Did these articles miss a single trope about the suburban / urban divide? "The parks downtown don’t really feel as safe as the suburban parks," Really? A real reporter might have done an iota of research to either support or refute that statement, instead it is just left in there to be another anecdotal story.

Angry.

I agree. As our City grows, people need to start taking some responsibility for their choices. This is no longer a '20 minute' city where you can be guaranteed to get wherever you want in a timely fashion. That being said, I can appreciate that he may have bought when the bridge was on-track as part of LRT so he may have thought it would be a much easier commute.

That could be true. He probably bought with expectations, then got marooned. That said, the LRT cancellation was in 2006, and the bridge (which would speed up his commute somewhat) didn't get underway until about 2009/10...and the rest is history.

Clearly he has some patience on this thing! I, on the other hand, despise commuting/bumper-to-bumper stuff (stress/insurance liabilities if I so much as scratch someone), so I would plan accordingly.

I think this series of articles really demonstrate a few things. First, sometimes our politicians are making poor decisions that go against the good advice our planners. Let's face it, a southern community next to the 417 would have been a much better location. Second, once the location was decided for better or worse, we have sabotaged the plan when we cancelled the LRT route. We are going to face endless grief for that choice as the southern community will end up bigger than Orleans or Kanata. Geography alone will make it that way.

And there has been further comment since this was published. First in lead up commentary on 2014 municipal election. Rainer Bloess has taken personal credit for the debacle of 2006 when we flushed $100 million down the toilet and created a situation that the south community (already 95,000 and eventually 150,000 to 200,000) will permanently have underdeveloped transportation infrastructure. Yes, take a pat on the back Rainer that you got LRT going in the direction of your ward instead. But in the long-term, we have made a big mistake. Second, CBC this morning had a lengthy discussion on long-term sustainability. One major point was made about building infrastructure when it is cheap. Early investment will often save the taxpayer a ton of money. An example of good long-term planning was a tunnel construction at Calgary airport for a future LRT route. If not done now, would cost in the billions. A bad example was undersizing of C-Train platforms from the get-go. A relatively small saving at the beginning is now costing countless millions. I have been an opponent of expanding the O-Train because that will entrench underdeveloped infrastructure. It will not provide a long-term solution and the longer we wait to fix it (fully double tracked), the more expensive and disruptive it will be.

To those who whine about the people's housing choices, we have to realize that this is a more complex issue than appears on the surface. Most couples now work these days and as employment increasingly becomes suburbanized, jobs can be in far flung parts of the cities. This could mean a compromise on housing locations. Furthermore, the job market is much more fluid these days, so a job that was reasonably convenient may change to another job with a bad commute. Centralized housing doesn't mean good commutes either if your job is in a suburban location.

I support the concept of intensification but we have to understand that intensification cannot possibly absorb all population growth. The growing suburbs are inevitable and affordability is driving this to a large extent. Those who are buying in Riverside South or Findlay Creek are not going to be able to afford an equivalent house in the Glebe or Westboro considering both price and property taxes. Housing is a choice not just based on location. Lifestyle is a factor. It is biggest investment choice of our lives.

Maybe not, but they sure could buy into some of the houses in Centretown East, Lowertown or Vanier. And when you factor in the cost of transportation and time spent commuting, it's pretty much a wash, maybe an edge to the inner urban.

Yes. It's a choice. But painting it as an economic one is simply not true.

Interesting that the South suburb was initially going to be located in Carlsbad Springs area. I agree with lrt's friend on this one, that would have been a far better location. So what if there's leda clay, entire areas are built on that stuff.

I noted in the article that the debate about Carlsbad vs. Barrhaven was held around 1970-ish. That's a few years before the 417 was built. I remember reading that the 417 alignment that goes southeast to Casselman was a shock when it was first announced, as it was expected it would follow the existing 17 alignment. Was the 417 alignment already announced when Carlsbad vs. Barrhaven debate was happening? If so that would have added major points to Carlsbad, especially by 1970s logic, yet the article seems to say that leda clay was really the only thing considered. Or was the Ottawa-Casselman-Montreal alignment done deliberately to improve access to Carlsbad seeing as how that was the Ontario government's preferred site?

Another thing I find interesting about the Carlsbad site is how close it is to the City of Ottawa (then the RMOC)'s outer limit. The Boundary Rd exit servicing Carlsbad is practically in Prescott-Russell. If they were going to develop Carlsbad-Edwards area as a suburb, they would have likely been forced to move Russell Township into the RMOC--like they did with Cumberland Township when Orleans was being developed.

