General Update/Rumour thread [Urban Ottawa]

[Vanier]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Flag pole maintenance atop DND?



Photo by me. April 15, 2016

That is a transmission tower. I see it from my office. They appear to be doing maintenance on it.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by Vanier

That is a transmission tower. I see it from my office. They appear to be doing maintenance on it.

Ah OK. Because from most Streetview angles, it appears that the transmission tower is further east and this is the flag pole:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.4239568,-...A101ZRTmtZliTAYlbuSRA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Maybe it's an antenna disguised as a flagpole

[Vanier]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Ah OK. Because from most Streetview angles, it appears that the transmission tower is further east and this is the flag pole:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.4239568,-...A101ZRTmtZliTAYlbuSRA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Maybe it's an antenna disguised as a flagpole

The flag pole, I believe, is on the higher roof to the left.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by Vanier

The flag pole, I believe, is on the higher roof to the left.

Nope.



https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.4245338,-75.6898537,164a,20y,174.62h,45.98t/data=!3m1!1e3

[Vanier]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Nope.



https://www.google.ca/maps/@45.4245338,-75.6898537,164a,20y,174.62h,45.98t/data=!3m1!1e3

In order to get an idea as to when that photo was shot, I clicked on the google link and then zoomed out to see the construction progress of the Rideau Centre. Judging from that, the photo is more than 2 years old.

Anyway, my office mate and I saw them erect that scaffold around a transmission tower. Maybe it isn't maintenance, maybe they are disassembling a temporary tower? Interesting to see that the tower was of recent construction.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by Vanier

In order to get an idea as to when that photo was shot, I clicked on the google link and then zoomed out to see the construction progress of the Rideau Centre. Judging from that, the photo is more than 2 years old.

Anyway, my office mate and I saw them erect that scaffold around a transmission tower. Maybe it isn't maintenance, maybe they are disassembling a temporary tower? Interesting to see that the tower was of recent construction.

Cool. It does seem like overkill to have so much scaffolding just for a flagpole.

[MoreTrains]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Cool. It does seem like overkill to have so much scaffolding just for a flagpole.

Have you read health and safety regulations lately?

[Kitchissippi]

And bear in mind it is DND, so it's probably military-grade scaffolding

[MarkR]

Originally Posted by Vanier

In order to get an idea as to when that photo was shot, I clicked on the google link and then zoomed out to see the construction progress of the Rideau Centre. Judging from that, the photo is more than 2 years old.

Anyway, my office mate and I saw them erect that scaffold around a transmission tower. Maybe it isn't maintenance, maybe they are disassembling a temporary tower? Interesting to see that the tower was of recent construction.

This photo reminds me of how inappropriate this building has always been for this site. And after 9/11 they also closed the road access underneath, though of course putting a defense building on top of a public road was never the brightest idea.

One of the reasons they gave for clearing Lebreton Flats back in the 60s was to construct a new DND HQ. They should have stuck with that.

(Source: http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2012/04/revisiting-flats-after-50-years-and-100.html)

[TheGoods]

Originally Posted by MarkR

This photo reminds me of how inappropriate this building has always been for this site. And after 9/11 they also closed the road access underneath, though of course putting a defense building on top of a public road was never the brightest idea.

One of the reasons they gave for clearing Lebreton Flats back in the 60s was to construct a new DND HQ. They should have stuck with that.

(Source: http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2012/04/revisiting-flats-after-50-years-and-100.html)

They are now moving to the former Nortel complex on Carling as their new HQ but they are still keeping 101 Colonel by.

[MarkR]

Originally Posted by TheGoods

They are now moving to the former Nortel complex on Carling as their new HQ but they are still keeping 101 Colonel by.

Yes, I know. When I read a few years back about them acquiring the old Nortel site I had my hopes up about 101 being surplus. lol

Another issue with that building (and of course many others) is that employees coming out of the south entrance along Laurier often wait to be picked up, so vehicles pull into the bike lane and wait. Despite that a) you're not allowed to block the bike lane, and b) you're not allowed to stop on a bridge. It got bad enough that the City now installs seasonal posts (flexible) along there to keep vehicles out.

