Zibi (Domtar Lands Redevelopment) | U/C

[harls]

Mister Aylmer, I really like your initiative. You're a young guy and you want to make this city into a better place. I really like what you're doing. Keep it up.

[JackBauer24]

You pretty much have to go through the "forward-thinking" NCC to get any water front properties.

Originally Posted by Boxster

Thanks!

Agree with you. It's about time we see waterfront development.

Gatineau did well with the VIU building and I also hear that a VIU II is in the works...probably on the next door parking lot.

[S-Man]

I like the Vieu. That said, having similarly (or identically) styled buildings next to each other isn't a thing I like, generally.

[JackBauer24]

While I too generally agree with that, there are exceptions....

Originally Posted by S-Man

I like the Vieu. That said, having similarly (or identically) styled buildings next to each other isn't a thing I like, generally.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

and it means blocking views of Parliament from Wellington street and creating an a sense of being enclosed between two walls on Rideau. That last one is more about the image we project to tourist and businesses.

A sense of enclosure on Rideau is a good thing. It's an urban main street.

And views, schmiews: Until relatively recently, that precious "view" was blocked by killer trees.

What security concerns? Real and perceived. Look around you, all the new security features everywhere since 9/11; the DND HQ' fort Knox retro-fit, longer wait times at airports, and soon VIA rail, blockades on Parliament Hill...

And any of those concerns mean tunnels are bad because?

I'm no paranoid republican who thinks terrorists are all around us, but public transportation systems are common targets, and having trains run near the foundations of major governmental institutions can be a concern.

Why?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Washington and Toronto's subway lines near important governmental institutions were built before terrorism became the "in" thing to terrify the world's citizens.

If terrorists could get their hands on a device (A) powerful enough to blow out a building from within a transit tunnel, yet (B) compact enough to get into a transit vehicle in the first place, then the presence of that transit tunnel near a government building's foundations is the least of your concerns.

A conventional explosive device capable of being smuggled into an underground transit vehicle will cause all kinds of mayhem in the tunnel, even in adjacent stations, but is not going to cause significant damage to the tunnel structure itself, let alone to any geology or structure outside the tunnel.

[Ottawa superman]

Originally Posted by Aylmer

I wouldn't bet the farm on it- though the tramway isn't a sure thing, I have it on good authority that the western extension prefeasibility study basically says that Des Allumettières isn't all that feasible, precisely because of the difficulties to get past Wrightville and the Gatineau Park. Along with the lacklustre eastern leg (which I'm predicting will have a very wobbly start and mediocre reviews - you heard it here first, folks!), I think an alternative will be a political win. Whether or not that alternative is the tramway, express buses (I have yet to find an explanation of how that would improve transit service, but alas) or other potential solutions is yet to be seen, but I do know that the Rapibus-ouest won't survive past January (when the prefeasibility study comes out).

The only way I could see it come into being is if Bureau is elected and, through an unwillingness to acknowledge that the Rapibus might have been a mistake, they build the Aylmer-Plateau section, then take up a lane of existing traffic on Des Allumettières as HOV to avoid the expense of redynamiting and tunnelling. After a couple of months, the pressure from residents will do away with the HOV and we'll be stuck with a disembodied BRT leg requiring an additional transfer and 5 additional km's for a significantly longer ride at a price of several hundreds of millions of dollars. This is perhaps the worst thing that can happen.

Why is it necessary for Gatineau to have a seamless ride across the town. Is it that much of an inconvenience if riders have to change vehicles. How many are actually travelling from Old Gatineau, Masson Angers and Buckingham are going to Aylmer? Or the opposite?

[S-Man]

While I too generally agree with that, there are exceptions....

Hey - what's Claridge Plaza doing behind those tall, shiny things?

[Aylmer]

Originally Posted by Ottawa superman

Why is it necessary for Gatineau to have a seamless ride across the town. Is it that much of an inconvenience if riders have to change vehicles. How many are actually travelling from Old Gatineau, Masson Angers and Buckingham are going to Aylmer? Or the opposite?

According to the 2011 Origin-Destination Survey: 4% of all trips from Aylmer go to Gatineau. It is absolutely not necessary in any way, despite what some might have you believe.

So, though having two different transportation technologies will make it impossible to have a transfer-less ride from Aylmer to Templeton, I generally regard any plan to design anything at the expense of 96% of the population as a very poor idea.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

A sense of enclosure on Rideau is a good thing. It's an urban main street.

And views, schmiews: Until relatively recently, that precious "view" was blocked by killer trees.

And any of those concerns mean tunnels are bad because?


Why?

Standing on a five feet gap between a wall and a row of buses is not my idea of urban main street but of a bus mall.

To be clear, I'm not the one concerned about security; the Feds are. All I'm saying is that I don't see the Feds ever approving a tunnel under Parliament Hill or even Wellington Street. If you think they won't have a problem with it, all the power to you.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Boxster

Thanks!

Agree with you. It's about time we see waterfront development.

Gatineau did well with the VIU building and I also hear that a VIU II is in the works...probably on the next door parking lot.

