General Update/Rumour thread

[Uhuniau]

And the most irritating thing is that it's closing just as downtown Ottawa gets a lot more residents from all the new condos going up.

Cf. The Amazing Disappearing Central-City Hardware Store. Home Hardware on Elgin and Canadian Tire on Kent, both long gone; Home on Beechwood destroyed by fire, probably never to be replaced.

[McC]

Westboro lost both of theirs, too. We're lucky to still have Morris HH in the Burg, and the Carling/Clyde CT still relatively accessible.

[teej1984]

I wonder if something like Rainbow Theatres could occupy the space in the World Exchange? Cheap movies could attract lots of students!

[c_speed3108]

Cf. The Amazing Disappearing Central-City Hardware Store. Home Hardware on Elgin and Canadian Tire on Kent, both long gone; Home on Beechwood destroyed by fire, probably never to be replaced.

This was something I really noticed while walking around Toronto and Montreal this summer that Ottawa is really lacking. Downtown chain stores.

We have no downtown Canadian Tires, Future Shops, Best Buy, Target, Home Depots, Rona. A few of these would go a long way towards anchoring stuff like Sparks, Rideau Street or the Bank Street area.

Downtown needs more than High Fashion, food, drug and small independent stores. People downtown need big screen TVs and hardware items too.

[YOWetal]

Cf. The Amazing Disappearing Central-City Hardware Store. Home Hardware on Elgin and Canadian Tire on Kent, both long gone; Home on Beechwood destroyed by fire, probably never to be replaced.

Yeah funny how fires always seem to happen in unprofitable businesses sitting on prime lots for development.

[umbria27]

This was something I really noticed while walking around Toronto and Montreal this summer that Ottawa is really lacking. Downtown chain stores.

We have no downtown Canadian Tires, Future Shops, Best Buy, Target, Home Depots, Rona. A few of these would go a long way towards anchoring stuff like Sparks, Rideau Street or the Bank Street area.

Downtown needs more than High Fashion, food, drug and small independent stores. People downtown need big screen TVs and hardware items too.

I hear you. The lack of grocery stores downtown has been much lamented on these boards, but the lack of hardware stores, electronics and outside the shopping centres, fashion, just feels weird. The Staples on Bank Street is a notable exception and it seems I'm constantly there. I'm also lucky enough to be within walking distance of one of the last downtown hardware stores.

It's nice that Canadian Tire put their sign on that big round building I see on my way to Carleton Place, but couldn't they hang their shingle on somewhere east of Churchill and west of the Train Station. There are quite a few of us down here who want to buy tents, pressure washers and replacement fuses for our antique Saabs. I know that big box electronics is in a slump these days, but there are markets for big thin TVs that look on small apartment walls. I actually seriously wanted to buy a big tv this weekend, but could not face the hell that is Merivale Road. I'll probably buy online, one day, eventually.

Clothing is another conundrum. Examples of clothing retailers that have ventured outside the mall in Ottawa are few and far between. Urban Outfitters had the guts to live up to their name on Rideau. I also applaud Lululemon and Roots for going main street in Westboro, but where are the rest of the big clothing chains? There is not a single Gap, Banana Republic, Abercrombie, American Eagle, BCBG, Mexx on any of the would be shopping streets in Ottawa. What's the problem. Do the BIA's just not know how to land these big fish?

Probably should have left this rant in the retail thread.

[trhgr]

This was something I really noticed while walking around Toronto and Montreal this summer that Ottawa is really lacking. Downtown chain stores.

Are there commercial spaces big enough to accomodate big stores on downtown streets (which ones anyway: Bank, Elgin, sparks)?
There's already a Source, Rogers store, Henry's on Bank. Zellers closed last year unfortunately (that's a lot of commercial space).
For the rest don't think we need more Gap/Mexx/American aegle/BR stores in this city, but I'd be glad to see a BestBuy opening downtown or independant no-brand stores.

[c_speed3108]

Are there commercial spaces big enough to accomodate big stores on downtown streets (which ones anyway: Bank, Elgin, sparks)?
There's already a Source, Rogers store, Henry's on Bank. Zellers closed last year unfortunately (that's a lot of commercial space).
For the rest don't think we need more Gap/Mexx/American aegle/BR stores in this city, but I'd be glad to see a BestBuy opening downtown or independant no-brand stores.

The size of available spaces is a big problem. They would sorta have to be created.

For example with the theaters moving out of World exchange, that space would probably be suitable for at least one large store (say a future shop or best buy).

I just think lots of opportunities are missed. Take a building like Claridge Plaza 1 and 2. That space would have been large enough for a larger store (footprint is a city block, less lobbies and parking garage entrance), rather than the bank, drug store and a sales office (god know what that will eventually become). It just could have made more of a destination there.

[c_speed3108]

Here is an example I saw in Montreal:

https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!data=!1m8!1m3!1d3!2d-73.625945!3d45.497958!2m2!1f358.92!2f86.79!4f52.32!2m4!1e1!2m2!1sLnTF60j9OBltZzNeccJDnA!2e0&fid=5

It is a Rona store on Côte-des-Neiges near the University of Montreal. The street is on a similar scale as the eastern part of Rideau Street or even Montreal Rd in Vanier. Something along these lines would be very doable.

Big box stores are very popular and make great anchors for a street. The trick is just to not make it look like Innes Road!

[McC]

I used to shop at that Rona, IIRC, it's on three floors, and was probably about the same footprint as Morris HH store in Hintonburg (if Sharkey's Scuba Supply downstairs, and the Gym/etc. upstairs were also used for hardware/housewares).

The staircases must be a real challenge for operating/opening stores like these (see also the GT in Hintonburg), they make them awkward for able-bodied customers and staff and quite inaccessible for those with mobility challenges; and escalators and elevators are expensive and take up a lot of space. Presumably this is an important barrier to more stores of this type being set up.

[J.OT13]

If the WEP loses its cinema, I would much rather see some big retailer such as a urban sized Canadian Tire or Future Shop as suggested earlier. More office space would be a lost opportunity, as well as super expensive for the owners, as mentioned in the Citizen today, Place de Ville opted to keep an empty cinema instead of converting to office space.

The Citizen also mentioned that a few Cinema operators approached the WEP with the interest of taking over the space but apparently the WEP is worried about Lansdowne; apparently big movies usually don't play in two different cinemas less than 5 km apart. The Rideau and WEP lived in harmony due to the fact that they were operated by the same company (Empire). That said, considering the big suburban cinemas in low density areas have 20+ theatre rooms compared to Lansdowne's 10 and WEP's 7(?), I don't see this as an issue.

