NCC - General Updates

[MoreTrains]

Talk about radical. I love and hate it. I dont hate it as much as the residents of Woodroffe would. lol

[McC]

yeah, re-naturalizing the outlet of Pinecrest creek and enhancing/expanding the conservation area around Mud Lake are great ideas, turning the north end of Woodroffe into a complete traffic sewer is not.

[Buggys]

Agree with u 2 above. Woodroffe N of Carling will become like a slow parking lot. Ugh.

[rocketphish]

Great, more underutilized riverside "park" right next to... an existing park!

[silvergate]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Great, more underutilized riverside "park" right next to... an existing park!

Yeah but this time the park is going to revitalize the neighbourhood... adding more trails and paths isn't going to move anyone out of poverty, unless the goal was just gentrification

[rocketphish]

NCC planning chief leaving agency for private sector

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: June 9, 2016 | Last Updated: June 9, 2016 11:16 AM EDT

The National Capital Commission’s planning chief is leaving the federal agency.

Stephen Willis, executive director of capital planning at the NCC, has been the quarterback on the agency’s biggest land projects, including LeBreton Flats.

A spokesman for the NCC confirmed Thursday that Willis is returning to the private sector. He’ll remain with the NCC until the end of the month and he’ll be attending one last board meeting before leaving.

Plans are in the works to ensure continuity of projects, the NCC said.

At an NCC board meeting in April, Willis keep the room on edge as he inched through a presentation on the LeBreton Flats’ winning bid until he finally revealed it was RendezVous LeBreton Group.

The NCC’s main role is managing key federal land in the capital region and Willis has been at the forefront of several major initiatives since joining the agency in May 2014. He would have overseen talks with the City of Ottawa on the western LRT corridor, ending in a land-use agreement.

The NCC credited Willis with coming up with the idea to stack the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway on top of the LRT line and preserve riverside green space.

The Queen’s University grad worked in the public and private sectors before joining the NCC. In 2014 he won a member service award from the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.

jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...private-sector

[rocketphish]

NCC draft plan backs renewal of PM's official residence at 24 Sussex

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: July 7, 2016 | Last Updated: July 7, 2016 6:00 AM EDT

Renewing and transforming 24 Sussex Drive is one of the “milestone projects” in the National Capital Commission‘s new 50-year draft Plan for Canada’s Capital.

The reference to 24 Sussex in the draft plan, to be made available Thursday on the NCC’s website, is the first public sign the Crown corporation favours repairing the crumbling 148-year-old official residence rather than building a modern new home for the prime minister, as some have advocated.

“Once completed, the residence will integrate modern security features to protect the prime minister and visiting dignitaries, and enhance the official state and private functionality of the residence, including universal accessibility,” the draft plan states. “It will preserve its unique heritage characteristics and improve the environmental sustainability aspects.”

The official residence has been vacant since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau opted last fall to live at Rideau Cottage, on the grounds of Rideau Hall, to allow for badly needed repairs to 24 Sussex, which are expected to cost well over $10 million.

While the draft plan leaves little doubt that the NCC favours repairing the existing residence, no final decision has yet been made about the future of 24 Sussex, said NCC spokesman Nicholas Galletti.

“This project, as well as all the other milestone projects, are included in the draft Plan for Canada’s Capital for public feedback and comment,” Galletti said.

Rehabilitating 24 Sussex is just one of 17 “big ideas” encompassing nearly 30 milestone projects in the draft plan, which is meant to shape the use of federal lands, buildings, parks, infrastructure and symbolic spaces in the capital from 2017 to Canada’s bicentennial in 2067.

Several of the projects are already well known or underway, including the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats, an illumination plan for the capital, the creation of waterfront parks along the north and south shores of the Ottawa River and the rejuvenation of Nepean Point.

Other ideas, such as a national portrait gallery and the regeneration of the capital’s urban forest, have been advocated by others, but receive the NCC’s endorsement in the draft plan.

