LeBreton Flats | 14 fl (Ph.1)|Completed | 13 fl (Ph.2)|Completed

[movebyleap]

Hahaha...I have a friend who chooses to work from home rather than take the bus to work and see this horrific building every morning. It spoils the rest of her day so she lives in denial by staying in her house.

[NOWINYOW]

Originally Posted by citydwlr

From what I read, they won the contract for the Flats by default. two other companies also had proposals but backed out because they couldn't along with the NCC... So, in a sense you can blame the NCC for that monstrosity.

Here's the 2008 article [http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/...4-2be7efde7166]

Makes me wonder who on the board of the NCC owes favours to the winning developer.

[J.OT13]

From what I can remember, there were 3 bids; one from Montreal was disqualified for not following the NCC's guidelines, Minto, who originally won the competition, backed down because of the NCC's constant annoyances and the guys who came in third, Claridge, who ended up winning by default.

Barry Hobin was the architect for one of the other teams, likely Minto. There are 2 renders of the project on his website.

Above on the right;

http://www.hobinarc.com/projects/portfolio/

And this one;

http://www.hobinarc.com/projects/res...al/masterplan/

Judging from these renders, the NCC gave the bidders a massing with exact measurements of each building. The first picture shows that off a little better; those are basically LBF phase I and II.

[OttawaJosh]

Has anyone heard if the master plan for the Lebreton area has been approved? I just visited friends in Toronto who now live in Liberty Village and I think it is a perfect example of what needs to be done to Lebreton. The Domtar plant and Bayview should be incorporated into the plan and have a plan going forward for the whole area.

[McC]

Originally Posted by OttawaJosh

Has anyone heard if the master plan for the Lebreton area has been approved?

yes, back in 2000, IIRC.

Originally Posted by OttawaJosh

The Domtar plant and Bayview should be incorporated into the plan and have a plan going forward for the whole area.

Bayview has its own plan, which was approved by Council in May: http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public...ransit/bayview

The Domtar site is tricky because Domtar wants to sell it, but the NCC claims the right to decide what happens there and yet can't afford to buy the land, so everyone's in a bit of a bind.

[JackBauer24]

Originally Posted by NOWINYOW

Makes me wonder who on the board of the NCC owes favours to the winning developer.

I always cringe when I drive by the War Museum.

First, that should have been where the Palladium/Corel Centre/SBP was built. That alone would have dramatically changed downtown - I could imagine an extension of the 'red mile' running down Sparks linking to Elgin, connecting the stadium to one of the more populated streets of Ottawa. Sparks St. would change from its current ghost-town state to a much more vibrant location. The traffic situation of getting to the game would be changed - instead of everyone coming from the east, you'd have fans, concert goers, etc... coming from all directions. But the Senators got a better deal for building in Kanata and the rest is history.

Next, instead of essentially handing over the land to a less than notable local builder, the NCC should have set out parameters to cut the land into 4 or 6 pieces. Giving 75% of the land to local builders and 25% to non-local - of course mix in some commercial property in there too.
That would ensure that the builders would have to design and build a great looking project, or else their direct competition will steal the sale - which is great for the purchasers. It would also ensure that one of our local lots with the most potential wouldn't go to waste and become a never-ending construction site with what looks to be giant cheddar cheese cubes, sitting on glass.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by JackBauer24

I always cringe when I drive by the War Museum.

First, that should have been where the Palladium/Corel Centre/SBP was built. That alone would have dramatically changed downtown - I could imagine an extension of the 'red mile' running down Sparks linking to Elgin, connecting the stadium to one of the more populated streets of Ottawa. Sparks St. would change from its current ghost-town state to a much more vibrant location. The traffic situation of getting to the game would be changed - instead of everyone coming from the east, you'd have fans, concert goers, etc... coming from all directions. But the Senators got a better deal for building in Kanata and the rest is history.

Next, instead of essentially handing over the land to a less than notable local builder, the NCC should have set out parameters to cut the land into 4 or 6 pieces. Giving 75% of the land to local builders and 25% to non-local - of course mix in some commercial property in there too.
That would ensure that the builders would have to design and build a great looking project, or else their direct competition will steal the sale - which is great for the purchasers. It would also ensure that one of our local lots with the most potential wouldn't go to waste and become a never-ending construction site with what looks to be giant cheddar cheese cubes, sitting on glass.

Multiple lost opportunities for sure.

On a slightly different note, as much as I would like to see an NHL arena eventually built downtown, and even with the off chance of municipal support, I doubt it will ever happen under Melnyk. Don't get me wrong, I have tremendous respect for the guy, but he seems extremely satisfied with the Kanata location and, after the city left him in the dust multiple times (stadium and casino), it would be even less likely that he would accept to be moved in the City.

[JackBauer24]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Multiple lost opportunities for sure.

On a slightly different note, as much as I would like to see an NHL arena eventually built downtown, and even with the off chance of municipal support, I doubt it will ever happen under Melnyk. Don't get me wrong, I have tremendous respect for the guy, but he seems extremely satisfied with the Kanata location and, after the city left him in the dust multiple times (stadium and casino), it would be even less likely that he would accept to be moved in the City.

With the state SBP is in, it'll be a few decades before a new stadium is considered. At which point, I doubt there would be any options to build a new stadium or arena remotely close to the downtown core.

[JackBauer24]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Phase I and II look a little better from the sky.

