Tunney's Pasture Redevelopment

[J.OT13]

NCC approves Tunney's Pasture master plan

David SaliPublished on September 16, 2014

The National Capital Commission Tuesday approved a 25-year master plan to turn Tunney’s Pasture into a “vibrant mixed-use urban community” with new office and retail space for an additional 12,000 to 15,000 employees, up to 3,700 housing units and a public park.

Under the plan, the existing three million square feet of government office space at the site will remain. The plan also calls for an additional two and half million to three million square feet of office space to be built, along with a minimum of 90,000 square feet of commercial space.

One of the plan’s centrepieces is a plaza near the future Tunney’s Pasture LRT station, which is slated to open by 2018. The plaza will feature updates on the progress of construction in the area with “before and after” imagery, as well as amenities such as pop-up retail shops, restaurants and cafes, food trucks and a farmer’s market.

Long-term projects include a one-hectare community park on Frederick Banting Driveway which will serve as a “multi-purpose recreational space” and other smaller parks, courtyards and plazas to provide a mix of public gathering spaces among the office and residential buildings.

“I’m quite impressed at the level of thinking and the level of consultation they’ve done and the balanced approach they’re taking,” said Mark Kristmanson, the NCC’s chief executive officer. “I think it augurs a future for other federal campuses that’s quite exciting where we see them more blended into the urban fabric … and inviting the public in as well as the workers and making an interesting place for people to work.”

The plan calls for low-density residential development of two- to three-storey buildings along the western edge of the site closest to nearby neighbourhoods. A cluster of new residential towers ranging between 10 and 20 storeys is proposed for the northeast side of Parkdale Avenue, while a proposed new office building of more than 20 storeys at the south entrance to Tunney’s Pasture Driveway would form an “iconic gateway” to the site, planners say.

To prevent office and residential towers from dominating the streetscape, the plan says taller buildings should have a minimum three-metre setback to allow for green roofs and terraces. It also says builders will be urged to use brick, stone and glass rather than materials such as stucco, vinyl and concrete blocks.

The NCC is also proposing cycling lanes on all major thoroughfares at the site with connections to nearby bike paths and a treed “buffer” separating cyclists from sidewalks. Streets will include “high-quality street furniture, lighting and planting and paving materials to encourage pedestrian activity,” the plan says.

The plan also calls for auto share services to reduce the demand for parking. Mr. Kristmanson said the NCC will ask Public Works to take another look at parking to address concerns about a lack of available spaces.

The plan doesn’t mention specific budget figures. The private sector’s role in the redevelopment is still to be determined, but the plan does suggest public-private partnerships could be part of the project.

“The Master Plan recognizes that transforming Tunney’s Pasture requires effective partnerships between public and private bodies to make strategic investments in new developments and replacing existing facilities to create a new mixed-use community,” the report says. “The federal government may partner with local government and the private sector to kickstart implementation of the Master Plan.”

Officials spent five years drafting the Tunney’s Pasture master plan, which is intended to guide future development at the 49-hectare site that is currently home to 10,000 federal government employees.

The NCC's board of directors approved the plan's overall concept on Tuesday. Each phase of the project will still require separate NCC approval.

http://www.obj.ca/Real-Estate/2014-0...-master-plan/1

[gmarshall]

Here's an aerial of Tunney's Pasture taken October 12th:

[Harley613]

That's a really phenomenal shot. It will look very different when (eventually) a few 28+ story condos go up on Parkdale.

It's amazing how much space is taken up by surface parking and completely useless grassy 'parks' and medians.

[1overcosc]

^ Tunney's among the most dramatically space inefficient employment areas I've ever seen.

[silvergate]

The redevelopment can't come soon enough

[Dado]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

^ Tunney's among the most dramatically space inefficient employment areas I've ever seen.

Really? How about Kanata North?

At least the Tunney's site is within reasonable walking distance of a single major transit stop. Just try to place a rapid transit line through Kanata North in such a way that a single stop would serve the area as well as Tunney's Pasture Station does.