Some of the milestone projects are either new or have received limited attention. They include:

• NCC support for a permanent Indigenous Welcome Centre on Victoria Island;
• A public site to celebrate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms;
• The renovation of Confederation Square, timed to the centennial of the National War Memorial in 2039;
• Support for the National Research Council’s goal of making 100 Sussex Dr. a science and innovation hub;
• Support for the establishment of a National Botanical Garden on the west side of the Rideau Canal;
• A new public park overlooking the Chaudière Falls;
• Reimagining Wellington Street’s public realm to create a “compelling and unified” sequence of public spaces;
• A new Gatineau Park Visitor Centre; and
• Completion of a continuous Greenbelt pathway system from Shirleys Bay in the west to Green’s Creek in the east.

In developing its list of signature projects, the NCC drew from 1,200 “big idea” suggestions submitted by 1,800 Canadians between December and February.

The most popular included renewing the urban forest, increasing access to the Ottawa River and shorelines, creating a national botanical garden, improving pathways and cycling infrastructure, providing more amenities and attractions, and establishing a national portrait gallery.

The proposed new plan is significant because the federal government controls and manages 11 per cent of the land in the National Capital Region. Over the plan’s anticipated 50-year lifespan, the population of the capital is expected to grow to two million or more from the current 1.23 million.

“It’s sort of the plan of all plans,” Galletti said. “It’s the guiding vision for the capital.”

The NCC’s other plans — for the downtown core, the Greenbelt, the urban lands and Gatineau Park — will have to conform to the principles it expresses.

In keeping with the NCC’s status as an arms-length Crown corporation, the new plan does not require cabinet approval. Once approved by the NCC’s board, likely early next year, it will replace the current 1999 plan, the most recent in a series of planning blueprints dating back to 1903.

The best known, the Gréber Plan in 1950, led to the creation of the Greenbelt, the expansion of Gatineau Park, the extension of the scenic parkway system, the building of recreational pathways and the relocation of railway tracks from the downtown core.

The milestone projects in the draft plan are still only proposals until the NCC’s board of governors votes to approve a new plan, likely early next year.

For the next month, the draft plan will remain on the NCC’s website to allow the public to read it and comment on it.

Some changes could be made as a result, but the NCC has been consulting widely with the public, government departments and municipalities for the past two or three years. “A lot of those conversations have influenced the plan as it was being developed,” Galletti said.

dbutler@postmedia.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...e-at-24-sussex

[rocketphish]

What you need to know about the NCC's draft 50-year plan for Canada's capital

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: July 7, 2016 | Last Updated: July 7, 2016 6:00 AM EDT

Here are some key policy directions in the National Capital Commission’s draft plan for Canada’s Capital 2017-2067.

The parliamentary and judicial precincts

They will remain the “flagship of the capital, vital to our nation’s identity,” the plan says. The NCC and municipal governments must reinforce the views protection policy to protect the “visual primacy” of these national symbols. Over time, the removal of surface parking, the re-naturalization of the escarpment as well as the addition of new commemorative elements will further enrich the parliamentary precinct.

National institutions

The NCC will maintain an inventory of lands suitable for new or extended national cultural institutions — generally along the parkways or Confederation Boulevard — to meet the needs of future generations. It will also work with federal institutions to promote their renewal through approval of updated master plans and development strategies, including the renewal of the Central Experimental Farm’s 2005 master plan.

Federal offices and accommodations

Wherever possible, head offices of federal departments, Crown corporations and agencies will be in the core area or clustered at inner urban transit-oriented sites. The NCC will work to ensure that federal sites become “better integrated with their context” and more closely linked to surrounding communities.

National commemorations

By 2039, the government will restore the National War Memorial and redesign the public spaces around it to accommodate more visitors. The NCC will identify future commemoration sites to ensure a “logical distribution,” particularly in the core area. It will collaborate with the Department of Canadian Heritage and other federal departments to celebrate key anniversaries of Confederation and significant events in Canadian history.

Official residences

The NCC will develop and implement 10-year plans for continued reinvestment in its six official residences “to ensure these sites meet the needs of the institutions in a growing nation.” The Governor General’s residence at Rideau Hall and the prime minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Drive are the top priorities.

