General Update/Rumour thread [Urban Ottawa]

[J.OT13]

Cutting down a handful of trees and trimming some branches and it's like the sky is falling down. Hyperboles like "clear cutting is overkill", "This is their heritage", "We get the sense this is an economic stand (by Hydro One)", doesn't help their case. No clear cutting involved. Trees in a hydro corridor does not qualify as heritage. How the hell can you spin this as an "economic stand", unless preventing a tree from falling on a major hydro corridor is somehow a profit driven decision.

It's not like we're razing Mer Bleue, just some selective trimming for safety reasons. If these people are so concerned about the ecosystem, maybe they should be at City Hall fighting new suburban development.

[AuxTown]

Many of those residents along the Hospital Link bought those houses hedging their bets that Ottawa would never get it's shit together and make that road happen. The same goes for people backing onto the hydro corridor. They seem to think it is protected greenspace for their enjoyment. It's nice that they can enjoy the hydro corridor but it is what it is and routine maintenance to ensure safe consistent delivery of hydro takes precedence over any of their concerns.

[OTownandDown]

A great number of these people have expanded their back yards into the hydro corrodor, some by like 100 feet. They're just worried about the scrutiny and losing their own personal 'greenspace'.

Also, some of the trees in here are huge, and are dangerously close to the power lines. Would your rather the lines arc to the ground through the trees and electrocute everyone enjoying your semi-legal back yard, Karen?

Edit: Who does all the grass cutting in this corridor? The City? There's SO many planters and gardens and hedges and etc. back here. I'm amazed the City pays someone to carefully trim around all this. Also, the 'hospital link' is through a very dense thicket of jungle and swamp, in addition to the width of the Hydro corridor. Spare me.

[rocketphish]

Hydro One changes course on controversial tree-cutting plan in Alta Vista

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Oct 21, 2020 • Last Updated 42 minutes ago • 1 minute read

Community backlash has zapped Hydro One’s plans to bulldoze trees in an area of Alta Vista.

The utility notified residents that mechanical removal of vegetation near Alta Vista Drive, north of Hospital Link Road, won’t be required and only selective trimming and removal of trees to protect the transmission lines will happen.

In a response from Hydro Ottawa relayed by spokesperson Alex Stewart, the utility said it “values feedback from the community which is why we hosted a virtual engagement session regarding necessary work in the community, attended by over 70 residents.”

The utility said it’s integrating the public feedback into the scheduled work.

Residents, armed with a growing petition of more than 1,800 signatures, had been pushing back against the utility’s original plans of wiping out much of the trees and brush in an area between Abbey Road and Knox Crescent.

The online consultation with Hydro One last week ended with residents disappointed with the utility’s response. The city councillor for the area, Jean Cloutier, held a subsequent consultation to discuss the community’s concern, even though Hydro One doesn’t fall under the jurisdiction of the municipal government.

At odds were the concerns by the utility to keep vegetation from interfering with hydro infrastructure and the community’s concern about damaging the ecosystem in the hydro corridor. Residents have enjoyed using the open space for recreational activities, such as cross-country skiing and walking their dogs. Some have also cited the brush as an extra screen between homes and the new hospital link.

Hydro One has told the community that crews will return in the winter to manually remove and trim vegetation using chainsaws and pruners in selective places, but mechanical removal of trees won’t happen.

The utility said it “will return over the next few years to continue the necessary work to ensure the corridor is safe in the long term.”

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...oversial-tree-cutting-plan-in-alta-vista

[Dzingle Bells]

re-Cycles tweeted that their building at 473 Bronson has been sold. Would be a nice little development parcel if combined with the property at the southeast corner of Bronson and Gladstone.

https://twitter.com/recyclesottawa/status/1319467571884838912?s=20

[JHikka]

That's an interesting development. Would be great to see that corner developed with something mixed-use and chunky.

[MarkR]

Originally Posted by JHikka

That's an interesting development. Would be great to see that corner developed with something mixed-use and chunky.

I'm one of the staff with re-Cycles. Our current landlord's family built 473 Bronson back in 1925, and built 475-7 next door in the 1950s. Our landlord put our building up for sale after he was hit with a huge tax increase due to separating the above properties into two entities. I know he was angling to attract whoever might buy the empty lot beside us, as his original listing said that 475-7 could be made available as well. But instead a private buyer bought our building for their own use so now we have to leave after 11 years there.

I have indeed been amazed as to how long that lot beside us sat empty. Yes, it's an old gas station site, but it was remediated long ago and maybe Imperial Oil was waiting out a statute of limitations or something. It was put on the market back in Dec. 2019 for $2.6 mil.

Meantime, re-Cycles is trying to find that elusive affordable light industrial space in the core. And those old spaces are rapidly being bought by developers...

[stolenottawa]

Apparently 1247 Kilborn has been sold. That's the archdiocese building. Repairs to the roof and HVAC system were going to be too expensive. They're going to move into offices around the cathedral (I'm not sure where...)

