Building LeBreton Flats - Master Planning

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Enough about DevCore! JFC...

[rocketphish]

Public input will be key to developing LeBreton Flats

Tobi Nussbaum
Updated: March 16, 2019

The development potential of LeBreton Flats is undeniable. We have an unprecedented opportunity to create a dynamic, thriving, connected and sustainable new community, as well as a visionary destination in the heart of the nation’s capital — a chance to build something great, and to build it together.

As the National Capital Commission moves forward to build LeBreton, we also feel a responsibility to digest the lessons learned from previous efforts to develop the area. We will involve the public early on in the process. We will ensure structured timelines when negotiating with proponents. We will balance the need for an overarching vision and concept plan while still allowing for innovation and evolution as the site is built out. We want to achieve both a vibrant, mixed-use community as well as bold capital-building elements, not one to the exclusion of the other.

As we proceed, we will be guided by a number of key considerations.

First, the public must have a role from the start in shaping the concept plan that will serve as the vision for the development of the 56-acre site, beginning in June. It is the largest parcel of undeveloped lands remaining in the core of the capital, and all citizens have a stake — and thus should have a say — in its future. In addition to our ongoing consultations with the Algonquin Nation, we will also work closely with other stakeholders, such as the City of Ottawa, community groups, and builders and developers.

The resulting vision and concept plan will offer overarching guidance on a range of elements, from street layout and housing types to green space, public parks, amenities and attractions, while still allowing for ideas and input from the successful proponents responsible for building out the site.

Second, our request-for-proposal process needs to be flexible. Once the concept plan is approved by the NCC board and has obtained the necessary municipal approvals, the timing and approach to land disposition will need to respond to market conditions and attract wide interest from potential proponents. We have not yet determined the size or number of parcels of land in which the renewal of the Flats should be disposed. These decisions require input, and should not be taken before we have developed a widely consulted concept plan. Form needs to follow function.



Third, we know that the development will occur in phases. If the area were overlaid onto Ottawa’s existing downtown, it would span almost the equivalent of Laurier Avenue south to Somerset Street between the Rideau Canal and Metcalfe Street, an extensive area in which thousands of residents and office workers, pathways, parks, shops, schools, cultural attractions, public spaces and dozens of buildings come together. We know the full build-out of the site will take time. Given that the capital and urban context of LeBreton Flats is continually evolving, this phasing will create the flexibility required to ensure that future development can incorporate evolutions in technology, building methods, urban planning and market demand. Phasing the development will also allow us to remain open, should there be future interest in locating a major event centre such as an arena or other anchor use at LeBreton Flats.

The Library District is a good example of our approach. To ensure coordination with the construction timelines of the new City of Ottawa and Library and Archives Canada Central Public Library, our first disposition once the concept plan is approved will be a site east of Booth Street at the Pimisi light rail transit station. Through this process, we can help facilitate access between the LRT system and the library, and activate the area.

In announcing the initiation of this process last week, the NCC board of directors did so knowing that many elements of the project have yet to be defined. The board felt strongly that the project should evolve with the active participation and involvement of others. We are excited by — and committed to — this opportunity to create a visionary place for people that serves as a bold and enduring contribution to an even greater nation’s capital.

Tobi Nussbaum is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Capital Commission.

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/co...lebreton-flats

[rocketphish]

The NCC is thinking small on LeBreton Flats. That's a mistake

Mohammed Adam
Updated: March 21, 2019

In a recent opinion column in the Citizen, the chief executive of the National Capital Commission sought to bring reassurance and clarity of purpose to the troubled LeBreton Flats redevelopment.

The NCC’s attempt to reclaim the initiative after its piecemeal approach to the redevelopment in the wake of RendezVous Ottawa’s failure was widely panned. Tobi Nussbaum tried to reassure residents on the NCC’s alternative plan, but his case for the new approach is not utterly convincing.

“We have an unprecedented opportunity to create a dynamic, thriving connected and sustainable new community, as well as a visionary destination in the heart of the nation’s capital – a chance to build something great and to build it together,” Nussbaum wrote. “We will balance the need for an overarching and concept plan while still allowing for innovation and evolution as the site is built out. We want to achieve both a vibrant, mixed-use community as well as bold capital-building elements, not one to the exclusion of the other.”