[rocketphish]

Uncertainty over Lansdowne cinema engulfs World Exchange theatre, too

Manager says building owner would rather not convert facility to office space

By David Reevely, OTTAWA CITIZEN September 3, 2013

OTTAWA — Uncertainty about Lansdowne Park’s planned new movie theatre is one reason why the World Exchange Plaza hasn’t signed a new operator for its cinema, the downtown office complex’s leasing manager said Tuesday.

“The incentive for us is to continue on,” Daniel Gray told city council’s finance committee, explaining that converting the multiplex inside the World Exchange into office space would be expensive and difficult, even though the building’s owner is asking for permission to do just that.

Windowless theatres with sloped floors aren’t easy to repurpose, Gray said, estimating it would take 10 years to recoup the cost. And that’s in a normal market, whereas just now Ottawa has a glut of office space downtown. It’s so expensive that Place de Ville’s underground cinema, once the biggest in town, has been mothballed for nearly 20 years.

Three theatre chains have approached him in at least a general way about taking over the World Exchange cinema when the Empire Theatres lease expires at the end of the year. Empire is getting out of the movie house business; it has sold most of its screens and is walking away from the rest, including the one at the World Exchange.

But, said Gray, there’s a problem: Movie distributors won’t give the same movies to theatres within five kilometres of each other. “They’re not going to give two locations in close proximity to each other what I’ll call the A-quality films,” Gray said.

The World Exchange and the now-closed cinema at the Rideau Centre managed the problem by catering to different audiences, with the Rideau Centre showing more teen-blockbuster flicks and the World Exchange typically screening movies that are a bit higher-brow. Both of them were Empire cinemas, so that division was easy to maintain.

But now the Rideau Centre’s theatre is closed and everyone is waiting see what happens with the theatre at Lansdowne. It is under construction, an integral part of the city’s agreement with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group to redevelop the Glebe fairground. It’s also another Empire property whose future is unclear and it’s only 2½ kilometres from the World Exchange Plaza.

Both OSEG and Empire have said they expect to honour the agreement to have a cinema at Lansdowne, meant to be a high-end operation with luxurious seats, good food and a liquor licence, but neither has said just how. A cinema operator there could also take over the World Exchange theatres, co-operate with it, compete with it, or make taking it over an obviously foolhardy move for anybody, depending who it is. If there’s no Lansdowne theatre, running the World Exchange cinema would be a lot more attractive.

“We really have no comment on this issue at this time,” said OSEG’s lead partner, Roger Greenberg, through a spokesman. Negotiations are continuing over the Lansdowne theatre and that’s it.

In the meantime, the World Exchange’s owner, the British Columbia Investment Management Corp., and its real-estate company Bentall Kennedy (Gray’s employer) want the option to turn their cinema into something else.

At issue is an agreement between the city and the property’s original developer, which included a promise to include an “entertainment” use in the building. The agreement has been amended over the years, most recently in about 1997, and even the city’s lawyers aren’t sure it committed the World Exchange’s owners to keep providing entertainment after the building was finished. Everyone agrees that that entertainment use, even if it is legally required, wouldn’t necessarily have to be a movie theatre. But the companies want a definitive ruling saying that they can do whatever they want in the theatre space as long as it’s consistent with the building’s mixed-use zoning.

Most councillors on the finance committee weren’t happy about the prospect.

“There’s actually more pressure for entertainment downtown than 15 or 20 years ago,” observed Gloucester-Southgate’s Diane Deans, what with all the condo towers city council has approved lately.

Councillors on the finance committee weren’t convinced they had enough information to decide. It wasn’t clear how binding the agreement is, for instance.

At the suggestion of Mayor Jim Watson, city manager Kent Kirkpatrick was told to take charge of the file and bring a proper report to the finance committee’s next meeting, scheduled for Oct. 1.

dreevely@ottawacitizen.com

ottawacitizen.com/greaterottawa
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Uncertainty+over+Lansdowne+cinema+engulfs+World+Exchange/8864752/story.html

[gjhall]

Ottawa doesn't have the density yet to justify the incredible cost of urban box stores. in addition, not enough people don't have cars and therefore are natural customers for these urban box stores, and suburban stores aren't far or inconvenient enough to affect people's wilingness to get to them.

For instance, on the weekend when there's basically no traffic, you can get from the Nicholas on-ramp to IKEA in 7 minutes.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Here is an update to the post I put in this thread about uOttawa possibly opening a satellite campus in SW Ont.



University proposed potential southwestern Ontario expansion in 2012 strategy document

Adam Feibel | Fulcrum Staff

A MEMBER OF Provincial Parliament in southwestern Ontario is lobbying the University of Ottawa to put a new campus in his riding.

The U of O is currently looking at options to expand into southwestern Ontario. Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Monte McNaughton recently wrote to U of O president Allan Rock to explain why his riding would be a suitable area for expansion.

“It is my strong belief that the University of Ottawa will find not only a suitable location for your upcoming expansion, but also a pool of highly motivated and talented prospective students,” McNaughton wrote.

The request comes in response to a university strategy document sent to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

“We are examining the possibility of creating a satellite campus in South-Western Ontario, where the growth in the Francophone community is strongest and French-language postsecondary education is unavailable,” the document states.

“We are uniquely equipped both technologically and pedagogically among Ontario universities to contribute meaningfully to the store of French-language and bilingual content online, available for distance education or as an open resource.”

The university has not provided an update on the possible expansion since the strategy document was published last fall.

François Boileau, Ontario’s French language services commissioner, noted in a report published in June 2012 that only five of the 21 post-secondary institutions in the region offer French-language programs.

“With the rapid growth of Central-Southwestern Ontario’s Francophone population, it is more critical than ever to remedy the insufficient number of colleges and universities in that region that offer French-language programs and services,” said Boileau.

The Lambton-Kent-Middlesex riding covers more than 6,400 square kilometres east of Sarnia, Ont., west of London, and extending southwest to Lake St. Clair near the United States border.

Southwestern Ontario is home to more than 100,000 bilingual Canadians and roughly 118,000 French speakers.

According to a press release on McNaughton’s website, many of these people are residents in his riding and a bilingual campus in the area could fill an important niche between Western University in London and the U of O’s satellite program with the faculty of education at the University of Windsor.

“There’s a lot of exciting things happening in Southwestern Ontario, it’s no wonder the University of Ottawa would look to capitalize on this,” McNaughton wrote to Rock.

The university has not yet responded to McNaughton’s letter.

[YOWflier]

Re.: WEP

How about an urban grocery store?

[gjhall]

Re.: WEP

How about an urban grocery store?

I'm sure it would be nice, but with one going into TriBeCa not far away, is it viable?

[S-Man]

Wouldn't that be too close to the grocery store being built at Metcalfe/Nepean?

[McC]

a third floor grocery store sounds like a logistical nightmare to me.

