Cash-in-lieu of Parking By-law Consultation Session

From the City of Ottawa:

December 10, 2009
6 to 9 p.m.
Richmond Room, Second Floor, City Hall
110 Laurier Avenue West

The City of Ottawa is in the process of finalizing a new Cash-in-lieu of Parking strategy to replace the current by-law in place in the former cities of Ottawa and Vanier. When passed by City Council, the new by-law will apply on a citywide basis. This policy primarily affects downtown properties and neighbourhoods.

You are invited to attend this session on December 10, 2009 to learn more about City’s proposed strategy and provide your feedback. Go to ottawa.ca/cashinlieu to read more about the existing policy.

Following the consultations, staff will finalize the City’s preferred strategy and bring forward a report with recommendations for modifying the existing Cash-in-lieu of Parking process to Planning and Environment Committee and City Council. The new by-law will be put in place in the spring of 2010.

Register to attend

Please email email hidden; JavaScript is required and register to attend the consultation before December 7, 2009.

For more information, contact:

Denis Charron
Development Review and Urban Services Branch
City of Ottawa
Tel: 613-580-2424, ext. 13422
E-mail: email hidden; JavaScript is required

or

Douglas James
Development Review and Urban Services Branch
City of Ottawa
Tel: 613-580-2424, ext. 13856
E-mail: email hidden; JavaScript is required

Parkdale Avenue Open House Dec. 2

From the WWBIA:

Local Residents and Friends of Parkdale Ave,

Over the last three months, a team of McGill University Urban Planning graduate students, called Abode Urban Consultants, have  developed a transportation and development plan for Parkdale Avenue.

As part of their commitment to engaging the local community, you are invited to attend a public presentation of the plan and to offer comments and feedback. It is Open House format, December 2, 2009, from 5:30 to 7:30pm, with a formal presentation at 6:30pm.

If you have any questions, please contact: email hidden; JavaScript is required

WWCA November Meeting Minutes

PDF

WWCA Nov. 17 minutes

Lansdowne Live update from Councillor Leadman’s office

On November 16^th 2009, City Council, on behalf of the residents of the City of Ottawa, approved the Lansdowne Partnership Plan (LPP) between the City and the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG). It is clear that Lansdowne has been left to deteriorate over successive Councils and is in need of rehabilitation. I am very supportive of redevelopment of the site but financial oversight is critical. Any project must be viewed past its vision into its fundamentals.

I am hoping that when this issue comes back to council in June 2010 evaluation of these fundamentals will be provided through the reports that are now set to be completed. Only then can we be better able to see if the proposal is, in fact, good for residents and the City as a whole.

The information that needs to be provided includes:

• A fair market impact study. The studies conducted to date forecasted limited impact but had the entire core of Ottawa as the impacted region. As the proposal would see the amount of commercial space in that area double, the scope is being broadened to provide a more accurate picture of the impact on local businesses.
• A firm financial model. The operating system and financial plan is currently a ‘closed system’ with little to no details. The operating system has a large impact on the potential subsidies the City will be providing OSEG and the structure in which the City will receive revenues. Additionally, the current financial plan was not audited for accuracy and will be evaluated by our Auditor-General.
• The redesign that will be initiated under George Dark will potentially impact the revenue stream and possibly add to the tax burden.
• Effects on transportation. While football games were held at Lansdowne in the past, they operated under different conditions than what is being proposed. Access to the Queen Elizabeth Driveway has not been acquired for transit use during regular games. Nor has any of the critical offsite parking locations been confirmed. Finally, The OSEG study predicted 30 to 35 per cent of trips not being taken by car. Past football games were only in the 3 to 6 per cent range.
• Transparency and accountability regarding the incremental tax revenues generated from the site and impacts on the overall tax base.
• Clarity in that this project is not “revenue-neutral” as has been claimed.

In conclusion, this proposal originates from great proponents, with their vision; however, the deal still has critical flaws and gaps. The fact that these flaws were not solved in advance of the vote was unfortunate and I felt it irresponsible to vote for the plan at this time. I am hopeful that this information will be available for the vote next spring.

I will endeavour to examine and judge the proposal on its merits. I will, as always, continue to work to ensure taxpayers are getting the best return on their investment.

Please contact my office if you wish to discuss this or any other civic topic further by email at email hidden; JavaScript is required or by phone at 613-580-2485.

Sincerely,

Christine Leadman

Voice YOUR opinion on the Ottawa River Action Plan

from the Office of Christine Leadman:

Four public meetings beginning this week will help the City of Ottawa determine which course of action it should take to protect the long-term health of the Ottawa River.

