Lord love a duck! Is there no-one in this city’s bureaucracy that can think BIG?
Staff are recommending that the City buy 4.18 acres in central Barrhaven so that the city can build a library, 15,000 sq-ft cultural centre (what-ever that is), 3,000 sq-ft senior’s space, and a ward councilor office. There might also be a water or ice feature in an outdoor plaza. Think of this plan as a much smaller version of Ben Franklin Place (which is about 85,000 sq-ft, or 1.95 acres, sitting on about 12.9 acres of land). (Remember, there will NEED to be parking too, and it will likely be a surface lot – so that new building might not be very big.)
CTV News article:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/articl...nity-facility/
Although I think that the city is on the right track, I think that it is thinking way too small. The city should be buying that lot AND the one directly across the Transitway, for a total of about 12.3 acres. Put the Transitway / future LRT UNDER the new complex to meet transit on the extension of Chapman Mills. Higher-order transit, running west-east, along Chapman Mills will connect Line 2 and this facility.
The new, multi-level, complex will be a regional attraction and should include:
- 4 pads of ice (with parking underneath, along with the cooling equipment);
- at least one Olympic-size pool with diving platforms;
- a fully accessible over-sized gym with spectator stands (which can be partitioned into at least three individual courts);
- an exercise area with weight and strength training equipment and a running track;
- a large library with generous reading/research areas;
- a 1,200-seat theatre;
- meeting rooms and meeting spaces (potentially including a 200- to 250-seat auditorium); and
- city and ward offices.
This location is at the crossroads of two future transit lines, and is roughly the geographic center of Barrhaven. Its location is far better than the Walter Baker Sports Centre, and easier to get to with transit or car.
Is this a $150M - $200M proposal? Yes. Is Barrhaven the fastest growing suburb of Ottawa? Yes. Does Barrhaven lack amenities for its population? Yes. Would the new facility be accessible from other areas of the city? Yes, by car and transit.
This city needs to think bigger. Putting little facilities into big areas is wasteful. Look at what the old City of Nepean did. It built major facilities for its growing communities. Had Nepean continued to exist, I expect that it would have continued to create major community nodes as the areas grew. Ottawa, has been falling behind in what it provides its residents and now needs to play catch-up.
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