[YOWflier]

^ Ha! I must admit that I've never been to that theater and had no idea it was on a floor other than ground.

[c_speed3108]

WEP is also not in much of a residential area (at least at the moment) so I don't think a food store would be as good. Downtown is making good progress on food stores lately with Sobeys and perhaps farmboy coming.

A store that would be successful needs to appeal to office workers at a minimum. That is why future shop on Ogilvie does so well. Look at what is across the street. Those spy types love their gadgets :haha:

[Norman Bates]

Maybe Holt Renfrew could move into that WEP space?

[Capital Shaun]

WEP is also not in much of a residential area (at least at the moment) so I don't think a food store would be as good. Downtown is making good progress on food stores lately with Sobeys and perhaps farmboy coming.

A store that would be successful needs to appeal to office workers at a minimum. That is why future shop on Ogilvie does so well. Look at what is across the street. Those spy types love their gadgets :haha:

They also love to eat out for lunch. The restaurants around there are usually quite busy at lunch time. With CSE moving there soon they'll see a boost in business for sure.

[McC]

quit it, you're making me hungry!

[J.OT13]

Ottawa doesn't have the density yet to justify the incredible cost of urban box stores. in addition, not enough people don't have cars and therefore are natural customers for these urban box stores, and suburban stores aren't far or inconvenient enough to affect people's wilingness to get to them.

For instance, on the weekend when there's basically no traffic, you can get from the Nicholas on-ramp to IKEA in 7 minutes.

I certainly wouldn't build a Wal-Mart downtown but I think a smaller urban sized Canadian Tire might be warranted. Just don't sell riding mowers and gazebos.

[Shalaby]

They also love to eat out for lunch. The restaurants around there are usually quite busy at lunch time. With CSE moving there soon they'll see a boost in business for sure.

A little off topic, but has anyone been to one of the new farm boys with the hot bar? I get lunch at the train yards location every now and then and it's fantastic- they pretty much emulated whole foods hot bar concept. It would be awesome to have this downtown, I'm really hoping for that farm boy at SoBa.

[Harley613]

A little off topic, but has anyone been to one of the new farm boys with the hot bar? I get lunch at the train yards location every now and then and it's fantastic- they pretty much emulated whole foods hot bar concept. It would be awesome to have this downtown, I'm really hoping for that farm boy at SoBa.

I go to the Trainyards one quite often. It's really truly fantastic...but bloody expensive if you want to fill up on meat and pasta!!

[kwoldtimer]

Here is an update to the post I put in this thread about uOttawa possibly opening a satellite campus in SW Ont.

I wonder what disciplines they are considering offering at a satellite campus? Would love to see them come to K-C-W, but I sense they are looking more to the Windsor-London area.

[Uhuniau]

Ottawa doesn't have the density yet to justify the incredible cost of urban box stores. in addition, not enough people don't have cars and therefore are natural customers for these urban box stores, and suburban stores aren't far or inconvenient enough to affect people's wilingness to get to them.

I'm willing to bet that's wrong.

Sadly, the retailers in this town don't have the imagination to settle the case either way. All they are interested in building, owning, or renting, is more suburban crap.

[Uhuniau]

They also love to eat out for lunch. The restaurants around there are usually quite busy at lunch time.

And start closing at 1:15, which bugs the hell out of late-lunching me...

[gjhall]

I'm willing to bet that's wrong.

Sadly, the retailers in this town don't have the imagination to settle the case either way. All they are interested in building, owning, or renting, is more suburban crap.

The retailers in this town? Sorry I thought we were talking about big box stores, which are national. Yes, yes, we were.

As much as we all like the progress of central Ottawa, it is a slow one, with only 1500 or so units added in central neighbourhoods each year compared to about 5000 in the suburbs.

[phil235]

I wonder what disciplines they are considering offering at a satellite campus? Would love to see them come to K-C-W, but I sense they are looking more to the Windsor-London area.

Kitchener has always had a suprisingly robust francophone population, but the critical mass of francophones in SW Ontario is definitely down towards Windsor.

[umbria27]

Ottawa doesn't have the density yet to justify the incredible cost of urban box stores. in addition, not enough people don't have cars and therefore are natural customers for these urban box stores, and suburban stores aren't far or inconvenient enough to affect people's wilingness to get to them.

For instance, on the weekend when there's basically no traffic, you can get from the Nicholas on-ramp to IKEA in 7 minutes.

Despite my grumbles, I reluctantly agree with this. For occasional purchases like computers and TVs, people will drive to the burbs. Staples works downtown because people and businesses need their products more frequently. For the same reason, I think a Canadian Tire would work, but it would have to be a smaller urban footprint, perhaps the size of a 1980s Canadian Tire, before they started building huge superstores.

[Acajack]

Kitchener has always had a suprisingly robust francophone population, but the critical mass of francophones in SW Ontario is definitely down towards Windsor.

That's interesting. I've never met a native francophone from KW - though I have met quite a few from the Windsor area, and also Welland and the Penetanguishene area.

Not saying they do not exist of course...

[Acajack]

Despite my grumbles, I reluctantly agree with this. For occasional purchases like computers and TVs, people will drive to the burbs. Staples works downtown because people and businesses need their products more frequently. For the same reason, I think a Canadian Tire would work, but it would have to be a smaller urban footprint, perhaps the size of a 1980s Canadian Tire, before they started building huge superstores.

There was one on Kent St. right downtown until not that long ago - 10 or 15 years maybe?

[Boxster]

Despite my grumbles, I reluctantly agree with this. For occasional purchases like computers and TVs, people will drive to the burbs. Staples works downtown because people and businesses need their products more frequently. For the same reason, I think a Canadian Tire would work, but it would have to be a smaller urban footprint, perhaps the size of a 1980s Canadian Tire, before they started building huge superstores.

I believe a Home Hardware would be much better. Something like Trudel in lowertown.

Canadian tire is much too big and diversified. In addition, it could not sell tires if it can't install them.

[Capital Shaun]

I believe a Home Hardware would be much better. Something like Trudel in lowertown.

Canadian tire is much too big and diversified. In addition, it could not sell tires if it can't install them.

Is the Home Hardware in The Market still open?

[J.OT13]

The Canadian Tire was either on the Constitution Square III site or the last Minto Place Tower site (180 Kent).

I don't believe the Canadian Tire at the Eaton Centre has its own garage space for tire/mechanical service.

I didn't even know their was a Home Hardware in the market, but looking at Google maps (street view updated this summer), it is still open.

[phil235]

That's interesting. I've never met a native francophone from KW - though I have met quite a few from the Windsor area, and also Welland and the Penetanguishene area.

Not saying they do not exist of course...