The Ottawa River Action Plan includes 16 projects, one of which specifically addresses the problem of Combined Sewer Overflows. The City will outline three potential solutions it is considering to reduce the overflows, ranging in cost from $40 million to $2.2 billion. Feedback on which option residents find the most sustainable — economically, environmentally and socially — will be gathered at the meetings and through an online survey.

For more information visit ottawa.ca/riverplan or e-mail email hidden; JavaScript is required

Public Meetings

• November 23
• Lansdowne Park, Salon E
• to 8 p.m. / Presentation at 6:30 p.m.
• November 26
• Kolbus Lakeside Centre
• Brittania  Park
• to 8 p.m. / Presentation at 6:30 p.m.
• November 30
• Sportsplex, Hall C & D
• Woodroffe Avenue
• to 8 p.m. / Presentation at 6:30 p.m.
• December 1
• Canadian Legion
• Taylor Creek Drive, Orléans
• to 8 p.m. / Presentation at 6:30 p.m.

WWCA December Meeting

Plan now to attend the December meeting of the WWCA.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

7:30 p.m.

Fisher Park School

Reminder of the next WWCA meeting

Everyone is welcome!

We’ve got a packed agenda and a couple of guest speakers as well.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

7:30 p.m.

Fisher Park School

Wellington West Wassail

From the Wellington West BIA:

Here we come a-wassailing!

Come one, come all to the 2nd Annual Wellington West Wassail, a chance to stroll, sip, ride, shop, listen and celebrate the holiday season on our newly upgraded main street, Wellington St West!

For the second summer in a row, the noise and dirt of a major infrastructure and beautification project have disrupted our main street. But now that the construction season is over, we invite you to come on down and share a toast to ring in the holidays and celebrate our new look!

Three hot drink stations will be serving up free cups of delicious cider at the corners of Wellington St West and Gilchrist Ave, Hinton Ave and Melrose Ave. You may also wish to hitch a ride on our horse-drawn wagons, as it ferries shoppers back and forth along Wellington St West from Island Park Drive all the way to Somerset Square in Hintonburg. Rides are free and fun for the whole family.

And while you’re out buying holiday gifts, why not delight your ears with the sounds of one of Ottawa’s most entertaining choirs, Folka Voca, a 40-voice contemporary ensemble run by the Ottawa Folklore Centre. Folka Voca will be kicking off the Wellington West Wassail with a free concert in the lobby of the Great Canadian Theatre Company (Holland and Wellington St W) at 12:30pm.

Now what is a wassail anyway, and why are we having one in Wellington West? A wassail is an old English term signifying public revelry, singing and sharing hot (usually alcoholic) drinks with your neighbours in celebration of the holiday season. Our family-friendly wassail will be great fun. The street is looking fabulous, shops are bursting with holiday treats, and with the smell of cider, the sounds of horse bells and voices lifted in song, Wellington West will be the place to be on Saturday November 21.

Don’t forget to drop in at the Hintonburg Community Centre where the Hintonburg Community Association’s Artisan Craft Fair will be taking place at the same time! This is a great sale with dozens of vendors working in every possible media.

On behalf of Wellington West BIA and its many member businesses, we hope you will enjoy our complimentary offerings and enjoy our newly renovated streetscape

199 Holland

On November 17, the Holland Property Association (HPA), a non-profit housing agency formed as a result of an investment by the Ottawa Mission, is having a public meeting at Fisher Park beginning at 7pm to discuss its plans for 199 Holland (tall blue apt building set back between Holland and Hinton), for which a mixed housing model with some market rental units and some units subsidized by the Ottawa Mission is planned.  The meeting is organised by the HPA and by the Hintonburg Community Association and will be moderated by Councillor Christine Leadman.

PDF

199 Holland Community meeting

ROTIS Line Offers Help to Vulnerable Seniors

Help the Aged (Canada) has collaborated with Ottawa Public Health, the Regional Geriatric Program of Eastern Ontario, VHA Health and Home Support, and a network of community resources to offer the Reaching Out to Isolated Seniors (ROTIS) program. ROTIS allows community members to help connect vulnerable seniors with assistance they might need as they age.  Vulnerable seniors may have difficulty caring for themselves, experience unexplained changes in personality, have little social support when they need it, and are vulnerable to falling through cracks in the medical and social systems.  ROTIS helps seniors maintain their independence and overall well-being by connecting them to appropriate services such as fall prevention, chronic disease management, mental health support, spiritual care, home helpers, and friendly visitors.  If you are concerned about a senior in your community, please speak with them or call the ROTIS line at 613-562-6381.  For more information about ROTIS, including volunteering opportunities or to book presentations for your workplace or community group, please contact Olivia Guiliani (email hidden; JavaScript is required) or Andrea Monahan (email hidden; JavaScript is required), call 613-232-0727, or visit www.isolatedseniors.ca.