Nicolas-Mann Precinct Gateway--what gives?

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

The city has an extensive web site for this area. It has not been updated since June 2009.

Residents of Sandy Hill expressed a dislike of what the precinct is like. Public consultations were held to hear what the residents envisioned. Numerous meetings were held among stake holders to hammer out something. Design consultants were hired and four designs are posted on the web site.

No private developers came forward with any plans or suggestions. Only the university came forward with concrete proposals to put sport and recreation facilities on part of the precinct. Action Sandy Hill disliked the university's proposals and fought them tooth and nail. The university backed down,withdrew its proposals, apparently not wanting to get into a political battle with its neighbours.

So for two years now we have--nothing. No more public consultations or meetings. No new ideas and no progress. The considerable taxpayers dollars that were spent on meetings, public consultations, and design consultants are gone.The area remains just as it was and the local residents said was not acceptable.The university does not get the new facilities they wanted. The residents do not get any of the changes they wanted.So nobody is happy.

A total stalemate and a fine example how this city sometimes becomes paralyzed and can not make a decision.

What to do now?

[Kitchissippi]

A fine example of what can happen to Lansdowne :yes: Sometimes what people want just isn't feasible, and external parties won't get into issues if there is nothing in it for them. When people push too hard and are inflexible, sometimes nothing happens.

[S-Man]

Interesting, I actually wasn't aware of this issue. Goes to show where a community group's "My way or nothing" attitude will get you.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

S-man wrote

Interesting, I actually wasn't aware of this issue. Goes to show where a community group's "My way or nothing" attitude will get you.

Nobody outside of Sandy Hill is aware of this issue. The reason is that it has been ignored by the media.

The planning process went on for a couple of years before it was halted. As I mentioned considerable time and and expense was put into the process. It involves an area in the downtown core in the same size range as LP . Redevelopment of the precinct will be costly. Particularly if the university ( a public institution supported by taxpayers dollars as well as private donations). had built elements of what they wanted.

Yet during the whole process there was absolutely no coverage by the local media. The same media that provided daily blow by blow reports of the LP project and the opponents to it. The same media that extensively covered the Westboro Convent issue. Yet they did not consider what was happening to Nicolas-Mann worth even a mention. Go figure.

[AuxTown]

S-man wrote

.

Nobody outside of Sandy Hill is aware of this issue. The reason is that it has been ignored by the media.

The planning process went on for a couple of years before it was halted. As I mentioned considerable time and and expense was put into the process. It involves an area in the downtown core in the same size range as LP . Redevelopment of the precinct will be costly. Particularly if the university ( a public institution supported by taxpayers dollars as well as private donations). had built elements of what they wanted.

Yet during the whole process there was absolutely no coverage by the local media. The same media that provided daily blow by blow reports of the LP project and the opponents to it. The same media that extensively covered the Westboro Convent issue. Yet they did not consider what was happening to Nicolas-Mann worth even a mention. Go figure.

Makes you wonder what powerful (and likely wealthy) people were driving those news broadcasts regarding LP and Soeurs. And with that kind of pressure they still weren't able to drum up enough controversy to cancel the LP project.

[S-Man]

Forget powerful and wealthy (though the last term is certainly true) - what propelled the convent and Lansdowne issue to new coverage heights in the media was the sheer volume of angry people (in both senses of the word).

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Okay, so the city has pretty well decided on the locations and designs for the LRT stations in the area--Campus and Lees stations.

It is decided that uOttawa will not build a small stadium on Mann ave, but will on Lees avenue.

Is it not time that the City started to move forward on the stalled plans to redevelop this precinct, and on a decision on the fate of the decrepit Sandy Hill arena?

[S-Man]

What land is actually available for residential development?

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Here is a partial answer to my question , that as far as I know just appeared in recent days.

Lees, Mann and Nicholas Gateway Plan

In 2007, City Council authorized the City’s participation in the Nicholas Mann Gateway Project. This project was a collaborative initiative involving Action Sandy Hill (ASH), the University of Ottawa, the City of Ottawa, the National Capital Commission and the Mobin Foundation. The project evolved to a point where options were presented, however not all of them were agreed to by the stakeholders. As a result,, in 2010, the project was put on-hold. The City of Ottawa is now in a position to move forward with the project based on the elimination of one of the controversial options (Option 3). The City has also decided to merge this project with the Lees TOD Station Plan. As a result, the project has been renamed and the study area has been expanded to include the lands south of Highway 417 including Lees Station, the Algonquin Campus of the University of Ottawa and the high-rise residential development around the station.

As a TOD Station Plan, this project will now be fast-tracked so that it will be complete in a timely manner before the downtown light rail line is opened. The project has been re-named the Lees, Mann and Nicholas Gateway Plan – the LMN Plan for short. It will commence at the beginning of 2012 and be complete by the beginning of 2013.

For more information, please contact:
Donald Morse, Senior Planner
Planning and Growth Management Department
City of Ottawa
Tel: 613-580-2424 ext. 13850
Donald.Morse@ottawa.ca

It talks of high rise residential around the station. Residential could also mean a university residence or two. The uOttawa 5 year capital plan speaks of the need to find options for more residence space.
The controversial option 3 spoken of here included a stadium on Mann Ave.