved? Does it have shops/services around it, or is it just blank space?
• Will this development swamp our neighbourhood in cars like during other busy events, such as Bluesfest? What’s being done to minimize traffic?
• What will be built first? Is all the nice stuff left to the end?

The NCC can choose to move ahead with a proposal, take parts of it, or reject everything outright. We will see at the end of January what we think should be the best option.

LRT Transit Detours Begin

On Sunday, the Albert Street Transitway detours will begin and will continue to sometime in 2018. Welcome to the buspocalypse.

We will monitor the implementation of the detour and continue to impress for any changes necessary to improve the situation in our community. The first snowstorm of the year was an early reminder that inclement weather can easily throw a wrench into the best-laid plans. We have also noted that the fencing along Albert St. has been damaged already, and have highlighted this with the Rail Office for repair.

We will keep an eye out for problems, but need your input as well. If you identify issues, please highlight them to us at the contact information below. Attached is the public notice from Ottawa's Rail Office.

Keep in Touch!

Questions? Comments?  Email president@ottawadalhousie.ca.

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  West Transitway Closure Public Notice