The overhead shots simply depress me. So, so, sooooo much potential for that land and they give it to the one builder who was almost surely going to make a dogs breakfast out of it.

It's times like this where I wished the downtown community had a pseudo-'friends of Lansdowne" group who would have protested to turn that site into a park. I'm not a park advocate, but it certainly would have been an improvement to what's currently being built (plus if it was green space, it would leave the door open for a builder in the future to develop it).

[McC]

Keep in mind that Claridge only has "Phase I" -- that is east of Booth St. The Plan is in place for the other blocks, but the NCC hasn't begun implementing it yet. (heck, now that the Plan is basically over 15 years old, I wouldn't be surprised if they revisit phases 2 and 3 to better reflect the Bayview plan, current fads, and the new LRT plan)

[Haussmanniste]

Originally Posted by citydwlr

From what I read, they won the contract for the Flats by default. two other companies also had proposals but backed out because they couldn't along with the NCC... So, in a sense you can blame the NCC for that monstrosity.

Here's the 2008 article [http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/...4-2be7efde7166]

... and the City up to a certain extent. The developers have gotten used to dealing with a level of government which goes along with all their proposals so long as they promise them more revenue for the City to blow on whatever else seems useless to fund.

[emannigol]

Now that the building next door is in, Claridge is cleaning up the area around the earlier development. There's some nice pavers and a plaza with trees planted at the edge of Pooley's bridge.

IMG_6454 by Joel Foster, on Flickr

[DarthVader_1961]

Originally Posted by emannigol

Now that the building next door is in, Claridge is cleaning up the area around the earlier development. There's some nice pavers and a plaza with trees planted at the edge of Pooley's bridge.

IMG_6454 by Joel Foster, on Flickr

Can somone explain why they insist on putting so many pavers around trees? Not just this development either? Why not allow more real space for the trees to grow better?

[Boxster]

Originally Posted by DarthVader_1961

Can somone explain why they insist on putting so many pavers around trees? Not just this development either? Why not allow more real space for the trees to grow better?

Way too many pavers! Where is the green space and fountain?

The gray utility box at the corner of the building should of been located at some other place. Real ugly!

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Boxster

Way too many pavers! Where is the green space and fountain?

The gray utility box at the corner of the building should of been located at some other place. Real ugly!

This is the main pedestrian connection between Centretown and Lebreton,where people naturally funnel when move between the two neighbourhoods. Thousands of people walk through this area at one time during events like Bluesfest, so maybe the architects and artists fantasized about this area being some kind of 'Main Street' or 'Public Plaza', but like everything Claridge, the condos on either side are just ugly and completely lacking in street level interaction, excitement, and design so this will just end up being a sea of cracked crooked pavers people have to stumble across when transiting between Centretown and Lebreton, while the poor residents along and overhead squeeze a pillow tightly over their heads to block out the noise.

[eltodesukane]

"completely lacking in street level interaction"
The 4 Claridge towers near Rideau Center do look nice, but as you said, they are completely lacking in street level interaction. They contribute nothing at all to the street. The Rideau street pedestrian experience is the worse for it.
No wonder walking down Rideau street in Ottawa can not compare to walking down Ste Catherine in Montreal.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by eltodesukane

"completely lacking in street level interaction"
The 4 Claridge towers near Rideau Center do look nice, but as you said, they are completely lacking in street level interaction. They contribute nothing at all to the street. The Rideau street pedestrian experience is the worse for it.
No wonder walking down Rideau street in Ottawa can not compare to walking down Ste Catherine in Montreal.

Let's not get carrying away here. Claridge Plaza isn't beautiful, but its way better than the junky strip mall and parking lot that was there before. They're functional too--the podium blocks the height from the street and there's stores on street level against the sidewalk. That's street level interaction.

Ugly, but they work.

[Admiral Nelson]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Let's not get carrying away here. Claridge Plaza isn't beautiful, but its way better than the junky strip mall and parking lot that was there before. They're functional too--the podium blocks the height from the street and there's stores on street level against the sidewalk. That's street level interaction.

Ugly, but they work.

Yes, you could argue that the perfect is the enemy of the good. But are these four buildings good enough?

Squandered potential is bitter, and doubly so considering the prime location and the protracted lifespan of a condo tower.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Let's not get carrying away here. Claridge Plaza isn't beautiful, but its way better than the junky strip mall and parking lot that was there before. They're functional too--the podium blocks the height from the street and there's stores on street level against the sidewalk. That's street level interaction.

Ugly, but they work.

While I agree they are better at street level than the ol' RJ's Boom Boom Saloon, I can't agree that they are WAY better. CP I/II's bleeding asshole looks terrible on Besserer. The retail facades are incredibly stark, ugly, and concretey (i just invented that word). CP III/IV are not absolutely horrible on the three street facing sides, thankfully.

[Harley613]

When you look at these pictures keep in mind I only stopped at the front entrance for two minutes, I did not walk around the building. Claridge shouldn't be ALLOWED to build. These buildings are going to need complete overhauls in another ten years.
[IMG]IMG_5770 by harley613, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_5771 by harley613, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_5776 by harley613, on Flickr[/IMG]
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IMG_5779 by harley613, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_5781 by harley613, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]IMG_5783 by harley613, on Flickr[/IMG]
IMG_5784 by harley613, on Flickr
[IMG]IMG_5786 by harley613, on Flickr[/IMG]