Fine words, but missing was any clear indication, commitment or pathway to a landmark development. Perhaps the NCC itself doesn’t know at this point and is simply returning to its comfort zone of thinking small. But whatever the NCC is planning, what it should not do is divvy up the 56-acre site for individual developers to turn what was once a thriving working-class community into a playground for the rich. Developers who pay a pretty penny for the land won’t build rental or affordable housing. They’ll want a high return on investment, and that means expensive high-end homes only the rich can afford. If in doubt, consider what happened at the publicly owned old Daly Building site that’s now 700 Sussex. Or what Claridge built at LeBreton. Not homes for everyday people.

We can’t keep offering public lands for the exclusive use of the rich. The LeBreton redevelopment must be one that’s open to all people – not a select few. But that’s what will happen if an overarching vision for the site is abandoned in favour of the patchwork development the NCC now appears to favour.

Nussbaum says the NCC will remain open to locating an arena at LeBreton and that’s great. The trouble is that chopping up LeBreton into individual parcels – six at the start and likely more later – for development could undermine the case for a future arena or other sports facility. Any public-use facility not fully financed by government would need supporting commercial development to make economic sense. So, how would a future privately owned arena be feasible when large chunks of surrounding land are already filled with condos and other commercial development competing for the same dollars? Remember, the RendezVous plan collapsed because Eugene Melnyk thought the 900 Albert St. project envisioned by his one-time partner would eat into his revenue and undermine the long-term viability of the arena and likely the hockey team.

Under the NCC’s retooled plan, a future proponent of an arena would not only have to contend with 900 Albert, but a slew of competing housing and other commercial development at LeBreton. How would the economics of an arena improve under such circumstances, and what kind of investor would take such a risk?

Here’s the thing: The $4-billion RendezVous plan failed for many reasons, but the grand vision laid out by NCC was not one of them. Chopping up LeBreton into small parcels for development suggests the NCC is panicking and learning the wrong reasons from that failure. The desire for a “memorable capital landmark development” is as true today as when it was first enunciated four years ago. The NCC created a plan most residents liked and supported. The RendezVous plan caught the public imagination and that kind of vision should not be abandoned.

Nussbaum says the NCC can start small and still go big. No, it will not, whatever he says today. This is Ottawa, and once we go down that road, we will simply stay the course and lose the appetite for a bolder vision. LeBreton development was supposed to be transformational. Let’s stick with that vision. The capital deserves no less.

Mohammed Adam is an Ottawa writer.

https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/co...hats-a-mistake

[lrt's friend]

It is easy to identify fault with a plan that someone does not like. A condo heavy proposal is not going to be exciting.

It seems that Ottawans do not want to move beyond its boring reputation. It seems that Ottawans do not want to embrace something that has a bit of risk from a group that is backed by the country's most well known showman. Yet, we go with a safe proposal and it goes up in flames big time. The back up to this will almost certainly be an extension of what Claridge has done on Lebreton.

Is this really what we want?

[CityTech]

Nothing wrong with condos. People need places to live.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by CityTech

Nothing wrong with condos. People need places to live.

Of course you are right, but we need this to be more than a patch of condos. No matter what the plan, condos will be part of it. This is such an important location to be just condos and a few businesses to support them. I will be extremely disappointed if Lebreton turns out to be only that.

[waterloowarrior]

Came across the LeBreton planning rationale on the City's site...some inspiration for the upcoming consultations? Looked like they were proposing 60 storey height limits in several areas.

https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/de...0-%20FINAL.pdf

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Came across the LeBreton planning rationale on the City's site...some inspiration for the upcoming consultations? Looked like they were proposing 60 storey height limits in several areas.

https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/de...0-%20FINAL.pdf

Well that's depressing. Like running into an ex-girlfriend months after breaking up.

