Rockcliffe base to fully close July 31
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BY MARIA COOK, THE OTTAWA CITIZENMAY 13, 2009 10:33 PMBE THE FIRST TO POST A COMMENT
OTTAWA — As of July 31, the remaining military houses and buildings at the former Rockcliffe air base will be closed. No decision has been made yet regarding roads, OC Transpo routes and public access to the site.
A spokeswoman for the Department of National Defence said the decision was made to close the 135-hectare site in 2009 rather than 2011 as planned because of aging infrastructure and the cost of maintaining 430 houses — $1.8 million last year.
The Rockcliffe Driving Range and the Viscount Alexander Park Community Centre will also close.
The City of Ottawa has been renting 20 houses on the site as emergency shelters. Stephen Arbuckle, the city’s manager of social housing, said he expects tenants will receive offers for social housing units by the end of July.
The federal Canada Lands Company, which hopes to develop the site, will move its office elsewhere in Ottawa.
A native land claim blocked the sale of the former air base to CLC in 2007, delaying plans for a residential eco-district for up to 15,000 people.
A spokeswoman for the department of Indian and Native Affairs said negotiations are continuing, but the situation hasn’t changed much since 2007.
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