[c_speed3108]

Originally Posted by Harley613

That's a really phenomenal shot. It will look very different when (eventually) a few 28+ story condos go up on Parkdale.

It's amazing how much space is taken up by surface parking and completely useless grassy 'parks' and medians.

A number of the surface lots at Tunney's had buildings on them. Several have been torn down in the past little while such as the old virus lab that was at the back beside Brooke Claxton.


I know when I worked there people did use the median of Holland for Volleyball during the lunch hour.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by Dado

Really? How about Kanata North?

At least the Tunney's site is within reasonable walking distance of a single major transit stop. Just try to place a rapid transit line through Kanata North in such a way that a single stop would serve the area as well as Tunney's Pasture Station does.

Kanata North does have a shittier layout by a mile, I agree completely. What I meant was that Tunneys is poorly used. It's all giant grass nothingness. Kanata North is at least decently dense with buildings even though they are atrociously laid out.

[OTSkyline]

Wow... what waste of space. Can't wait to see this area redevelopped.

The roads and open space look more like an airport runway than an employment hub.

[Urbanarchit]

From HOK's website.

[Harley613]

Wow, that's awesome...it looks like some 23-27 story towers in there! We definitely need more of those!

[sestafanos]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Wow, that's awesome...it looks like some 23-27 story towers in there! We definitely need more of those!

Don't we just!

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Wow, that's awesome...it looks like some 23-27 story towers in there! We definitely need more of those!

Cue the won't someone think of our permanently-shaded-children's-property-values blather in 5, 4, 3...

[J.OT13]

I'm cool with it for the most part. Good concept, might look and feel like its own downtown.

Three things I would change:

- Build over the trench to A. better integrate Tunney's with the surrounding area and B. bring some life, condos and retail to Scott;
- Build major development over the Tunney's transit station, or at least fully cover/heat/cool the station and connect it to a few buildings in close proximity with pedestrian tunnels;
- A few taller buildings (maybe 2; one at 30 floors, another at 40 floors) on Yarrow Driveway , just to have a couple modern buildings stand out.

[kwoldtimer]

I wonder if they could demolish Centretown and do something on similar lines?

[silvergate]

It would be nice to see more cover on Tunney's Pasture Driveway, on a blustery winter day it is the absolute worst place to walk

[waterloowarrior]

RFP issued for consultant for investment program and Phase 1 redevelopment
https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement...W-FK-289-71383

[rocketphish]

Federal contracts: Ottawa’s G. Bird Holdings gets $6.7M for Tunney’s Pasture strategy

OBJ Staff
Published on February 14, 2017

The slow-moving plan to redevelop the office complex at Tunney’s Pasture inched forward late last month after the federal government contracted a firm to prepare a “phasing strategy” to guide the process.

Consultants have been working on a redevelopment plan for the sprawling complex since at least 2009. Five years later, the National Capital Commission approved a vision for the property that included housing units, retail space and new office buildings.

In a solicitation notice published last August, the federal government said it needed “an innovative scheme that builds upon” that vision.

Late last month, it said it awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to G. Bird Holdings Inc. to prepare “a development phasing strategy that will guide future investment and divestiture decisions for Tunney’s Pasture through the continued implementation of the overall Tunney’s Pasture Master Plan.”

It was one of the largest federal contracts, standing offers and supply arrangements awarded to local firms between Jan. 23 and Jan. 29:

G. Bird Holdings Inc.
1339 Wellington St.
Description: Tunney’s Pasture redevelopment – Investment program plan and phase 1 redevelopment project
Buyer: PWGSC
$6,713,736


http://www.obj.ca/Local/For-the-Reco...ure-strategy/1

[acottawa]

Pardon my ignorance, but how does a strategy cost $6M?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

^ Tunney's among the most dramatically space inefficient employment areas I've ever seen.

Welcome to the 1970s.