The church in front (1244 Kilborn) has also apparently been sold.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by stolenottawa

Apparently 1247 Kilborn has been sold. That's the archdiocese building. Repairs to the roof and HVAC system were going to be too expensive. They're going to move into offices around the cathedral (I'm not sure where...)

The church in front (1244 Kilborn) has also apparently been sold.

I don't know that corner of town. Is that Alta Vista?

[Ottawa Champ]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I don't know that corner of town. Is that Alta Vista?

Yes, it is the end of Kilborn, close to Bank street and Billings Bridge.

[Multi-modal]

Originally Posted by stolenottawa

Apparently 1247 Kilborn has been sold. That's the archdiocese building. Repairs to the roof and HVAC system were going to be too expensive. They're going to move into offices around the cathedral (I'm not sure where...)

The church in front (1244 Kilborn) has also apparently been sold.

Wow, that is a huge potential development parcel, if true. It wouldn't be transit oriented, but it is pretty transit adjacent with Billings Bridge Station, Route 6, Route 48, and Route 46.

[stolenottawa]

Originally Posted by Multi-modal

Wow, that is a huge potential development parcel, if true. It wouldn't be transit oriented, but it is pretty transit adjacent with Billings Bridge Station, Route 6, Route 48, and Route 46.

Yeah. I've got no clue who bought it, or what the plans are for it, but this has been told to my by two different church mouse sources independently (my mom and wife's grandma)...

[Ottawa Champ]

Originally Posted by stolenottawa

Yeah. I've got no clue who bought it, or what the plans are for it, but this has been told to my by two different church mouse sources independently (my mom and wife's grandma)...

No mention of a sale, but this press release confirms the archdiocese is moving .

https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/24...0Diocesan%20Centre%20is%20Relocating.pdf

[MattRichling]

Originally Posted by stolenottawa

Yeah. I've got no clue who bought it, or what the plans are for it, but this has been told to my by two different church mouse sources independently (my mom and wife's grandma)...

Haha my wifes mom (aka church mouse) has also confirmed this.

[stolenottawa]

Originally Posted by MattRichling

Haha my wifes mom (aka church mouse) has also confirmed this.

My wife's grandma had keys for the church. I don't think she's been to it in like 5 years (lives in a LTC home.). She insisted that my wife return the keys.

[gjhall]

Originally Posted by Multi-modal

Wow, that is a huge potential development parcel, if true. It wouldn't be transit oriented, but it is pretty transit adjacent with Billings Bridge Station, Route 6, Route 48, and Route 46.

So I did some quick numbers here. It's about 300m as the crow flies to BB station, 400m walking distance (and even the furthest points of the site are around 600m). So by the standard metrics, it is definitely TOD.

The two sites are 380k and 91k sq ft, respectively.

The adjacent Homestead Waterford apartments are 17 storeys above grade (on a 35k sq ft lot), and the Bank Street Secondary Plan calls for heights as high as 70m.

In summary, the sites combined are an absolute whale of a development opportunity.

[Multi-modal]

Originally Posted by gjhall

So I did some quick numbers here. It's about 300m as the crow flies to BB station, 400m walking distance (and even the furthest points of the site are around 600m). So by the standard metrics, it is definitely TOD.

The two sites are 380k and 91k sq ft, respectively.

The adjacent Homestead Waterford apartments are 17 storeys above grade (on a 35k sq ft lot), and the Bank Street Secondary Plan calls for heights as high as 70m.

In summary, the sites combined are an absolute whale of a development opportunity.

My measurements are approx. 50m longer than yours, but even so, it still fits the City's definition of TOD and is still a huge development opportunity.

I've always wished Billings Bridge Station was shifted further east towards Bank Street - at least by 100m. They were limited with the overpass and the width the City requires for Transitways and for the adjacent bus loop, but still - would have been better for development along Bank.

[gjhall]

Originally Posted by Multi-modal

My measurements are approx. 50m longer than yours, but even so, it still fits the City's definition of TOD and is still a huge development opportunity.

I've always wished Billings Bridge Station was shifted further east towards Bank Street - at least by 100m. They were limited with the overpass and the width the City requires for Transitways and for the adjacent bus loop, but still - would have been better for development along Bank.

Agree with you whole heartedly on the move east, and challenge you to a measuring contest.

[JHikka]

Ah, the boys have gotten into a development parcel measuring contest.

[Ottawa Champ]

Originally Posted by gjhall

So I did some quick numbers here. It's about 300m as the crow flies to BB station, 400m walking distance (and even the furthest points of the site are around 600m). So by the standard metrics, it is definitely TOD.

The two sites are 380k and 91k sq ft, respectively.

The adjacent Homestead Waterford apartments are 17 storeys above grade (on a 35k sq ft lot), and the Bank Street Secondary Plan calls for heights as high as 70m.

In summary, the sites combined are an absolute whale of a development opportunity.

I live about 300m east of this site. Will keep a close eye on news related to this site. Not worried about too much density as I'm sure some of the neighbors will be. Would love to confirm the rumour that the site has been purchased.