Author: Jeff
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Scott/Tweedsmuir/Athlone development open house February 18
The City of Ottawa has received applications to amend the Richmond Road/Westboro Secondary Plan and the Zoning By-Law to facilitate the development of three mixed-use buildings (ranging between 29 and 40 storeys), a four-storey, low-rise building, 477 parking spaces, 91 visitor parking spaces and 780.4 sq.m. of parkland. Our office will be hosting a virtual Open…
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403 Richmond tower proposal
I’ve received several inquiries about the advertisement recently posted online by Mastercraft Starwood showing a high-rise at 403 Richmond – currently the site of the Tubman Funeral Home. I will note first that the only development permission on the site is for nine-storey building to which Council gave its approval in 2021. Any further height…
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OC Transpo: the data behind the headlines
Join Rail Fans Canada, Better Transit Ottawa and Councillor Jeff Leiper for a webinar exploring citizen-led data tools that provide insight into public transit in Ottawa. Shane Seguin, Ajay Ramachandran and Jeff will talk about Rail Fans’ crowdsourcing efforts to track trains in service and Better Transit Ottawa’s data that provides insight into bus cancellations…
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Bus crisis spin
As transit riders know, over the course of the past week or so, our bus service has deteriorated rapidly. Buses aren’t showing up and certainly not coming on time. Now, yesterday, OC Transpo put out a memo that was actually very helpful describing their response to the immediate crisis. I’ve posted that memo here. What’s…
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Freezing rain coming / Pluie verglaçante à venir
Good morning, Kitchissippi. It looks like we’re in for some significant freezing rain accumulation beginning late evening today (Sunday) continuing through tomorrow morning. Most frequently due to branches falling, freezing rain storms can cause power outages. Visit Hydro Ottawa’s outage safety at https://hydroottawa.com/…/outage-centre/outage-safety for tips on getting prepared. Report outages using any of the following:…
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Sidewalks and street re-builds
Residents may have seen recent media about the proposal to add a second sidewalk when Athlone is re-built and the opposition that has sparked among some neighbours. I’ve also heard objections recently with respect to other renewal projects in the ward that are currently in their planning phase. Sidewalks have unexpectedly emerged as a flashpoint…
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Seniors safety event November 14
Our office will be hosting a seniors safety event at the Churchill Seniors Centre on Friday, November 14 from 1-2:30 pm. Speakers will include John Wambombo from Safer Roads Ottawa on pedestrian safety, Ottawa Police on community safety, OC Transpo on safety while riding transit, as well as by-stander safety expert Julie Lalonde on how to be…
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Lansdowne discussion off to a bad start
This morning, Mayor Sutcliffe held a press conference to outline the modified Lansdowne 2.0 project recommendations in advance of city councillors or the general public having access to those documents. I am writing this afternoon to express my profound disappointment at the way in which this process has unfolded and the disrespect with which Mayor…
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Developer benefits holiday should be rejected
Mayor Sutcliffe’s Housing Acceleration Task Force is suggesting a five-year break for developers from paying community benefits charges (CBCs). These charges are often used to support affordable housing and public amenities in our neighbourhoods. The proposal would remove millions of dollars we could spend in ways residents need. Council should reject this recommendation. The proposal…
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The strip mall conundrum
When does “good” city planning have “bad” outcomes? I’ve been thinking a lot since getting back from a planning conference in Toronto about the difficulty city planners often face when trying to balance competing public interest considerations as the city develops. Since returning, I’ve had strip malls on my mind. While I was at the…