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  #1  
Old Posted Dec 26, 2020, 4:37 PM
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Mechanicsville diplomatic precinct [NCC] | Proposed

NCC seeking city approval for diplomatic precinct along SJAM Parkway in Mechanicsville
The development application says the countries haven't been identified for the embassies.

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Dec 26, 2020 • Last Updated 3 hours ago • 3 minute read




The National Capital Commission is formally pitching the idea of a new diplomatic precinct west of downtown Ottawa, eating up a swath of green space in Mechanicsville along the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway.

The federal agency submitted its plans to city hall this month, asking for the city’s approval to amend the zoning rules for the grassy 3.7-hectare field west of the Innovation Centre at Bayview Yards to accommodate six new embassies.

The development application, which asks the city to allow diplomatic missions on the land identified as 1 and 19 Sir John A. Macdonald Pkwy., says the countries haven’t been identified for the embassies. The plan is still in the concept phase.

The embassy parcels would have lot sizes between 3,600 square metres and 6,000 square metres, with the westernmost parcel being the largest of the six. The parcels would be 20 metres from the southern edge of the parkway, but the buildings would be inset about 12 metres from the property lines.

According to the development application, the sizes of the proposed embassies are based on other embassies.

The NCC envisions the embassies to be three storeys in height.

The Mechanicsville street network, not the parkway, would provide the entrances and exits to and from the embassies. Driveways would connect to Burnside Avenue for four embassies and Hinchey Avenue and Forward Avenue for the other two embassies.

The NCC is saving a portion of the total land for a 3,600-square-metre federal park at the corner of the parkway and Sliddel Street, across from the Innovation Centre.

The western side of the land borders an existing diplomatic mission, the Indonesian Embassy. Adding six new embassies would create a diplomatic strip between Parkdale Avenue and Slidell Street.

Land-use plans developed by the NCC have called on the agency to scope out properties along the parkways for possible diplomatic missions.

The Capital Urban Lands Plan recommends studying the urbanized edge of the federal parkways for new diplomatic precincts, while making sure possible developments don’t detract from existing views of the landscape.

But specific to the NCC’s development application to create new embassies in Mechanicsville, the 2018 Ottawa River South Shore Riverfront Park Plan identifies the proposed development site as a future diplomatic mission that should come with “sufficient visual and security vegetative buffering between the site and parklands.”

On top of that, the NCC has a policy direction in its overarching Capital 2067 plan to maintain an inventory of lands for new embassies.

The city’s Scott Street community design plan also predicts a “capital function” development on the site and calls for pathways cutting through the property to connect Mechanicsville with the parkway land.

In supporting the development application, a planning rationale written by the NCC’s consultant firm, Fotenn, says the embassies would be compatible with the surrounding neighbourhood and would contribute to a “complete community,” with the area pedestrian network extended through the land.

A preliminary timeline has the city’s planning committee considering the NCC’s development application in March.

The embassy plan would be the latest vision for the transformation of public land west of LeBreton Flats.

The Innovation Centre on city-owned land was one of the first steps, but there’s a larger plan to expand the facility and create a community between the building and the Bayview O-Train station, stitching into whatever becomes of the western portion of LeBreton Flats.

The city’s 6.3-acre Laroche Park across from the Innovation Centre is being eyed for a redesign project that will include a new community building and other amenities.

jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...mechanicsville
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  #2  
Old Posted Dec 26, 2020, 10:42 PM
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That's positive news. This parcel likely fits into what many consider wasted green space. This will also keep modern Embassies away from heritage areas.
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  #3  
Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 4:14 PM
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 5:10 PM
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I hope they encourage excellence in architecture and allow embassies to hire great architects from their own countries to infuse character and variety to the capital. It would be a tragic if only the same old local firms get a shot at these. I'd love to see pavilion-like buildings that look great from the parkway as well as from the street side.
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 6:44 PM
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Development application:

https://devapps.ottawa.ca/en/applica...BIZUT4/details

Location:




Concept Plan:

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Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 6:46 PM
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Bring on the parking lots.
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  #7  
Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 6:53 PM
Urbanarchit Urbanarchit is offline
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Originally Posted by J.OT13 View Post
Bring on the parking lots.
Ottawa and the NCC never disappoint at doing the wrong thing. Mechanicsville is a small neighbourhood and we have a housing crisis that this large plot of land could be used for several thousand dwelling units. Yet, instead we'll get 6 unnecessary embassy with large surface parking lots.

What are people thinking?
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 7:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Urbanarchit View Post
Ottawa and the NCC never disappoint at doing the wrong thing. Mechanicsville is a small neighbourhood and we have a housing crisis that this large plot of land could be used for several thousand dwelling units. Yet, instead we'll get 6 unnecessary embassy with large surface parking lots.