I went to school with a bunch back in the day. At that point, they had to switch to English for high school unless they wanted to trek to Hamilton to the French high school. Not a choice I would have been making.

I don't think the overall numbers are huge, maybe 5 or 7000 people total that speak French at home, but the community supports 3 or 4 elementary schools, and now a high school in Cambridge. Not too shabby.

But there is no question that the bigger francophone communities in SW Ontario are outside of Windsor, and possibly in Welland. I suppose I could look that up, but laziness has intervened.

[Boxster]

The Canadian Tire was either on the Constitution Square III site or the last Minto Place Tower site (180 Kent).

I don't believe the Canadian Tire at the Eaton Centre has its own garage space for tire/mechanical service.

I didn't even know their was a Home Hardware in the market, but looking at Google maps (street view updated this summer), it is still open.

Yes Trudel has been there for ever and is somewhat of an institution in lowertown.

[Acajack]

Yes Trudel has been there for ever and is somewhat of an institution in lowertown.

Is Trudel not hidden away in that little dead end street at the east end of the Rideau Centre? You know, the one where you park illegally with your flashers while waiting for someone to come out of the mall?

[Schattenjager]

Something like the Best Buy / Canadian Tire at Dundas Square in Toronto would be great!

http://goo.gl/maps/aQn1H

[J.OT13]

Is Trudel not hidden away in that little dead end street at the east end of the Rideau Centre? You know, the one where you park illegally with your flashers while waiting for someone to come out of the mall?

No, it's on the corner of George and the Waller pedestrian "mall".

Schattenjager, that is precisely what we need.

[Acajack]

No, it's on the corner of George and the Waller pedestrian "mall".

.

Was it always there.

There most certainly was a hardware store right here until at least the mid-1990s:

http://goo.gl/maps/3EEG5

Can't remember if it was Trudel. Could have been Jolicoeur also, though I know they are on Beechwood also.

[c_speed3108]

Something like the Best Buy / Canadian Tire at Dundas Square in Toronto would be great!

http://goo.gl/maps/aQn1H

This is exactly what I had in mind. Additionally it can be on the 2nd or 3rd floor of a building and not eat up a huge chunk of expensive street level space with blank walls etc...

[c_speed3108]

The Canadian Tire was either on the Constitution Square III site or the last Minto Place Tower site (180 Kent).

I don't believe the Canadian Tire at the Eaton Centre has its own garage space for tire/mechanical service.



It was where 180 kent is. I believe it is more or less the Canadian Tire store that ended up on Conventry rd.

[J.OT13]

Was it always there.

There most certainly was a hardware store right here until at least the mid-1990s:

http://goo.gl/maps/3EEG5

Can't remember if it was Trudel. Could have been Jolicoeur also, though I know they are on Beechwood also.

I don't have a clue. Was there a hardware store in the Ogilvy at some point? Maybe your thinking of "Robinson's", which sounds like a hardware store, (although it was a department store that bought out Ogilvy. They were soon bought out by HBC in 1996). They closed around the mid-90s. The Rideau Centre then bought the building and used it until 2005 apparently.

There might also been a hardware store in the GoodLife space in the Rideau Centre which is right at the Besserer entrance.

[J.OT13]

It was where 180 kent is. I believe it is more or less the Canadian Tire store that ended up on Conventry rd.

That's it. Thanks!

[Boxster]

I don't have a clue. Was there a hardware store in the Ogilvy at some point? Maybe your thinking of "Robinson's", which sounds like a hardware store, (although it was a department store that bought out Ogilvy. They were soon bought out by HBC in 1996). They closed around the mid-90s. The Rideau Centre then bought the building and used it until 2005 apparently.

There might also been a hardware store in the GoodLife space in the Rideau Centre which is right at the Besserer entrance.

Trudel Hardware was originally established in 1925 on Rideau St.,Ottawa by Napoleon Trudel, Marc's Grandfather! Marc and his sister Elaine took over the reins of the family business in the 1980's and opened a second location here in Kanata in 1989! Elaine now runs the downtown store and Marc, along with his wife, Serafina, and his trusty Managers,Mike Minosora and Alex Goyette (Commercial Account Mgr.)run the Kanata location. Drop in and say 'hi'!

[TMA-1]

PASCAL's was in or near the Rideau Ctr, south side of Rideau, for a summer a *long* time ago. 20 Years? They then moved to Merivale Road. That was a great store.



I don't have a clue. Was there a hardware store in the Ogilvy at some point? Maybe you're thinking of "Robinson's", which sounds like a hardware store, (although it was a department store that bought out Ogilvy. They were soon bought out by HBC in 1996). They closed around the mid-90s. The Rideau Centre then bought the building and used it until 2005 apparently.

There might also been a hardware store in the GoodLife space in the Rideau Centre which is right at the Besserer entrance.

[kwoldtimer]

Kitchener has always had a suprisingly robust francophone population, but the critical mass of francophones in SW Ontario is definitely down towards Windsor.

That's true, and I was surprised recently to see some StatsCan numbers indicating that the bilingual population of K-C-W is about the same size of that of London and Windsor. Certainly, however, it's the extreme southwest of the province that is associated with the historic Franco-Ontarian community. The only advantage I would see to a UofO satellite in K-C-W would be the opportunity to plug into the significant levels of cooperation already in place between UofW, WLU and Conestoga College.

[kwoldtimer]

That's interesting. I've never met a native francophone from KW - though I have met quite a few from the Windsor area, and also Welland and the Penetanguishene area.

Not saying they do not exist of course...

There would be a few, especially in Cambridge, but most of the community would be first or second generation migrants from Northern Ontario or elsewhere in Southwestern Ontario. Since moving down here, I have been surprised at the number of times I've heard people speaking French at the Market or in the supermarket, or whatever (although less often than at least a dozen other languages!). It would be exceedingly rare, however, to meet a Canadian francophone here who is not fully bilingual.

[bartlebooth]

It looks like Somerset House is on the market for leasing. Not sure how imminent redevelopment/rehabilitation of this building is but this is the first I have heard about this site in a while.

http://www.primecorp.ca/listings/retail/historic-somerset-house

[Urbanarchit]

I found the site of an urban planner/ architect who had some images of a "Metcalfe Boulevard", as well as other things. I want to assume he was consulted during Jean Chretien's time as PM?

Ludwik B. Chelkowski's site (http://chelkowski-urban-design.com/portfolio.php)

http://chelkowski-urban-design.com/images/lrg/plan.jpg

[Urbanarchit]

It looks like Somerset House is on the market for leasing. Not sure how imminent redevelopment/rehabilitation of this building is but this is the first I have heard about this site in a while.

http://www.primecorp.ca/listings/retail/historic-somerset-house

Wow, is that what Somerset House was going to look like with renovations, or is this what they want to turn it into?

http://www.primecorp.ca/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/r/e/render_352_somerset_v2.jpg

[Kitchissippi]

What's a British Royal Mail truck doing on Bank Street? :)

[citydwlr]

Very nice reno, if that's what they are planning. I'd love to finally see that place up and running again!