[waterloowarrior]

tender for the Master Plan closing July 8
https://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement...PW-19-00876111

[danishh]

http://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/events/share-yo...lebreton-flats

Tuesday, June 18, 2019, 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm

The NCC is moving forward to create a Master Concept Plan that will provide a renewed vision for the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats. Drop in any time between 5 pm and 9 pm at the Canadian War Museum to take part in an interactive open house. Different activities will provide opportunities for you to share your thoughts, ideas and vision for LeBreton Flats. Through these activities, you can

share your big ideas about what would make LeBreton Flats unique
express your priorities and values about how redevelopment efforts should be approached
experience the history of LeBreton Flats, and share your own memories at our Storymobile with “Tale of a Town”


There will be an online survey as well.

[rocketphish]

Future of LeBreton Flats, ByWard Market explored at City-Building Summit

By: David Sali, OBJ
Published: Jun 12, 2019 2:24pm EDT

The future of LeBreton Flats, major infrastructure projects such as a potential new interprovincial bridge and the revitalization of the ByWard Market are just some of the items on the agenda at today’s City-Building Summit hosted by OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade.

In the first keynote address of the day, new National Capital Commission CEO Tobi Nussbaum told the audience at Lansdowne Park’s Horticulture Building the federal Crown corporation that owns LeBreton Flats remains open to proposals for a “major events centre” at the undeveloped swath of land just west of downtown.

Nussbaum said the NCC is seeking input from urban developments around the world – such as HafenCity, a district near the port of Hamburg, Germany, that has been revitalized over the past decade with the addition of a new concert hall, shops and office space – in an effort to come up with the best mix of residential and commercial elements for the Flats.

Responding to criticisms about the NCC’s plan to subdivide the Flats into parcels of land, Nussbaum said “there is nothing piecemeal” about the agency’s redevelopment strategy. A phased-in approach makes sense, he told the crowd, because the NCC can’t rely on a “single actor” to spearhead such a massive project.

The NCC’s recent attempt to revitalize the long-vacant lands fell apart earlier this year when preferred proponent RendezVous LeBreton – a consortium led by Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and Trinity Development Group’s John Ruddy – failed to come to terms on the massive project, which included visions of condo towers and a new downtown arena for the Sens. Ruddy and Melnyk’s partnership dissolved into litigation at the end of 2018 over unresolved issues concerning Trinity’s nearby residential development at 900 Albert St.

Nussbaum added Wednesday that he’s planning to meet with City of Ottawa planning boss Steve Willis shortly to discuss how the federal agency, the city and all levels of government can work together on the project.

“We can’t do it alone,” he said.

The spotlight of the full-day conference later turned to the ByWard Market with a panel discussion on the future of the iconic downtown tourist area.

John Borsten, the owner of Zak’s Diner and a longtime restaurateur in the Market, said the neighbourhood’s business potential has never been greater. But he said there needs to be a push to upgrade the Market’s infrastructure and improve security in the neighbourhood, which has been the site of several highly publicized killings and other violent crimes in recent years.

More research needs to be done to find out what types of attractions tourists and local residents want to see in the Market, added Catherine Callary, vice-president of destination development at Ottawa Tourism and a member of the Ottawa Markets board of directors.

The Market draws millions of visitors a year, Callary noted, but she said the city can’t afford to rest on its laurels if it wants the area to remain vibrant. She said efforts to make the Market more pedestrian-friendly such as the recent pilot project to convert a one-block stretch of William Street into a car-free zone will be a “good test” for future initiatives.

“We can infuse a lot more programming, authenticity (in the Market),” she said. “We have a long road to go.”

Architect Barry Padolsky argued the Market needs to make more of an effort to return to its roots as a showcase for agricultural produce. The existing farmers’ market is “on the brink of extinction,” he told the audience, when it should be a core attraction that brings in tourists and residents from across the city.

Follow @obj_news on Twitter as the City-Building Summit continues to unfold Wednesday afternoon.

https://obj.ca/article/future-lebret...uilding-summit

[lrt's friend]

The Byward Market will be an attraction for residents across the city only if it is easy to get there. In the past, most people had to drive there. Our long-term transit plans may help for some people, but that is several years away. Phase 1 is too short. I can tell you that the current transit plan even after Phase 3 will not draw me to the Byward Market. It will still be too difficult to get there.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

The Byward Market will be an attraction for residents across the city only if it is easy to get there. In the past, most people had to drive there. Our long-term transit plans may help for some people, but that is several years away. Phase 1 is too short. I can tell you that the current transit plan even after Phase 3 will not draw me to the Byward Market. It will still be too difficult to get there.

