555-603 March Rd | ?m | 6 to 30f | Proposed

[Sauvanto]

they better build this frikin March Road BRT already, I keep trying to reach the councilor for thoughts and questions but alas probably prefers to spend time with the car lobby begging to widen March Road to 8-lanes... Does anyone know if there is any hope or actions we can take to make transit happen in Kanata North?

[bartlebooth]

I'd love to see them swap the park with one of the center blocks (move park to the middle and center block tower/podium to where the park is). I feel like giving every part of the development better access to green space is a change that would help strengthen the plan.

[Multi-modal]

Originally Posted by Sauvanto

they better build this frikin March Road BRT already, I keep trying to reach the councilor for thoughts and questions but alas probably prefers to spend time with the car lobby begging to widen March Road to 8-lanes... Does anyone know if there is any hope or actions we can take to make transit happen in Kanata North?

Best hope (other than the councillor and MPP/MP) is to spam the TMP update team. TMPupdate@ottawa.ca

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

I'm not sure where your 8 minutes comes from. Is it the 15-minute shuttle (Line 3) service divided by 2? Or 2-minute mainline service divided by 2 and then divided by 2 again?

Why I ask is because, if the mainline trains are running at a 10-minute frequency, then Line 1 and Line 3 will each be at half of that. If you then divide Line 3's frequency by 2 again, then service on each of those branches will only be at a 40-minute frequency.

Even at a 'normal' 5-minute mainline frequency, service on the Kanata North branch would be every 20 minutes.

I'm looking more at the realistic max frequency of the Confederation Line, which is 2-minutes. If the central branch runs every two, divide by 4 branches and we get 8-minutes. In the evening, the hope is that we could run every 3.5 minutes along the central branch or, if we keep the shuttle transfer, 7.5 minutes (so the transfer would move to Moodie instead of L.F.).

Note that Manconi had said the max frequency of Confed could be 1.5 minutes, but I don't believe that's achievable.

Originally Posted by Sauvanto

they better build this frikin March Road BRT already, I keep trying to reach the councilor for thoughts and questions but alas probably prefers to spend time with the car lobby begging to widen March Road to 8-lanes... Does anyone know if there is any hope or actions we can take to make transit happen in Kanata North?

Well, the City seems to have an attitude of "if development is already happening, we don't need rapid transit to attract development" based on the absence of transit planning for Rideau-Montreal and the lack of progress on the Carling and Baseline transit improvements.

Draw it on a napkin, and they will come. If they don't, then build transit, as seen in Riverside South and the Chapel Hill Park and Ride, where density still hasn't materialized despite millions in investment. Based on this, Cumberland BRT is the only non-Stage 3 project that make come to be.

[Ottawacurious]

Originally Posted by bartlebooth

I'd love to see them swap the park with one of the center blocks (move park to the middle and center block tower/podium to where the park is). I feel like giving every part of the development better access to green space is a change that would help strengthen the plan.

Ditto. I noticed it's pretty much the same building multiple times over but just spun on its axis (+24, +25, +27, +30 towers). Perhaps they've value-engineered it that way? Regardless, I agree, combine two of those 25 stories into a 50-60+ tower and create the largest open space/great lawn you possibly can inside the middle of that space. Give the park the flexibility to have mini bluesfest/concerts/BBQ rib festivals/etc in that square and all the other mini squares as shown in the photos can be kept the same as proposed.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by Ottawacurious

Ditto. I noticed it's pretty much the same building multiple times over but just spun on its axis (+24, +25, +27, +30 towers). Perhaps they've value-engineered it that way? Regardless, I agree, combine two of those 25 stories into a 50-60+ tower and create the largest open space/great lawn you possibly can inside the middle of that space. Give the park the flexibility to have mini bluesfest/concerts/BBQ rib festivals/etc in that square and all the other mini squares as shown in the photos can be kept the same as proposed.

Yes. At this point the proposal is just a concept plan and massing study. Don't spend too much time criticizing the details... they will change.

[Harley613]

Ottawa Tabletop 2 : Kanata Boogaloo

[Ottawacurious]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Yes. At this point the proposal is just a concept plan and massing study. Don't spend too much time criticizing the details... they will change.

Do you think adding comments at this point could help avoid the table top?

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Ottawacurious

Do you think adding comments at this point could help avoid the table top?

Not exactly sure what you mean. In community consultations about the development? Maybe! People advocate for more varied massing all the time! It rarely works in Ottawa, thought. Developers and the construction industry REALLY like building 22-32 story buildings here.