[J.OT13]

I found the site of an urban planner/ architect who had some images of a "Metcalfe Boulevard", as well as other things. I want to assume he was consulted during Jean Chretien's time as PM?

Ludwik B. Chelkowski's site (http://chelkowski-urban-design.com/portfolio.php)

http://chelkowski-urban-design.com/images/lrg/plan.jpg

That was the actual proposal. I always forget how ridiculously wide that would have been, destroying a hell load of historic buildings not to mention about 1 million square feet of recently built office space (at the time). I liked Chrétien, but that was one stupid idea.

Interesting thing, anyone notice that the old American Embassy is gone on that proposal, replaced with a replica of a building that was torn down decades ago?

[Norman Bates]

I always thought that Metcalfe plan was inspired. Big thinking that hasn't been seen in Ottawa since Jacques Greber went home to France.

[AuxTown]

Wow, is that what Somerset House was going to look like with renovations, or is this what they want to turn it into?

http://www.primecorp.ca/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/r/e/render_352_somerset_v2.jpg

That's some of the best development news I've heard in a while. Not a big project but a VERY prominent location.

[kevinbottawa]

Wow, is that what Somerset House was going to look like with renovations, or is this what they want to turn it into?

http://www.primecorp.ca/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/r/e/render_352_somerset_v2.jpg

That's beautiful! Looks like it could be the home of one of the retailers on the BIA's preferred tenants list, maybe a clothing store.

[kevinbottawa]

Just saw they have a side view.

http://www.primecorp.ca/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/r/e/render_352_somerset.jpg

[S-Man]

Looking at that sketch of Chretien Boulevard (humour me...), I can't help but think this is what many Ottawans dream of - dynamiting existing homes and offices in the middle of downtown to create pointless 'culturally important' green space.

Now, if you were to ban cars on that grand boulevard, it would an even bigger thrill up their leg! :D

[S-Man]

I always thought that Metcalfe plan was inspired. Big thinking that hasn't been seen in Ottawa since Jacques Greber went home to France.


Mother must have slipped something into your tea. There's nothing inspiring about copying earlier city planning elements (in this case, grass and monuments) that, in the years since, have complicated city-building. We would have just had to take all those apartment units and offices and head off to Nepean with them had this thing been built back in the 90s.

We have nice things already in terms of grass and granite. The nice things people want and demand now is nicer services and nicer (read: more efficient, higher-capacity) transit. It's cute to think of Ottawans as little French mice in an animated 60s kids show, scampering amongst Parisienne monuments and parks in order to find cheese and crusts of bread, but we need a functioning city more than a fantasy.

[J.OT13]

At least if the Museum and Peace tower were aligned.

If we had enough expropriation money to quadruple+ Metcalfe and tear down millions of square feet of space, I would opt for expropriating the rest of the private property in Gatineau Park to make it a National Park; now that would be visionary, and we would still have money left to extend the ORT.

Somerset House; :sarcasmalert: wow, I didn't know we could fix up old buildings. I thought we had to tear them down and re-attach a quarter of the old façade on a smaller, modern, lower quality building.

[Kitchissippi]

While I don't like the idea of a grand boulevard, I wouldn't mind a long range plan (50+years) to establish a tapered sightline between Parliament Hill and the Museum. This would mean nothing would be built on this angle, and if certain buildings reach the end of their lifespan, height could be traded off for setback.

I remember the huge discussion in Montreal in the 1980s when the Art Deco Woolworth building on Ste-Catherine (http://www.flickr.com/photos/montrealblues/3362790256/) had to be demolished to widen McGill College Avenue, simply to get a view of the mountain from downtown. It was sad to see that building go, but downtown Montreal has gained a lot from the visual impact of that plan.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7344/9699881051_fb08012bbe_h.jpg

[J.OT13]

Since we don't have a General Update/Rumour thread for suburbs (I would start one, but I think only Moderators can put in "sickies") I will put this here.

I'm sure everyone has heard that one of only two heritage building in Sttitsville burned down yesterday;

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/cms/binary/8889074.jpg?size=620x400s

With all the shabby little shacks on Sttistville Main, why did this one decent building have to be destroyed?

[waterloowarrior]

there is a general suburb update thread here :)
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=147219

[Kitchissippi]

I'm totally out of it — what's happening to the Loblaws on Isabella? Are they in the process of demolishing it and putting a new store or is it just going through renovations?

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

I'm totally out of it — what's happening to the Loblaws on Isabella? Are they in the process of demolishing it and putting a new store or is it just going through renovations?

The Beer Store location is permanently closing, with LCBO moving into that space. The space vacated by LCBO and the dead zone in between will be added to an expanded and renovated Isabella Loblaws.

[Uhuniau]

I always thought that Metcalfe plan was inspired. Big thinking that hasn't been seen in Ottawa since Jacques Greber went home to France.

As Grumpy Cat says: GOOD.

For the cost of purchasing or expropriating all of that real estate, just to plant some frigging trees and grass, we'd be able to build rail transit out to all of the ugly extragreenbeltian suburbs, plus a couple more downtown underground lines. Or maybe cure cancer.

But guaranteed, someone within the next ten years will come up with the same stupid plan for pointless stupid insipid soul-sucking city-destroying heritage-demolishing public space green space open space capital for all Canadians crap, and think they have something original and good.

[Uhuniau]

Looking at that sketch of Chretien Boulevard (humour me...), I can't help but think this is what many Ottawans dream of - dynamiting existing homes and offices in the middle of downtown to create pointless 'culturally important' green space.

Now, if you were to ban cars on that grand boulevard, it would an even bigger thrill up their leg! :D

Also, moar farmer's markets.

Also: on each of thirteen consecutive blocks of the Boulevard of Shitty Ideas, put up the flag of a province or a territory. Hell, by the time the BoSI is finally built, we'll probably have a couple new provinces and territories (Turks and Caicos, Saint-Pierre, Labrador, Northern Ontario!) Reserve a few "swing" blocks just in case. Because nothing says this is the National Capital of Canada for All Canadians La Capitale nationale du Canada pour tous les canadien(nes) like putting up fourteen flagpoles and fourteen flags.

[YOWetal]

The Beer Store location is permanently closing, with LCBO moving into that space. The space vacated by LCBO and the dead zone in between will be added to an expanded and renovated Isabella Loblaws.