[rocketphish]

From bike lanes to lights, City of Ottawa takes cues from Big Apple

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 22, 2016 | Last Updated: April 22, 2016 8:04 PM EDT

Frank Sinatra might not sing a song about Ottawa, but the big O has a lot more in common with the Big Apple than you might think.

Bike lanes

New York opened its first segregated bike lane on Manhattan’s Ninth Avenue in 2007. A year later, Ottawa city council directed staff to pilot a downtown, east-west on-street dedicated cycling lane to be separated by a median. The Laurier bike lane opened in 2011 and was made permanent in 2013. Last year, council approved downtown’s second segregated bike lane on O’Connor Street. A new bike lane is also coming to Mackenzie Avenue, near the U.S. Embassy. New York City, meanwhile, now boasts more than 30 miles (48 kilometres) of segregated cycling lanes.

Replacing parking with parks, patios

Inspired by a San Francisco initiative, New York removed some on-street parking spots to create space for small patios. Businesses fronting repurposed parking spaces reported a 14 per cent increase in sales after the seating was installed.

Here in Ottawa, the city will announce on Tuesday the plan for its inaugural Streetside Spots pilot. These are small outdoor spaces created by temporarily re-purposing on-street parking from now until the end of October to set up a parklet or patio.

Artistic bike racks

Musician and cycling aficionado David Byrne designed bike racks for New York City in 2008. The clever designs included a guitar, high-heel shoe and dollar sign (for a rack located near Wall Street).

The same year, the city called on Ottawa artists to submit line drawings, 30 of which were later reproduced three times each to create 90 bike racks along Bank Street.

New York also converted coin-operated parking meters into bike racks when pay-and-display machines were introduced. So did we.

Car-free streets

Taking a page from Bogotá, Colombia, where streets are closed to cars on Sundays and holidays from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., New York launched the Summer Streets program in 2008. Seven miles (11 kilometres) of streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park at 72nd Street were turned over to cyclists, joggers, pedestrians and attendees of curbside dance classes.

Here, since 1970, the National Capital Commission has opened more than 50 kilometres (31 miles) of scenic parkways to cyclists, joggers and rollerbladers in Ottawa and Gatineau Park on Sunday mornings.

Big lights will inspire you

Jay-Z’s home turf has installed energy-efficient LED lights on Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive and on the “necklace” lights on the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. By 2017, all streetlights will be LED, reducing energy use and associated costs for decades.

Here, after a successful pilot project on Carling Avenue, the city approved a plan to convert its 58,000 streetlights to LED by 2020.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...city-of-ottawa-takes-cues-from-big-apple

[rocketphish]

New micro patios, parks coming soon to Ottawa streets

Matthew Pearson, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 26, 2016 | Last Updated: April 26, 2016 6:44 PM EDT



Some Ottawa neighbourhoods are about to become livelier this summer with the unveiling of about a dozen new micro-parks and patios.

Taking a page from San Francisco, New York and Montreal, the city’s Streetside Spots pilot project will see about a dozen on-street parking spaces repurposed between now and October.

This year’s spots include four parklets – public spaces that will contain everything from seating and greenery to games tables and music — and seven patios for restaurants and cafes that don’t already have patios.

The parklets include:

• The Water Garden at 49 Beechwood Ave. – A meeting point, a community gathering space or simply a shelter from the elements, the Water Garden will feature a central column and a canopy designed to channel rainwater to pots of plants, herbs and flowers. The Quartier Vanier Business Improvement Area submitted this design by students from the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism at Carleton University.
• Percy Station at 605 Somerset St. West – Percy Station will offer rotating programming that includes a coffee house, micro shows, live music, poetry readings and theatre sessions. The design features a seating area that can be configured in a variety of ways. Strip lighting will help animate the structure’s form and illuminate it at night for safety. Architectural research and design group Atelier Ruderal and creative counsel firm Jackpine submitted this design.
• The Nük on the north side of Second Avenue, east of Bank Street – Nük will feature a seating area and games table, creating a space for people to stay connected through community events. The design features a built-in table and an L-shaped bench that faces Bank Street. It will incorporate vegetation and soft ambient lighting. The Glebe Community Association submitted this design by students from the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism.
• A parklet on the south side of Third Avenue, west of Bank Street – The neighbourhood, and in particular local merchants and restaurants, will welcome the added seating and greenery this space will offer for relaxing and socializing, as narrower sidewalks along Bank Street make it impossible to accommodate patios. The Glebe Community Association submitted this project by a designer who is a resident in the community.