[originalmuffins]

This isn't really a downtown project, it's adding a lot of mixed use to a decent employment hub in the Ottawa metro area with good densification. Sure it's not supertall and some heights are the same... but I don't see how this is a bad project imo...

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by originalmuffins

This isn't really a downtown project, it's adding a lot of mixed use to a decent employment hub in the Ottawa metro area with good densification. Sure it's not supertall and some heights are the same... but I don't see how this is a bad project imo...

It's a great project, I'm just annoyed as always about the eternally expanding sea of medium height buildings in this city. I won't be happy until I see some height variation like every other major city in Canada. This might be outside of downtown, but every employment/transit node in the GTA/Vancouver/Montreal has fantastic variety.

[J.OT13]

Project website:

https://mainandmain.ca/march-terry-fox

[Ottawacurious]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Project website:

https://mainandmain.ca/march-terry-fox

I was thinking about the apple circle building... then thought, perhaps a ring of skyscrapers along the perimeter with a park in the middle? I think I might prefer that over this grid pattern. Since I'm already dreaming... Add in arc de triomph sized arches in the skyscrapers so people can see & access into the park. This allows truck access for stage crews for small concerts, food truck days, and rib fests too Massive Koi pond that converts to a skating rink in the winter.... dreaming!

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Ottawacurious

I was thinking about the apple circle building... then thought, perhaps a ring of skyscrapers along the perimeter with a park in the middle? I think I might prefer that over this grid pattern. Since I'm already dreaming... Add in arc de triomph sized arches in the skyscrapers so people can see & access into the park. This allows truck access for stage crews for small concerts, food truck days, and rib fests too Massive Koi pond that converts to a skating rink in the winter.... dreaming!

That certainly would be interesting. Reminds me of the original concept for the new Civic.


https://www.ottawahospital.on.ca/ann...h-care_en.html

Overall, I do prefer a grid for the Kanata North redevelopment, one "different" concept such as what you propose would make the area more interesting and provide a landmark.

[originalmuffins]

Main and Main seems to be doing a great job on their projects at the moment, so I'm still very excited for this project. This plus the Nokia project can actually create a very nice district in Kanata North. It may be far from downtown, but it will be a very nice cluster. I just hope the city doesn't let residents down by lackluster transit service (with current council, I would not be surprised).

[Harley613]

Could we just have one taller tower in either this or the Nokia project? Would it kill any children to have a 40 story tower and a 20 story tower replace two of these 30 story towers? I'm not looking forward to a new mini tabletop skyline in this city.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by originalmuffins

Main and Main seems to be doing a great job on their projects at the moment, so I'm still very excited for this project. This plus the Nokia project can actually create a very nice district in Kanata North. It may be far from downtown, but it will be a very nice cluster. I just hope the city doesn't let residents down by lackluster transit service (with current council, I would not be surprised).

Who cares if it is far from downtown? Many people on this forum are under the misconception that everyone works downtown and forget that Kanata is a major employment hub.

[AuxTown]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Who cares if it is far from downtown? Many people on this forum are under the misconception that everyone works downtown and forget that Kanata is a major employment hub.

Agreed. I'm sad to say it but Ottawa's downtown may have peaked and I don't see it getting back to 2019 levels of activity/productivity again for a VERY long time. Meanwhile, there are 33000 people working in Kanata North, many of them in the tech sector making above-average salaries and contributing above average to the local economy. We are going to see a significant boom in Kanata in the coming years for sure.

[originalmuffins]

Uhhhh? Who said I cared in a negative manner? It was a normal statement. It is far from downtown but I said literally one word after that it will be a nice cluster?

If you actually read other comments before being snarky you'd realize that I am very pro diversifying across various LRT stations with TOD..................................

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by originalmuffins

Uhhhh? Who said I cared in a negative manner? It was a normal statement. It is far from downtown but I said literally one word after that it will be a nice cluster?

If you actually read other comments before being snarky you'd realize that I am very pro diversifying across various LRT stations with TOD..................................

Sorry, but you touched on a bit of a sensitive spot. Let me try again.

One can say it is far from downtown, but one could also say that it is far from Montreal or Toronto. While Kanata is officially part of the city of Ottawa, in many ways it is independent from Ottawa. Many people who live in Kanata rarely go downtown, just like they rarely go to Toronto or Montreal.