The old store was really the worst Loblaws around. Ghetto Loblaws we always called it. The location is good and an improved store will be competition for the soon to be nearby Whole Foods. Hopefully the competition will keep them honest on prices. (maybe $7 for lettuce instead of $8 )

[Harley613]

A Farm Boy two minutes away at SOBA would kill this Loblaws IMHO. I have a LOT of friends in the neighbourhood and they all say they would primarily shop at the Farm Boy instead of the new still micro Loblaws.

[J.OT13]

there is a general suburb update thread here :)
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=147219

Thanks! Could a moderator put a sticky on that one?

[archie-tect]

While I don't like the idea of a grand boulevard, I wouldn't mind a long range plan (50+years) to establish a tapered sightline between Parliament Hill and the Museum. This would mean nothing would be built on this angle, and if certain buildings reach the end of their lifespan, height could be traded off for setback.

I remember the huge discussion in Montreal in the 1980s when the Art Deco Woolworth building on Ste-Catherine (http://www.flickr.com/photos/montrealblues/3362790256/) had to be demolished to widen McGill College Avenue, simply to get a view of the mountain from downtown. It was sad to see that building go, but downtown Montreal has gained a lot from the visual impact of that plan.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7344/9699881051_fb08012bbe_h.jpg

Just having returned from Washington, a nice big front lawn is a powerful statement for the type of architecture in Washington that surrounds the Mall. However in the case of Gothic architecture it is best viewed on the diagonal. For Ottawa, the best views/most important views are along Elgin and from the river.

The biggest aspect for me that Washington has that Ottawa doesn't is the linkages via the diagonal streets and series of squares which allows the Capitalness to bleed outwards. Smaller connected gestures as opposed to large gestures would be better for Ottawa IMHO

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

The old store was really the worst Loblaws around. Ghetto Loblaws we always called it. The location is good and an improved store will be competition for the soon to be nearby Whole Foods. Hopefully the competition will keep them honest on prices. (maybe $7 for lettuce instead of $8 )

Not just the Whole Foods, but I heard that a Farm Boy was going into the SoBa condos near Bank and Catherine.

[mac_junkie1]

Looking at a private photo I have of Ogilvy's in the mid 50s, there was a "Trudel Hardware" just next door to them two doors down before Ogilvy's started buying up almost the complete South side of Rideau Street. Its was in the brick building next door which also had a store called "Myers". After awhile, Myers became a Clothing Annex for Ogilvys and I feel as if they transformed what was "Trudel" into their own tool shop. I think, I may be wrong on the latter. Ogilvy's operated their own "Power Tool" shop at 147 Besserer though. Across the street for that location was a massive parking lot for Ogilvys. Its not a hotel, but where the 2nd hotel stands going up to Nicholas, they owned that entire block also housing 3 more Annex stores. With the main frame at 126 Rideau being designed and built to hold 6 floors, I'm not sure why they didn't go up one more instead of opening 11 more stores across the area to be able to sell more things. Oh well, it branched them out.

I don't have a clue. Was there a hardware store in the Ogilvy at some point? Maybe your thinking of "Robinson's", which sounds like a hardware store, (although it was a department store that bought out Ogilvy. They were soon bought out by HBC in 1996). They closed around the mid-90s. The Rideau Centre then bought the building and used it until 2005 apparently.

There might also been a hardware store in the GoodLife space in the Rideau Centre which is right at the Besserer entrance.

[Uhuniau]

The Metcalfe Lite proposal still requires the demolition of a lot of Metcalfe Street in the heart of Centretown, including the Metcalfe and Duncannon apartments, the Booth Mansion, etc., etc.

So frig that.

Why does Ottawa have to try and be Washington or Paris? Why can't it try to be a better version of itself, instead of a low-rent suburb of itself?

[J.OT13]

Looking at a private photo I have of Ogilvy's in the mid 50s, there was a "Trudel Hardware" just next door to them two doors down before Ogilvy's started buying up almost the complete South side of Rideau Street. Its was in the brick building next door which also had a store called "Myers". After awhile, Myers became a Clothing Annex for Ogilvys and I feel as if they transformed what was "Trudel" into their own tool shop. I think, I may be wrong on the latter. Ogilvy's operated their own "Power Tool" shop at 147 Besserer though. Across the street for that location was a massive parking lot for Ogilvys. Its not a hotel, but where the 2nd hotel stands going up to Nicholas, they owned that entire block also housing 3 more Annex stores. With the main frame at 126 Rideau being designed and built to hold 6 floors, I'm not sure why they didn't go up one more instead of opening 11 more stores across the area to be able to sell more things. Oh well, it branched them out.

So was Trudel the building that stood above the existing 1800s basement connected to the Ogilvy basement? Also, was the above ground parking garage (corner of Besserer and Nicholas replaced in 2006) originally built by Ogilvy? The Nicholas block with the 2nd hotel, are you talking about the Novotel/Albion Hotel block?

I think the reason that they went against the planned 6th floor was because the building looked complete as it was. When they built the 4th floor, there was something missing, but the 5th had a distinctive "cap". Maybe they didn't want to add a modern 6th floor addition or have to re-clad the whole thing (to fit the huge changes in mid-century architectural design). Or maybe, considering the shape of the building (narrow on Rideau and long on Nicholas), it would have looked odd.

In either case, there expansion was so huge that a sixth floor would have been a huge expense for little benefit considering the relatively small footprint of the building when compared to other department store buildings (Freiman's, Eaton's TO and Winnipeg, most Hudson's Bays).

[rocketphish]

Carleton continues to explore potential residence project with private partner

By Neco Cockburn, OTTAWA CITIZEN September 16, 2013 7:01 PM

OTTAWA — Carleton University continues to explore the possibility of having a private organization build and manage a new student residence on its campus.

A formal request for expressions of interest in such a project has generated 10 responses, Darryl Boyce, the university’s assistant vice-president, facilities management and planning, said Monday.

About seven of the responses qualified for interviews that are planned, and officials hope to create a shortlist of about three that would then provide more detailed proposals, Boyce said.

“We got strong enough interest that appears to be favourable to us to the point that we’re moving farther down the path toward actually doing this. It could have gone the other way, where there wasn’t anything worth considering,” he said.

“That doesn’t mean we’re going to do it this way, but it does mean that it’s interesting enough for us to spend more time on it.”

The new 400- to 500-bed residence for upper-year students would be built north of the Leeds building by August 2016, according to the university’s plans.

The university is prepared to lease land for up to 50 years, and tender documents stated that it wanted someone who would “finance, design, construct, own, as well as manage (operate) this student residence in a manner that benefits Carleton University.”

First-year students wouldn’t be offered accommodation in the new residence, according to the documents. Instead, they would be housed in the university’s existing residences with support programs.