First Nations

By 2067, the NCC plan says, Canada’s capital “will be world-renowned as a gathering place for indigenous peoples.” The NCC will “foster the national reconciliation process” by supporting the Aboriginal Welcome Centre on Victoria Island, “a significant new national cultural and welcoming place” hosted by the Algonquin First Nation. New national commemorations related to the experience of aboriginal peoples will be encouraged. The NCC will also name a lookout overlooking the Ottawa River to commemorate the historical importance of the 17th Century Algonquin Chief Tessouat.

Confederation Boulevard

The NCC will work with municipalities to create seven symbolic nodes at key intersections along Confederation Boulevard, which will be extended west of the Portage Bridge to connect the Canadian War Museum and LeBreton Flats and across the Chaudière Bridge to Gatineau. The new nodes will provide opportunities for commemoration or public art, improved pedestrian experience and “better place making.” The NCC will also work with municipalities to “enhance” streets at the edge of Confederation Boulevard, such as Elgin, Rideau and Sparks streets.

Gatineau Park

The NCC will continue to acquire additional lands as they become available for purchase. It will prioritize lands that are vulnerable to development, have unique ecological characteristics or provide key linkages in ecological systems. It will also seek to conserve and, in some cases, restore valued habitats and ecosystems and work with users to ensure “respectful recreation” in the park, such as the “leave no trace” philosophy.

Shorelines and waterways

A defining feature of the 21st century is that cities are coming back to their waters and shorelines, the plan observes. To address that, waterfront green spaces will change to promote more public access, activity and amenities, while improving the quality of natural habitats in areas that are not actively used. The NCC will invest in shoreline modifications, wharfs and new passive open spaces so people can get better access to the water for watercraft and “soft recreational activities.”

The Greenbelt

The NCC will be a “careful steward” of the Greenbelt and will strive to maintain and protect its wetlands and habitats, as well as agricultural lands. On a case-by-case basis, it may allow “soft or low-impact recreational or community garden uses” for adjacent neighbourhoods in selected areas.

Green space and urban parks

The NCC will retain open space lands of national significance that perform “capital functions” and work to secure ecological corridors to the Greenbelt and Gatineau Park to protect biodiversity.

Connectivity and mobility

The NCC will preserve the “intended character of parkways as low-density, low-volume, slow-speed scenic routes in park-type settings” and will create a set of riverfront parks. Where parkways have become de facto commuter routes, the NCC will “continue to discuss ways of limiting this unintended use with the relevant authorities.” In the short term, it will work to improve interprovincial transportation connections using existing bridges, but will collaborate in planning the delivery of new crossings if the affected provinces and municipalities reach a consensus.

dbutler@postmedia.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...ital-embargoed

[rocketphish]

NCC milestone projects for 2067

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: July 7, 2016 | Last Updated: July 7, 2016 6:00 AM EDT


These are the milestone projects laid out in the NCC’s draft 50-year plan.

1) An indigenous centre on Victoria Island.

2) New sites for major commemorations: a site for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; a renewed Confederation Square; and seven commemorative nodes on Confederation Boulevard.

3) National institutions: a National Portrait Gallery; a National Botanical Garden; a science and innovation hub at 100 Sussex Dr.; and extensions and additions to existing museums.

4) Renew official residence for the prime minister at 24 Sussex Dr.

5) Implement the Capital Illumination Plan.

6) Accessible and enhanced shorelines and green spaces: the Sir John A. Macdonald Riverfront Park; new and improved riverfront parks on the Ottawa River’s north shore; a park at Chaudière Falls; and better access and animation along the Rideau Canal and river.

7) Develop LeBreton Flats and adjacent islands sites.

8) Better integrated federal employment areas.

9) Reinforce and renew view protection for national symbols.

10) Improve interface on Confederation Boulevard and its connections: reimagine the public realm of Wellington Street; develop the urban vitality of Sparks and Metcalfe streets; improve the streetscape of Laurier Avenue; improve connections on Rue Laurier in Gatineau and the Chaudière Bridge.

11) Improve interprovincial transportation: create a multi-use pathway across the Prince of Wales railway bridge and ultimately integrate it into the transit systems of Ottawa and Gatineau.

12) Rejuvenate Nepean Point and complete a waterfront path from the Rideau Canal to Rideau Falls.