I don't know about the commute between Riverside South and Hunt Club (common commuter route no matter where you work), but I assume that once you reach Hunt Club, you then drive against traffic, so it can't be that bad. That said, I agree that the guy should probably think of moving west of the Rideau. It's not like Riverside South has anything better to offer than Barrhaven or Kanata/Stittville.

Just remember the commute to Kanata. How do the locations specified make it any better? And also, not everybody wants an old house that requires a lot of renovations. There are also the perception of crime and other issues. That may be gradually be changing but not everybody is comfortable being a leader in gentrifying a neighbourhood. Some people consider a quieter location more important. Yes, you may be able to get a house at the same price but some may not perceive it as the same value. Of course, my other point is that there is simply not enough housing stock in the central Ottawa to meet the demand even with intensification.

Construction of Highway 417 began in 1969 and I believe the alignment was established at least a year in advance of that. The debate about a Carlsbad community followed this in the 1970s. My memory of this was that the Carlsbad debate was based on the highway location.

Considering that this was planned immediately beyond the Greenbelt at Anderson Road, Russell Township was still quite distant. You don't hit Prescott-Russell on Highway 417 until the other side of the Vars interchange. Yes, Boundary Road eventually is the Ottawa city boundary but this is significantly south of Edwards.

Ah so the planned site was at Anderson--much farther in than I thought. So it was considerably to the west of Carlsbad Springs village. My understanding was that the suburb was planned at the village site.

As I said. It's a choice. It's not strictly an economic one.

hehehe... storm water pond added to the list of natural attributes. Does that include the brick pump houses that go along with them.

Hydro One to build $12M operations centre in Orleans

Mark Brownlee
Published on January 24, 2014

Hydro One has announced plans to spend more than $12 million on a new home base for serving customers in the east end of Ottawa.

The provincial utility’s “permanent operations centre” will be built close to Navan at 3450 Frank Kenny Rd., according to a press release. It is designed to serve 39,000 customers.

The plan is to have the design and engineering for the project completed before the end of the year, said Marylena Stea, a spokeswoman for Hydro One. She said the utility wants to have the facility built before the end of 2016.

The utility intends to start construction sometime in 2015 but doesn’t yet have a timeline for when it will be tendering the construction work, added spokeswoman Tiziana Baccega Rosa.

Hydro One is also planning to spend $33.4 million on a new transmission station that will increase capacity in the area, according to the news release. It expects it to be in service before the end of the year.

http://www.obj.ca/Local/2014-01-24/a...e-in-Orleans/1

Welcome to vibrant Ottawa! Come for the grass, stay for the storm-sewer ponds!

In addition to the new operations centre, Hydro One is meeting the growing demand for
electricity in Orléans and Rockland by investing $33.4 million in a new transmission station. The
new station will increase capacity in the area and is expected to be in service at the end of
2014. Ottawa Parks and Hydro One are working together to build a cricket pitch in the green space next to the station.

http://www.hydroone.com/OurCompany/M...22_Orleans.pdf

City proposal to develop some lands
http://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/agdoc...&itemid=315501

-73 acres of Kanata West lands along west side of Carp River between Palladium and Maple Grove including Maple Grove Works Yard.
-11 acre Arterial Mainstreet parcel near NW corner of Hazeldean and Huntmar
-1770 Heatherington Road - Former Works Yard
-3071 Riverside Drive-Former Bayview School
-2500 St. Laurent Boulevard - former proposed Loblaws site

City moves ahead to rezone land for Carp Rd. snowdump

By Jon Willing, Ottawa Sun
First posted: Friday, January 31, 2014 01:11 PM EST | Updated: Friday, January 31, 2014 01:20 PM EST

It doesn't matter if it's trash or snow: Locating a new dump is bound to reek of controversy.

The city needs another chunk of land to dump snow removed from streets in west Ottawa and staff found a 23-hectare parcel they like near Hwy. 417 and Carp Rd. Coincidentally, it's just across the highway from the Carp Rd. landfill.

The property at 200 Westbrook Rd. is near a couple of business parks and a few other commercial lots.

But to prepare the property, the city first has to file a rezoning application, essentially to itself, and have council approve the snow dump. The application is scheduled for debate during an agriculture and rural affairs committee meeting Thursday.

A 2013 environmental assessment of the project estimated the cost at $6 million, not including the purchase of the land.

The city has been on a path for 14 years to find new snow dump to serve Kanata and Stittsville. In 2009 the city realized it needed capacity for 357,000 cubic metres of snow in the growing west end, but only had a capacity of 143,000 cubic metres.

The city says the snow dump won't be located on environmentally sensitive land or within a floodplain. To muffle the sounds from the snow dump, the city is proposing to build a berm on the eastern edge of the property. The city plans to keep some trees along the highway and plant new ones to make the site look somewhat decent.