If successful, it would be the first residence built this way for the university, which has a waiting list of about 600 mostly upper-year students who want to be on campus but can’t be accommodated.

ncockburn@ottawacitizen.com

twitter.com/NecoCockburn
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/ottawa/Carleton+continues+explore+potential+residence+project+with/8919686/story.html

[mac_junkie1]

Yes, looking at | Nicholas / Ogilvys / Myers / Trudel |
It was the unit to the right in the 1800s building. Ogilvys ended up knocking a hole in the basement wall and taking that basement when they eventually bought the neighboring properties. I didn't go into that part, but stayed at the door looking down, and it was very deep in that basement. You'd go down into Ogilvy's 1906 basement, with massively low ceilings, me being 6'2", I had to duck my head to not knock it on the steel beams down there, but towards the back where the furnace room I believe was, to the left was a door that led to more stairs going into that foundation. All that was in there was new or used duct work. Nothing special. lol As you walked across the 1906 basement and into 1916, you'd go down 3 steps to a landing, the bottom of the half moon staircase to the right and then down another few steps into a the normal height basement where retail was. I'm thinking the 1906 portion of the basement was always ever used as a storage room. You could never put retail in that. WAYYY to low. Can't have customers ducking their head every few feet haha

So was Trudel the building that stood above the existing 1800s basement connected to the Ogilvy basement? Also, was the above ground parking garage (corner of Besserer and Nicholas replaced in 2006) originally built by Ogilvy? The Nicholas block with the 2nd hotel, are you talking about the Novotel/Albion Hotel block?

I think the reason that they went against the planned 6th floor was because the building looked complete as it was. When they built the 4th floor, there was something missing, but the 5th had a distinctive "cap". Maybe they didn't want to add a modern 6th floor addition or have to re-clad the whole thing (to fit the huge changes in mid-century architectural design). Or maybe, considering the shape of the building (narrow on Rideau and long on Nicholas), it would have looked odd.

In either case, there expansion was so huge that a sixth floor would have been a huge expense for little benefit considering the relatively small footprint of the building when compared to other department store buildings (Freiman's, Eaton's TO and Winnipeg, most Hudson's Bays).

[c_speed3108]

The Metcalfe Lite proposal still requires the demolition of a lot of Metcalfe Street in the heart of Centretown, including the Metcalfe and Duncannon apartments, the Booth Mansion, etc., etc.

So frig that.

Why does Ottawa have to try and be Washington or Paris? Why can't it try to be a better version of itself, instead of a low-rent suburb of itself?

I always felt that if some sort of grand raodway with parliament in the background was needed, they would be better to (somehow) convert the Nicholas and Col. by corridor into something cool. It has great views of parliament and the canal and particularly wrt to Nicholas is about as ugly as you can make a road.

They should look for ideas on how to fix that.

[Acajack]

The Metcalfe Lite proposal still requires the demolition of a lot of Metcalfe Street in the heart of Centretown, including the Metcalfe and Duncannon apartments, the Booth Mansion, etc., etc.

So frig that.

Why does Ottawa have to try and be Washington or Paris? Why can't it try to be a better version of itself, instead of a low-rent suburb of itself?

Actually, I've always thought the Metcalfe leading up to Parliament was a reasonably handsome approach road from the Queensway. Not grand in Haussmannian terms or course but surely one of the better ones in Ottawa.

As you say it would be a shame to destroy that.

[phil235]

I always felt that if some sort of grand raodway with parliament in the background was needed, they would be better to (somehow) convert the Nicholas and Col. by corridor into something cool. It has great views of parliament and the canal and particularly wrt to Nicholas is about as ugly as you can make a road.

They should look for ideas on how to fix that.

That's definitely the way to go, and it doesn't seem like it would be that hard to make Nicholas into a proper entryway, just by making it into a boulevard rather than a stump of a highway. Didn't someone propose that a few years back?

[AuxTown]

That's definitely the way to go, and it doesn't seem like it would be that hard to make Nicholas into a proper entryway, just by making it into a boulevard rather than a stump of a highway. Didn't someone propose that a few years back?

We need another bridge (or tunnel) to get the hoards of trucks and Quebecers to and from home every day. Once that is complete, then Nicholas can be made into the grand boulevard it deserves to be. We can make it less appealing to through traffic so that people will choose to use the alternate routes. And maybe one day we will see pedestrians and, if there's enough room, some businesses/residences on Nicholas.

[mac_junkie1]

Well, if one consults the plans for the Rideau Centre expansion, between Rideau & Besserer, Nicholas will become a pedestrian concourse for the the supposed alleged restaurant going into the first floor corner where the Ogilvy's Facade will be placed. I much prefer this idea, then it forces cars to use alternate routes rather then piling on Nicholas with the buses to turn left (which is damn near impossible), or right going to Dalhousie where its just as congested.

These plans are on the Ottawa website if you search for "126 Rideau" (former Ogilvys address & parking lot)

We need another bridge (or tunnel) to get the hoards of trucks and Quebecers to and from home every day. Once that is complete, then Nicholas can be made into the grand boulevard it deserves to be. We can make it less appealing to through traffic so that people will choose to use the alternate routes. And maybe one day we will see pedestrians and, if there's enough room, some businesses/residences on Nicholas.

[J.OT13]

Could have a grander Nicholas to at least Laurier, if not the Mackenzie King Bridge. The rest of Nicholas, between Mac/Jail/Registrar's and Rideau, should be transformed into something more urban and pleasant, either as a pedestrian area or side street. Of course there would still be a few intersections (Daily and Besserer) just like Sparks.

[J.OT13]

From the Gatineau thread, a new 9 storey office building in Hull between St-Joseph and the RapiBus.

Je lisais sur le site Les Affaires et un onglet publicitaire a apparu, avez-vous entendu parlé de ce projet?

http://www.lecremazie.ca/

http://rlp.jumplisting.com/photos/0/84/69/38/846938_4277118_med.jpg

[rocketphish]

City prepares for new outpost of downtown in Vanier

By David Reevely, OTTAWA CITIZEN September 20, 2013

OTTAWA — Anticipating a condo boom in Vanier mirroring the one in Little Italy, the city is preparing to allow developers to construct buildings there as tall as 28 storeys.

Next Tuesday, city council’s planning committee is to vote on an update to the neighbourhood plan for the area, modernizing the last land-use plan from the former city of Vanier. The general idea is that Vanier should be more walkable and more densely populated, especially along Montreal Road and McArthur Avenue, two old main streets that have got too car-oriented since the mid-1900s. And it should be a better-defined community, a place with public gathering spaces and its heritage on display, a place where you can tell when you’re entering it and when you’re leaving it.