Awesome, I love the VIU! As previously mentioned, a twin would not be ideal, but based on Heafey's work in the past and current proposal, I have no doubt they will come up with something great.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by S-Man

Hey - what's Claridge Plaza doing behind those tall, shiny things?

LOL! Good eye. They do look similar... and similarly ugly.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

To be clear, I'm not the one concerned about security; the Feds are. All I'm saying is that I don't see the Feds ever approving a tunnel under Parliament Hill or even Wellington Street. If you think they won't have a problem with it, all the power to you.

Not that long ago, the feds were the ones proposing tunnelization of Wellington. But that's neither here nor there, since no on in authority is proposing transit tunnels under either of those locations.

The Queen St LRT subway will be under PCO offices, though, so the feds aren't as afraid of tunnels as you seem to think they are.

[waterloowarrior]

The developer met with Councillor Hume and senior staff this week
http://ottwatch.ca/lobbying/files/850

[Mikeed]

I know it's a far cry dream but I really wish we could dam bust and renaturalize Chaudière Falls.

Any plan that included that would be golden IMO.

[dommage]

Originally Posted by Mikeed

I know it's a far cry dream but I really wish we could dam bust and renaturalize Chaudière Falls.

Removing the dam would seriously mess with the water levels upriver. Not to mention leaving the various canals and sluices in and around Victoria island as mostly dry trenches.

My fantasy scenario (yeah, I need to get out more) is that they put a pedestrian/bike-way that runs from behind the war museum across the top of the dam over to the Quebec side.

[waterloowarrior]

from Greater Ottawa blog
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/...medium=twitter

[rocketphish]

Sale of Domtar lands expected within days, opening door to development

By Elizabeth Payne, OTTAWA CITIZEN November 29, 2013 8:01 PM

OTTAWA — The long awaited sale of the Domtar lands on the Chaudière Islands is expected to be complete within days, say officials with the company that wants to turn the post-industrial site into an eco-friendly, heritage rich community.

Windmill Developments will hold a public consultation about the project it is calling “The Isles” on Dec. 11 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization to unveil early plans and design principles for a project that has the potential to transform Ottawa and Gatineau’s waterfronts.

Jonathan Westeinde, managing partner with Windmill Development, said Friday that he expects the sale of the 37-acre site on Chaudière Island and the nearby Quebec shoreline to be finalized before that public meeting.

Westeinde said the company would present its vision for the site and design principles — including that it become a world class sustainable community, a “community patio” and a place to celebrate history. The meeting, he said, “is less about us showing and much more about us getting as much feedback as we can ... and trying to feed that into our plan.”

Windmill is working with the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau as well as with the National Capital Commission, which owns land on the Chaudière Islands. Westeinde said Windmill would like that collaboration with the two municipalities and the NCC to include a unique “unified approvals process” for rezoning the industrial site.

There have been calls to redevelop the historic property in the shadow of the Parliament Buildings even before Domtar closed its plant there in 2005.

The National Capital Commission, which has long had a plan to develop the islands, stepped away from a proposal to purchase the property after the federal government nixed the plan. Windmill signed a letter of intent with Domtar last summer and has been poring over the complex details of buying and developing the property since then.

In a presentation to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario earlier this year, Windmill revealed a broad sketch of what it is proposing for the site.

That includes: opening the waterfront with restaurants, cafés and public parks and gathering spaces that have views of the water; a mix of low rise, highrise, freehold and affordable housing; the redevelopment of three or more heritage buildings and a series of historical installations celebrating the logging and industrial history of the site.

Windmill also proposes the development will include “innovative and creative work spaces” and says it would like to see every residence within 500 metres of a place of employment and the same distance from a social meeting place.

Windmill says the project will be carbon neutral, will include on-site stormwater management and will make use of solar, wind and other ecological systems. And it will be linked with a “safe and cohesive” pedestrian and cycle network, a “seamless” public transit system and “an uninterrupted tourist experience.”

The project is still years away from shovels in the ground, but it has moved a step forward. If the deal closes and approvals go ahead as expected, Westeinde said it would be 2015 or 2016 before work would start to happen on the site.

The site has been called the cradle of Canadian history — given its proximity to Parliament, its significance as a First Nations gathering place and its roots in the country’s early economy. It has also long been considered a key to unlocking Ottawa’s waterfront.

The property has been declared a land mass of national importance by the NCC, a designation that requires potential developers to work with the agency as well as Ottawa and Gatineau.

“We certainly appreciate their willingness to work with the NCC and the federal government,” said Rick Roth, a spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird who is responsible for the NCC. “we are looking forward to seeing the whole proposal.”

epayne@ottawacitizen.com
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/enterta...095/story.html

[kevinbottawa]

I found this PDF presentation about the project. Pages 15 and 16 give an idea of what it'll look like.

http://www.amo.on.ca/AMO-PDFs/Events...westeinde.aspx

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

I already like what I see, though I had hoped for them to potentially take into account a future O-Train crossing that could terminate near the Terraces de la Chaudière or whatever it's called complex.