And these are the others…

13) Regenerate the urban forest.
14) Secure ecological corridors and protect the natural environment.
15) Build a new Gatineau Park Visitor Centre and improve trails.
16) Revitalize Gatineau’s Ruisseau de la Brasserie sector.
17) Complete the Greenbelt pathway network.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...jects-for-2067

[Kitchissippi]

Completely underwhelming. Much of this should be in a 10 year plan.

[1overcosc]

^ Completely. All of this stuff should be a 2030 vision.

[zzptichka]

Renew official residence for the prime minister at 24 Sussex Dr? That's milestone project all right.

[ElieB]

I submitted my feedback on the draft plan the other day. Came here looking for more conversation on it so I figure I'll just post my feedback. Disclaimer, it sort of rambles along all sorts of different ideas and some things that just aren't in the plan.

---
I don't believe the 17 big ideas contribute anything to our public spaces for the benefit of local residents. We're talking about half a century of keeping our most important public spaces trapped in the 19th century... Please, please you must recognize how badly suited the canal conditions and design are by contemporary standards. There was more activity along the canal a century ago than there is today. It's our most populated and accessible waterfront, eight whole kilometers of urban waterfront, and we refuse to adapt it for fear of damaging its heritage or just because it's too expensive. The canal never served its intended purpose. What it is today IS a re-purposing done over a century ago. Why can't we do so again? It needs place-making, activation, ways of interacting with the water, more bridges, more destinations, more public art. It needs soooo much because right now it hasn't even had significant repairs in far too long.

Instead of doing that, we're going to construct a whole new boardwalk for a few tourists and some civil servants to have a seasonal lunch area. Who do you think is going to be using a boardwalk along the sussex escarpment?? It's so far out of the way. It will be little used and irregularly by locals. It will be dangerous at night because it's so isolated.

There are plenty of ideas in the big 17 that are just fine except they aren't "big", they're just business as usual... Some of them have been or are underway already. How convenient. Several other big ideas are just commemorative vagaries...

The best idea in the bunch is re-purposing the prince of wales but this has been discussed for ever and involves too many jurisdictions and organizations. But hey, 50 years to make it work. Please do so.


I'm particularly curious about 84 Bronson, the empty lawn at the end of Sparks St that overlooks lebreton flats and the river... A map of NCC lands says it is NCC property with some kind of heritage overlay. I'm sure there is some heritage there. Only it must be invisible right? The site has been empty for probably half a century. There is nothing there which adds up to its zoning for a community Leisure Facility. But hey the city has been BEGGING for sites to build a new library, have you heard?? I'm sure you have. Part of me wonders, what is the NCC waiting for? Should we expect that site to sit empty for another 50 years? What could be a better community leisure use than building a new central library with great views of the valley and connecting Lebreton to Centretown? Why wasn't this put forward? You realize it may have gone a long way towards Big Idea 10 "foster the development of urban vitality on Sparks." Sparks street has endless problems working against it but what has always kept it down was the fact that it had a complete dead-zone on its western end. Empty Lebreton, dead-end escarpment, no foot traffic. Having a public use anchor at its western edge and connecting it to the Lebreton community would go a long way.

Here's an actual big idea: Refresh the board, have people in control who aren't spending 90% of their time elsewhere on other business. Most importantly, rewrite the NCC's mandate. Currently it speaks to the NCC's rabid control issues. It's full of words like "Guiding, controlling, managing, conserving, protecting, maintaining" It's all about preserving a picturesque capital and keeping it frozen in time. The world is full of cities that are taking back their public realm and make great use of it. You want this city to live up to its potential? To compete with places like Toronto for residents and employers we need to make this a great place to live for millennials. Which means a whole lot more than just being safe, meaningful, and picturesque.

The public realm is for public use. It's not just for commemorative ceremonies. It needs to be more than just a place to walk, run, bike, or skate through... It needs destinations, places to simply be and gather... It needs to be lived in. You can't require a permit for every little thing and expect your public realm to thrive.

[OTSkyline]

^ Nice message, and I totally agree.

Now interesting to see if they respond or even do something about it. Hopefully they do more than just send out a standard response saying "Thank you for your feedback, we will look at it."

[hwy418]

^^ I also agree with this message. Unfortunately, I don't think they'll respond or do anything about it.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by hwy418

^^ I also agree with this message. Unfortunately, I don't think they'll respond or do anything about it.