A "low permeability liner" would be installed under the snow pile and a meltwater runoff pond would capture salts and other contaminants from seeping into the ground water, the city says in a report.

The city received plenty of negative feedback during the consultation process.

People said it would be inappropriate to locate a snow dump next to a business park. The city answered that it was the best site out of the 10 researched.

Where people expressed concern about contaminating neighbouring wells, the city said the liner would make sure there is "minimal potential for negative impact" to groundwater, which actually runs away from neighbouring wells.

The city assures people the neighbouring properties won't be flooded, thanks to a large stormwater management facility onsite.

And when it comes to truck traffic, the city doesn't seem concerned it will bring a negative impact to the roads.

Before choosing a dump, the city considered other ways to get rid of snow, including bodies of water, sewer chutes and melters. Staff looked at 10 potential sites for a new snow dump and settled on the Westbrook Rd. property.

jon.willing@sunmedia.ca
Twitter: @JonathanWilling

http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/01/31/...rp-rd-snowdump

According to Metro, Ottawa's first Panera Bread will open on February 12th. It's located on Hunt Club in the Lowe's big-box centre owned by Trinity Developments.

‘Informal’ dog park in Stittsville could cost the city millions to keep

By David Reevely, OTTAWA CITIZEN March 6, 2014 5:24 PM

OTTAWA — Dog-walkers in Stittsville want the city to “protect” a piece of private land they’ve become accustomed to letting their pets roam, a multimillion-dollar project that’s shaping up as a new version of the fight over a forest in the South March Highlands.

At stake is a beautiful property across from the Goulbourn Recreation Complex. The Trans-Canada Trail runs along the north edge and a corridor of hydro towers runs through it. It contains a grove of old cedar trees the city itself considers important enough to be worth protecting.

“It’s a fantastic area,” said Brian Monroe, who’s walked his German short-haired pointer and redbone coonhound there for years. “I understand that it’s private property, but there’s been other areas where the city’s explored ways to buy or protect them and it would be good if it happened here ... It’s like a small-scale Bruce Pit, essentially. Dozens and dozens of people use it every day.”

Fans have put together a website — stittsvilledogpark.com — and they’re gathering signatures on a petition calling on the city to “define and preserve” the park, so it doesn’t get turned into townhouses.

The petition will be more helpful if it comes with a cheque for several million dollars, said Coun. Shad Qadri, who represents the area and hears about the property regularly.

“I try to clarify for them, it’s not a designated dog park and anybody using it is trespassing,” Qadri said.

The trails are on part of a swath of land along Stittsville’s Abbott Street that belongs to a consortium of big-name property developers: Claridge, Richcraft and Tamarack. They bought the larger parcel from another developer for $43 million in 2009, which is real money even for the city government. The land is near major roads, served by city water and sewer pipes, and designated for development. As suburban real estate goes, it’s prime.

The city would like to own it, or at least some of it. The dog trails wind through a grove of cedars that city experts consider an “urban natural feature,” one of only three in all of Ottawa that they say are worth protecting but that the city doesn’t already own.

City council approved the list last fall. Council did not, however, vote to spend any money on them. It will need to.

“Essentially the city can acquire [it] if they elect to pay market value for it,” explained Claridge vice-president Neil Malhotra.

Councillors agreed to start looking for the money after the next election. An official plan for the area has two variations, one in which the cedar grove comes into city ownership and one in which it’s cut down to build houses.

The cedars are sort of a distraction, though. They cover only part of the “dog park” and if they end up protected, they might be protected from dogs, too.

In the meantime, Qadri’s contending with a situation he can’t resolve by himself. It’s very much like a battle that locals lost in the South March Highlands, where a different development group bought an expanse of land and sat on it for years while nearby residents got used to hiking it. When KNL Developments got ready to build, they were met with a protest camp. That sort of experience makes landowners nervous.

“In certain areas, developers have put up signs that say ‘No trespassing’ and so forth, and that does mean people don’t have access,” Qadri said.

Even downtown, Richcraft kept a cluster of derelict buildings empty in Sandy Hill till they almost fell down on their own, for fear that neighbours would get used to a parkette and object to Richcraft’s plans later.

“Although we don’t have an issue with it, it is ultimately trespassing,” Malhotra said of people using the Stittsville property. “Just because we allow it when we are not developing a site, communities should not develop a sense of entitlement to the benefit when it is time for development to proceed.”

dreevely@ottawacitizen.com

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

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/ot...066/story.html

Broccolini taking on Les Promenades expansion and renovations. Weird how big companies like Oxford, Morguard and Cadillac Fairview don't have their own construction crews.

http://broccolini.com/projects/les-promenades-gatineau