What are people thinking?
Ya. Scratch my comment from December 26. Embassies belong are car oriented uses and belong in car oriented areas of the city. Plenty of space near the G.E.C. Parkway. How about the vast empty field between Hillside and Birch? Or the two mostly empty blocks across the street from the French Embassy?

This transit oriented plot of land near Bayview station is far better suited for residential.
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 7:09 PM
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^^"Unnecessary embassies"??? Ottawa is the capital and it is the only city in Canada where countries can put their official embassies. They can't even put them in Gatineau.

These are planning maps, they don't reflect what will be built. They just show parking provisions as opposed to no parking at all.
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 7:13 PM
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Originally Posted by J.OT13 View Post
Ya. Scratch my comment from December 26. Embassies belong are car oriented uses and belong in car oriented areas of the city. Plenty of space near the G.E.C. Parkway. How about the vast empty field between Hillside and Birch? Or the two mostly empty blocks across the street from the French Embassy?

This transit oriented plot of land near Bayview station is far better suited for residential.
I agree; this would be far more appropriate in the Mile Circle (https://www.google.com/maps/@45.4565656,-75.6706518,16z) which was originally considered for the site of the new US Embassy back in the 80s, and is still vacant.
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 7:54 PM
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Originally Posted by bradnixon View Post
I agree; this would be far more appropriate in the Mile Circle (https://www.google.com/maps/@45.4565656,-75.6706518,16z) which was originally considered for the site of the new US Embassy back in the 80s, and is still vacant.
It would be a perfect diplomatic enclave. Unfortunately, Rockcliffe and Manor Parks would absolutely freak out. It seems fated to sit there forever, with no purpose.
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 8:14 PM
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It would be a perfect diplomatic enclave. Unfortunately, Rockcliffe and Manor Parks would absolutely freak out. It seems fated to sit there forever, with no purpose.
Why? Traffic concerns? Or loss of green space? It seems to be mostly overgrown tall grass; do people use it for anything?
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 8:15 PM
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I agree with Urbanarchit. This neighbourhood would benefit better from housing and density, not embassies and parking lots.

I get it that we're the capital and all, but why must embassy buildings take up so much urban space? Couldn't they just build a multi-storey office building somewhere and divvy up a floor or two for a handful of countries?
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 9:42 PM
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Traffic, loss of green space (!), construction noise, security concerns, property values, character of the neighbourhood. Probably shadows harming children. Just plain old privilege. Take your pick or, more likely, just bundle them all and throw at the cowering bureaucrats.

It's very little used, although you do see people walking there dogs there. I think it is a bit marshy in spots. It could be a stellar park as well, but I've never seen any suggestion that it be changed from its current status as ... nothing.
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 9:44 PM
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Originally Posted by J.OT13 View Post
Ya. Scratch my comment from December 26. Embassies belong are car oriented uses and belong in car oriented areas of the city. Plenty of space near the G.E.C. Parkway. How about the vast empty field between Hillside and Birch? Or the two mostly empty blocks across the street from the French Embassy?

This transit oriented plot of land near Bayview station is far better suited for residential.
I've always assumed that the NCC is holding that land for embassies or federal institutions, but I've never seen any mention of it.
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Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 11:13 PM
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Bring on the fences and parking lots. Are they re-using plans from Kanata North Business Park?
Just what Mechanicsville needs.
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  #17  
Old Posted Jan 8, 2021, 11:54 PM
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This is impressive. It's somehow worse than the vacant fenced off lot of nothing that is there presently. I wouldn't have thought it was possible.
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Old Posted Jan 9, 2021, 4:11 AM
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Originally Posted by Kitchissippi View Post
I hope they encourage excellence in architecture and allow embassies to hire great architects from their own countries to infuse character and variety to the capital. It would be a tragic if only the same old local firms get a shot at these. I'd love to see pavilion-like buildings that look great from the parkway as well as from the street side.
It would also be nice if there were mandatory form-based rules that would prevent embassies being the stultifying, deadening presences that they are, which sucked any semblance of life out of Sussex Drive (née Street).
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Old Posted Feb 3, 2021, 4:47 PM
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Zoom Open House February 10th at 7pm.

http://kitchissippiward.ca/content/1...amendment-open
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Old Posted Feb 8, 2021, 6:43 PM
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Mechanicsville Community Association is opposing the proposal. They'll ask the NCC to preserve it as "passive open greenspace".

http://www.mechanicsville.ca/news/20...or-embassy-row

It also seems that Jeff Leiper might be opposing the NCC's plans, but he's likely to support building affordable housing on the site.

https://kitchissippiward.ca/civicrm/...66392521093dda

Considering the proximity to City services and Bayview station, I would agree with Mr. Leiper that housing is a far better use for the land in question. There's plenty of existing and planned greenspace in the area, including the Parkway lands, Laroche Park and the future Capital Park at LeBreton Flats.
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