That’s where the taller buildings come in. The new policy isn’t to allow them just anywhere: the tallest ones would be restricted to the western edge of Vanier, close to the Cummings Bridge leading to and from Lowertown and Sandy Hill, and only allowed as part of a master plan that would involve the beautification of the immediate area. It would be easier to build shorter buildings of around 18 storeys, though they’d have to be set back from the street to make sure they don’t loom over pedestrians,

Anything new would have to be constructed with something “active” at ground level, ideally stores. “Blank facades facing any street will not be permitted,” the proposed plan says, covering any of Vanier’s major streets.

Little Italy’s condo boom, especially around the Carling O-Train station, took the city by surprise and it had to deal with numerous applications for tall buildings before it had a coherent plan for them. It has only a handful of planning applications open in Vanier but as property values rise in an area that’s actually closer to the downtown core than the south end of Preston Street, it’s anticipating more.

dreevely@ottawacitizen.com

ottawacitizen.com/greaterottawa
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/City+prepares+outpost+downtown+Vanier/8939957/story.html



See also:
Planning (and building) Vanier's mainstreets: the revised Official Plan
http://vaniernow.blogspot.ca/2013/08/planning-and-building-vaniers.html

[JM1]

I hope the citiy's plans pan out, but it should be kept in mind that in little Italy the developer's led the city, not vice versa. The same caution applies to all of the city's plans for transit-oriented development at st Laurent, train, and cyrville.



City prepares for new outpost of downtown in Vanier

By David Reevely, OTTAWA CITIZEN September 20, 2013

OTTAWA — Anticipating a condo boom in Vanier mirroring the one in Little Italy, the city is preparing to allow developers to construct buildings there as tall as 28 storeys.

Next Tuesday, city council’s planning committee is to vote on an update to the neighbourhood plan for the area, modernizing the last land-use plan from the former city of Vanier. The general idea is that Vanier should be more walkable and more densely populated, especially along Montreal Road and McArthur Avenue, two old main streets that have got too car-oriented since the mid-1900s. And it should be a better-defined community, a place with public gathering spaces and its heritage on display, a place where you can tell when you’re entering it and when you’re leaving it.

That’s where the taller buildings come in. The new policy isn’t to allow them just anywhere: the tallest ones would be restricted to the western edge of Vanier, close to the Cummings Bridge leading to and from Lowertown and Sandy Hill, and only allowed as part of a master plan that would involve the beautification of the immediate area. It would be easier to build shorter buildings of around 18 storeys, though they’d have to be set back from the street to make sure they don’t loom over pedestrians,

Anything new would have to be constructed with something “active” at ground level, ideally stores. “Blank facades facing any street will not be permitted,” the proposed plan says, covering any of Vanier’s major streets.

Little Italy’s condo boom, especially around the Carling O-Train station, took the city by surprise and it had to deal with numerous applications for tall buildings before it had a coherent plan for them. It has only a handful of planning applications open in Vanier but as property values rise in an area that’s actually closer to the downtown core than the south end of Preston Street, it’s anticipating more.

dreevely@ottawacitizen.com

ottawacitizen.com/greaterottawa
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/City+prepares+outpost+downtown+Vanier/8939957/story.html



See also:
Planning (and building) Vanier's mainstreets: the revised Official Plan
http://vaniernow.blogspot.ca/2013/08/planning-and-building-vaniers.html

[J.OT13]

Great, Vanier is a good place for intensification, especially around Cummings Bridge/Eastview Plaza, but how will people get downtown? Bus? Car? As I've motioned countless times, they'd better not build streetcars.

[Urbanarchit]

Great, Vanier is a good place for intensification, especially around Cummings Bridge/Eastview Plaza, but how will people get downtown? Bus? Car? As I've motioned countless times, they'd better not build streetcars.

Why?

I'd rather see something faster, though. If we're going to improve public transit, increasing speed should be a priority.

[J.OT13]

Why?

I'd rather see something faster, though. If we're going to improve public transit, increasing speed should be a priority.

Streetcars won't increase speed or capacity. Too many intersections, too many cars, not enough room. Build it underground, bit by bit.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

The problem with building underground in Vanier is that there simply isn't enough people living in the area to justify the overwhelming cost of an underground tunnel.

If we're going to try and improve service and capacity, we essentially have two options:

1. High frequency and high capacity buses on semi-segregated right of way.

2. Expropriate land to build a transitway/Scott St. trench in the neighbourhood for buses or LRT.

[Harley613]

Peoplemover would work nicely as a connection between Vanier and the Market!
http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/b5/10/a4/detroit-people-mover.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/NzDZ1gq.jpg

[J.OT13]

Vanier has 5,500 people/square km, I think they have the density. Add possible redevelopment nodes like Eastview Plaza, Vanier Parkway, Bégin, Lafontaine, Belisle GM...

As for the people mover idea, I'm sorry but elevated rail looks like shit!

[NOWINYOW]

Vanier has 5,500 people/square km, I think they have the density. Add possible redevelopment nodes like Eastview Plaza, Vanier Parkway, Bégin, Lafontaine, Belisle GM...

As for the people mover idea, I'm sorry but elevated rail looks like shit!

Forgetting how it looks, the last thing this city needs is yet another mode of public transit. We already have buses and "heavy" rail. We're to have LRT starting in 5 years. That's 3 modes of transit. 3 groups of employees. 3 vastly different maintenance facilities.

Bus lanes will get the folks where they need to go.

[lrt's friend]

Forgetting how it looks, the last thing this city needs is yet another mode of public transit. We already have buses and "heavy" rail. We're to have LRT starting in 5 years. That's 3 modes of transit. 3 groups of employees. 3 vastly different maintenance facilities.

Bus lanes will get the folks where they need to go.

totally agree. Make the bus system work as best as it can is the most sensible and economical approach along Montreal Road for the forseeable future. If we are not running buses every minute or two along there, why would we consider grade separated rail?

[Kitchissippi]

If I were to put a surface tram through Vanier, I'd run it along McArthur and make a beeline to La Cité Collegale. It would have guaranteed ridership, especially if it linked with uOttawa. McArthur is lined with property that is ripe for redevelopment and intensification, and less susceptible to congestion. A surface tram, along with a drastic streetscape make-over (reduced lanes, wider sidewalks), would be a far better demonstration of how transit can transform the city.

[lrt's friend]

If I were to put a surface tram through Vanier, I'd run it along McArthur and make a beeline to La Cité Collegale. It would have guaranteed ridership, especially if it linked with uOttawa. McArthur is lined with property that is ripe for redevelopment and intensification, and less susceptible to congestion. A surface tram, along with a drastic streetscape make-over (reduced lanes, wider sidewalks), would be a far better demonstration of how transit can transform the city.

Interesting thought but how would we get it downtown? Cummings Bridge is not very wide and I am not sure about major modifications to a bridge that has such interesting character.