I think that you may be overstating these issues for a couple of reasons.

First, I'm not sure that its even the majority of visitors to the Market who drive now. While short, the first phase of the LRT will certainly increase the transit share (even without the associated intensification), as it puts thousands of people within an easy train ride of the front door of the Market.

Second, the difficulty of driving to the Market is greatly exaggerated. I find driving Merivale on a Saturday a far more daunting prospect than driving down Colonel By or King Edward to the Market. What people are averse to is paying for parking. That mentality will change as more people finally accept that Ottawa is actually a big city.

[J.OT13]

Watson wants an arena at LeBreton Flats, but doesn't want Melnyk involved. Big fan of Ruddy though.

Watson calls for 'grander' vision for LeBreton Flats

David Sali, OBJ
Jun 13, 2019 4:24pm EDT


Mayor says he doesn't expect Sens owner Eugene Melnyk to be part of renewed development process

Mayor Jim Watson renewed his call for a “grander, bigger” vision for LeBreton Flats this week, telling a gathering of business leaders at Lansdowne Park that the next proposal to redevelop the prime parcel of land west of downtown must leave room for an NHL arena and should be based on a single, cohesive long-term plan.

“We can’t do it piecemeal,” Watson told broadcaster Mark Sutcliffe during a Q&A session at the City-Building Summit hosted by OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade on Wednesday.

“It has to be done on a grander, bigger scale than just a little parcel here or there, because there are a lot of common elements in the proposal that are going to need to get funded. That makes the most sense.”

Noting that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is “very committed” to putting his weight behind a downtown stadium for the Senators, the mayor said moving the team to LeBreton Flats would accelerate momentum for a light-rail transit link between Ottawa and Gatineau and breathe new life into the city’s central business district.

“This will take away the need for another (interprovincial) bridge if we can get people on transit across the river,” Watson said.

Earlier in the day, new National Capital Commission boss Tobi Nussbaum told the crowd at the Horticulture Building “there is nothing piecemeal” about the agency’s redevelopment strategy for the NCC-owned land. A phased-in approach makes sense, he said, because the NCC can’t rely on a “single actor” to spearhead such a massive project.

The NCC’s recent attempt to revitalize the long-vacant lands fell apart earlier this year when preferred proponent RendezVous LeBreton – a consortium led by Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and Trinity Development Group’s John Ruddy – failed to come to terms on the massive project, which included visions of condo towers and a new downtown arena for the Sens.

Ruddy and Melnyk’s partnership dissolved into litigation at the end of 2018 over unresolved issues concerning Trinity’s nearby residential development at 900 Albert St.

Watson told Sutcliffe he anticipates Ruddy will be part of the next tendering process but expects the Sens owner to stay on the sidelines.

“I don’t think Eugene Melnyk will put in a bid, but who knows?” he said, adding the NCC must ensure the winning proponents in the new LeBreton process have “the financial capacity” to build world-class amenities at the site.

Reiterating his disbelief at Melnyk’s suggestion during the NHL 100 Classic festivities in 2017 that he might consider relocating the team if the market conditions in Ottawa didn’t improve, Watson took another dig at the Sens owner on Wednesday.

“I have great confidence in John Ruddy, not so much in Eugene,” Watson said.

In a wide-ranging half-hour discussion, the mayor also touted the announcement that Ottawa will officially hit the one-million population mark on Friday, saying “it’s an opportunity for us to boast and brag a little bit” over reaching the seven-figure landmark.

He also joked he already knew who the city’s one-millionth resident will be.

“Erik Karlsson, I hope,” he deadpanned.

Watson conceded the city is facing its share of growing pains as it hits the magic million mark.

Traffic headaches

Traffic congestion has become a headache for everyone, the mayor admitted. He said the city scheduled major road construction projects on downtown arteries such as Elgin Street and Bronson Avenue to happen this year in the belief that the Confederation LRT line would already be up and running.

Instead, the trains are more than a year late and are not expected to start rolling until the end of August.

“We have a lot of projects on the go that normally would not have to compete with the construction of LRT,” Watson said.