You should have worked in more language about how Ottawa needs eleventy zillion more hectares of public green open space, and maybe about a dozen more sets of 14 flagpoles to make it more of a capital for all Canadians because all the Canadians love that stuff.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

You should have worked in more language about how Ottawa needs eleventy zillion more hectares of public green open space, and maybe about a dozen more sets of 14 flagpoles to make it more of a capital for all Canadians because all the Canadians love that stuff.

And more monuments to victims.

[zzptichka]

NCC board meeting on Monday with some updates on several interesting projects:

[rocketphish]

'There's a lot of energy here': Officials from Washington's version of the NCC on trying to build a great capital

Don Butler, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: September 19, 2016 | Last Updated: September 19, 2016 5:59 PM EDT

The National Capital Planning Commission is Washington, D.C.’s equivalent of the National Capital Commission. Its executive director, Marcel Acosta, and one of its 12 commissioners, Beth White, are in Ottawa to speak Tuesday night as part of the NCC’s Capital Urbanism Lab lecture series. They sat down with the Citizen’s Don Butler Monday to talk about the challenges of capital building.

How does the mandate of your commission differ from that of the NCC?

Acosta: The major difference is that we are not an asset-owning agency. We do not manage or own the properties that the NCC currently owns.

What are the main challenges you face?

Acosta: Security has always been a big issue. We spent the last decade focusing on how to balance a secure place for our federal functions and activities against the openness of our city. I think we got a lot better at that over the last 10 years.

Do citizens of D.C. have input into your deliberations?

Acosta: There’s a very extensive public participation process. We basically structured our public input process very similarly to what a municipality would do. All of our meetings are public. There are opportunities for the public to testify at our meetings on any project that’s on our open session agenda.

Is there conflict between your commission and local government?

White: What’s impressed me over the five years I’ve been there is the consensus and the commitment to that vision of what makes a great city. There’s always that tension about how to do it, but it’s so fundamental that that agreement is in place and there are standards and plans that folks have bought into.

One thing you’ll be speaking about Tuesday night is commemorations. Are new commemorations as controversial in Washington as they seem to be here?

Acosta: Memorials in general are controversial. Unlike buildings, they mean something. They come with a responsibility of storytelling. I think a lot of the controversy really reflects how the story’s being told, what points of view are being expressed. The most recent one (in Washington) was the Dwight D. Eisenhower memorial, which was designed by Frank Gehry. The family had different points of view, the sponsors had different points of view about that story. I think the commission, at the end of the day, came to a decision that respected Mr. Gehry’s design but also tried to address some of the family’s concerns.

What do you like about Ottawa as a national capital?

Acosta: I think the park system here, especially the Greenbelt and the canal and the emerging riverfront, are really spectacular. The way you would use riverfronts was thought about and put on paper over a century ago. I think the great strength of the NCC is they have the ability, 100 years later, to see these plans to fruition. There’s a lot of energy here. It really surprised me the first time I came here. You walk through the Market area and people were out on a Sunday night enjoying the various restaurants but also the public spaces. I do think the local city is also quite spectacular.

What could be better?

Acosta: There’s a willingness to revisit some of these decisions that were made many years ago and to improve on them. While (the National Arts Centre) faced the canal, I think the issue was, maybe it should face the street. The wonderful thing here is you’ve been doing something about that. A lot of cities would not. They’d just let that fester. The city has shown itself to be adaptable. I think that’s a wonderful thing.

What can your commission learn from the NCC?

White: The idea that the NCC manages assets, I’m a little jealous of. I think that’s an amazing opportunity. The way they’ve assembled land over time, taking that long-term view — it’s something that we do, but having control of the land is the unique opportunity in my perspective.

Acosta: The ability to own and manage the space itself is actually the ultimate in being a good steward. There is a difference between regulating and actually owning and managing it. That’s the one thing I think the NCC does quite well.

dbutler@postmedia.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-...-great-capital

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

There’s a lot of energy here. It really surprised me the first time I came here. You walk through the Market area and people were out on a Sunday night enjoying the various restaurants but also the public spaces.

The Market: one of the areas of the city core where the NCC has the least opportunity to frig things up.