New patios are coming to:

• The Works, 326 Richmond Rd.
• The Ministry of Coffee, 1013 Wellington St. West
• Corner Bar and Grill, 344 Richmond Rd.
• Blue Cactus Bar and Grill, 2 Byward St.
• The Cupcake Lounge, 6 Byward St.
• Asian Alley, 8 Byward St.
• Zak’s Diner, 14 Byward St.

The city says it will gather public feedback as part of the evaluation of the pilot and report back to the transportation committee at the end of the year.

[email protected]

twitter.com/mpearson78

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/new-micro-patios-parks-coming-soon-to-ottawa-streets

[J.OT13]

They should have waited until they re-opened the parking garage. After that, Byward could have just been converted to a pedestrian street with room for patios.

[monkeybongo]

Not sure if this posted but there's initial details of some development behind the Superstore in Westboro.

https://hamptoniona.wordpress.com/2016/05/01/planned-development-at-superstore/

Planned development at Superstore
A new development is being planned for the property at the rear of the Real Canadian Superstore. The proposal involves 6 story buildings and potentially some commercial frontage on Kirkwood. Additional details will be revealed at an information session on Wednesday, May 4th from 6:30-8:30pm at the Churchill Seniors Centre.

[McC]

I've been waiting for something like this ever since Loblaw spun off their real estate arm.

[Admiral Nelson]

That's unfortunate - I was hoping the Superstore could eventually be reoriented to present a narrower frontage (trading its width for depth), thereby permitting more storefronts and granularity that improves the pedestrian experience. I suggest that would also go a long way to improving the connection between Richmond and Wellington West.

[silvergate]

Originally Posted by Admiral Nelson

That's unfortunate - I was hoping the Superstore could eventually be reoriented to present a narrower frontage (trading its width for depth), thereby permitting more storefronts and granularity that improves the pedestrian experience. I suggest that would also go a long way to improving the connection between Richmond and Wellington West.

I don't think the superstore is the problem. It has a fairly varied front, with those mini-stores inside the loblaws on the north-side. One change that would improve the streetscape would be to add outside access to Wine-Rack, PC Financial etc.

[McC]

bit more info from the Councillor, plus a pic (enormous, sorry! I guess that would be the prospective view from Kirkwood, looking west?) https://kitchissippiward.ca/content/loblaws-proposed-development

With apologies for the late posting (we used social media and the newsletter to spread word last week), I want to make sure everyone knows about a proposal by the Loblaws Real Estate Income Trust to develop the back of the 190 Richmond Road Superstore property. Loblaws is proposing a big new residential development, as described below. They have not yet applied for the necessary re-zonings, and I'll have a lot more information online in the next few weeks. There will be consultation once the application becomes a formal one for re-zoning with the City. Thanks to the community associations for using their channels to spread word.

There is a first open house to look at the plans on May 4 from 6:30-8:30 at the Churchill Seniors Centre (345 Richmond Road).

This is a proposal to construct a 193-unit retirement home, consisting of two six-storey volumes connected at the second, third and fourth storeys, on a site currently occupied by a large-format retail food store and associated surface parking. The proposed development is situated at the southeast corner of the site, adjacent to Byron Ave. and Kirkwood Ave. The main building facade will be oriented to Kirkwood Avenue. Vehicular access to the site will be via a driveway from Kirkwood Avenue, which passes between the two six-storey volumes to a drop-off area and a ramp leading to the underground parking garage. 109 below-ground parking spaces are provided, as are 48 bicycle spaces. Landscaping will separate the drop-off area from the parking associated with retail uses already on the site.

Note that the Superstore would continue in its current location.

The proposal that came out of the contentious approvals process when the Superstore was first built was for townhomes, and I'm hearing from some residents that they'd like to stick to the plan. These are early days and I'm not certain where I'll land on this one. Send me feedback pro and con once you've had a chance to look at the plans and give it some thought.

[McC]

^^^ That's an awfully young retiree on the 4th-floor balcony.
#justvisiting?