NCC Capital Urban Lands Master Plan

[waterloowarrior]

Capital Urban Lands Master Plan


Preparation of the Capital Urban Lands Master Plan

In view of the strategic and symbolic importance of the Capital’s urban lands, the NCC has undertaken the preparation of the Capital Urban Lands Master Plan. The purpose of this master plan is to define a vision, strategic directions, guidelines and development proposals for the Capital’s urban lands in order to enhance the contribution they make to the experience and unique living environment of Canada’s Capital.


Designed to be reviewed on a 10-year cycle, the master plan is intended to be a visionary and inspiring document with a 50-year horizon, while serving as a practical tool to support everyday decisions of the NCC and other federal departments.
ONLINE PUBLIC CONSULTATION

Participate now and contribute to the development of the master plan The Capital Urban Lands Master Plan will be completed in two phases namely:

• Phase 1 (ongoing, until fall 2011) will provide a vision statement and concept plan, based on an exhaustive descriptive assessment of the Capital’s urban lands.
• Phase 2 (fall 2011 to fall 2012) will incorporate policy statements, guidelines and development proposals for each sector within the Capital’s urban lands (with the exception of the Capital core area, for which a sector plan was approved in 2005).

Click here for a detailed description of these two phases.



Should be interesting to see what comes of this....

Here is some of the background information... the slideshow of land transactions is interesting

[waterloowarrior]

new website
http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/plan...ds-master-plan

phase 1 report
http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/site...r_plan-all.pdf

[waterloowarrior]

phase 2 report (sept 2013) is online
http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/planning/ma...ds-master-plan


The Plan proposes the following orientations:

 Support the development of ‘Capital Discovery Routes’ linking existing resources
(national institutions) using the parkway and recreational pathway networks;
 Encourage a broader scope of events in the appropriate locations;
 Develop sites according to their potential in keeping with their capacity, character
and vocation (Spirit of place);
 Reinforce the role of parkways as ‘places’ and ‘destinations’ as opposed to
throughways.

And the following guidelines:

 As a priority, consolidate sites that are already developed and accessible by various
means of transportation;
 Develop a comprehensive policy to provide a balance between uses and the ‘Capital
signature’, leading to an increased coherence between sites and activities;
 Offer activities that are compatible with the surrounding neighbourhood;
 Provide basic services to ‘Capital Discovery Route’ users;
 Promote cultural experiences based on archaeological resources while ensuring
their protection for future generations;
 Support the creation of leisure areas, recreation areas, gathering places and picnic
areas along the parkways, and provide access to these sites

[waterloowarrior]

Good potential policy direction here:

Employment Areas and other Federal Facilities

The federal government’s presence in the Capital is exhibited by imposing federal building complexes located in and around the Core Area.

The “federal employment nodes” term comes from the 1999 Plan for Canada’s Capital. Originally developed as directed in the Gréber Plan they are now well located in the region’s overall urban fabric. In some of these employment areas, such as Tunney’s Pasture, site intensification initiatives have been undertaken as a result of recent public sector workforce consolidation exercises. Conversely, the existing Booth Street campus is in the process of being redeveloped for purposes other than federal
employment.

New employment areas are emerging in other areas, such as 530 Tremblay Road in Ottawa. According to PWGSC planning directives, federal employment facilities are to be located close to public transit lines, as much as possible. Consolidation initiatives offer new opportunities to better integrate federal facilities with the surrounding areas. The idea of adding a broader mix of uses within the large federal campuses is also under study, as these complexes are located adjacent to transit-oriented redevelopment activities, given their proximity to planned LRT stations. A better integration with their neighbourhoods is advocated, and this would justify dropping the “employment node” term as it implies something relatively closed or independent of its surrounding context.

At this stage, the review of the federal employment areas’ contribution to the region’s long-term viability deals primarily with locational and site planning considerations. As most of these sites are under the responsibility of departments and agencies other than the NCC, the focus will be on collaboration at the sector planning stage.

Urban redevelopment site: p. 12 These and others and specia study areas
http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/sites/defau...l-policies.pdf

CFB Rockcliffe
Hurdman
Little Italy parcels
NW corner of Scott/Bayview

Next step is the detailed sector plans.

Unfortunately still have this as a transportation policy for the parkways: "Preserve the fluid nature of the experience while maintaining unhurried
traffic flow"

[McC]

Meaning no x-walks anytime soon...

[eternallyme]

Blah blah NCC. They truly need to be abolished.

[waterloowarrior]

NCC Plan for Canada's Capital
http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/planning/plan-canadas-capital

Feb 23 Planning Committee Presentation
http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/sites/defau...ry_23_2016.pdf

[ElieB]

Soooo the plan is not available yet? The presentation slides don't really say anything tangible whatsoever. Sounds like it will be a whole lot more "retaining status quo as best as possible with insignificant funds". Why does the NCC still insist one treating urban and rural lands with the same priorities? The urban lands need to become urban, stop pretending that it's still the 1940s.

Nothing has even moved on the old Employment nodes for transit idea. Tremblay site at St-Laurent is still completely vacant.

[acottawa]

I have no love for the NCC, but a lot of these things are not really the NCC's fault. The NCC doesn't decide where government buildings go or decide the timing of their construction. The NCC can't overrule the Government or fund any infrastructure of any scale. The NCC can't overrule the OMB (which is driving much of the sprawl and planning decisions). The NCC can't overrule the municipal governments except in very specific circumstances (which make most of the planning decisions).

Personally, rather than trying to pretend it is in the planning business, it would be nice if they would put more focus on things they do control (the parkways, the waterfront, various blocks of unused land all over the city).

[ElieB]

Exactly right but even there, what have they done with any urban lands (parks, canal, waterfronts or otherwise) in living memory? Maybe spots here and there have been improved along the outaouais waterfront. But I can't think of anything significant they've done since 60s... Everything is just maintenance and preservation. Except for some redesigning of confederation boulevard or whatever, great you prettied up an arterial road. Would love to be reminded of examples I'm missing. My biggest problem though is the canal staying relatively unchanged since, well... forever? Maybe the west bank on north side of the triangle, looks like brutalist 60's work. The pathways and underpasses of the wellington bend are horrifyingly out of date and seem to be from the same era. I'm assuming on dates just from the style of hardscaping.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by ElieB

Except for some redesigning of confederation boulevard or whatever, great you prettied up an arterial road.

Seriously.

This "Confederation Boulevard" nonsense is a bloody joke that should be consigned to the dustbin.

[ElieB]

Did some digging on the NCC website for recent projects and I suspect the works page doesn't go all that far back. But I did find this page about redeveloping the Jacques Cartier street waterfront in gatineau. Which made me immediately jealous because it's exactly the kind of thing we need for our Urban waterfront here in Ottawa. And Jacques cartier has very few nearby residents relative to the canal... It was slated to start construction in 2014 but I don't think much of it has been actually built yet.

http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/property-ma...t-improvements

Plans are at this link.
http://www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/sites/defau...-July-2006.pdf

You can see a lot of work being put into some decent place making on top of the typical re-naturalization. It's got observation platforms, boardwalks, plazas, fountains, market space, AMPHITHEATRE and gathering space, public art, picnic area, a beach area, fishing docks, some sites for institutional and business activation... Good plans but dont mean squat until they're done.

Can anyone let me know about major projects they might have done through the 70s to 90s?