Noting that the 12.5-kilometre Confederation Line is just the first step in a multi-phased process that’s expected to see light rail eventually extended to Kanata, the airport, Orleans and perhaps across the river to Gatineau, the mayor said he believes the short-term construction grief Ottawans are now facing will be worth it in the long run.

“My vision of Ottawa is one where we don’t have constant traffic jams … and we do that by investing heavily in infrastructure for transit,” he said. “Really, the biggest impact we can have in making our city more livable for the next two, three, four generations is to get the transit system right.”

https://obj.ca/article/watson-calls-...lebreton-flats

[acottawa]

Is he putting money in? Has he convinced the feds to put money in?

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Is he putting money in? Has he convinced the feds to put money in?

It's just Watson voicing his opinion. As long as Melnyk owns the team, an arena will bit be built. If Melnyk sells, then I could see Watson stepping in with an offer to help build an arena.

[kwoldtimer]

Tantalizing hint that he may not support another bridge?

[rocketphish]

New LeBreton Flats consultations take 'from the ground up' approach

Jacob Hoytema, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: June 18, 2019

With the previous failed LeBreton Flats development plan in the past, the National Capital Commission moved forward on Tuesday night with in-person community consultations for a new master plan.

The consultations illustrate a process that is more open-ended than the previous one, but some residents are still holding their breath to see if the development will match their wishes.

The NCC started a new plan for developing the flats after the collapse of talks with RendezVous LeBreton, a consortium that had included Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. That group fell apart last fall when conflicts arose between Melnyk and Trinity Development Group chairman John Ruddy through a series of highly-publicized lawsuits.

The previous NCC-led process had chosen RendezVous LeBreton from among four competing proposals, all of which would have locked in development plans for the flats as a whole.

This new round of consultation appears to be more open-ended. Now that the area has been divided into several sections that will be developed in stages, the NCC is seeking input from residents before meeting with stakeholders and seeing development proposals.

Tuesday night’s consultation at the War Museum allowed attendees to get up to speed and leave their feedback on a casual, drop-in basis. In the museum’s main hall, with light refreshments and bossa nova music, were several displays on the history of LeBreton Flats and inspiration from similar urban developments in cities around the world.

The real engine of feedback for participants was in the adjacent Barney Danson Theatre. On a series of square pillars, attendees could write suggestions for various themes on sticky-notes, which other participants could vote on with blue or red stickers to show approval or disapproval, respectively.

Several notes were covered in blue stickers, giving an idea of what notions participants found the most appealing: “Flats for neighbourhood first — city second — tourists third,” said one note on the theme of LeBreton’s role as a capital district. “Madam (sic) Tussaud’s Wax Museum No!” said another.

Others suggested public washrooms and affordable housing.

One of the most heavily approved sticky notes simply said: “Build literally anything by 2060.”

“I think that we have to show that we’ve got a solid approach this time,” said Katie Paris, who directs the NCC’s Building LeBreton project. “We need to demonstrate that this approach has been successful elsewhere, where you put in place a strong master plan with the guiding principles and basically put the policies in place that are going to shape this community over time.

“Instead of waiting for an enormous vision, and one proponent who promises to do the whole thing, we get started. And that means a phasing strategy.”

Clarissa Brocklehurst, who has lived just south of LeBreton Flats for more than two decades, said the vacant area has left a gap in the community. She said she wants community infrastructure like grocery stores to link it to neighbourhoods like hers that don’t have a real connection to the Flats, despite living right next to it.

“It has a direct impact on us. This is our neighbourhood,” Brocklehurst said. “It used to be wonderful to live on the edge of LeBreton Flats because you could go cross-country skiing on it. It was this huge anomaly.”

Wellington West BIA executive director Dennis VanStaalduinen said the eventual LeBreton development will make up an important link to other communities like his.

“There’s a big void in the city between us and the downtown core, and we’re very interested in what happens and concerned to make sure whatever fills that void isn’t going to cut us off even more from the city in the future,” he said.

An online consultation will be open on the NCC website until July 2.

The NCC said it will take the results of this round of consultation back with more consultations on further aspects of the plan in November.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local...nd-up-approach

[Kitchissippi]

It's kind of ridiculous that a large project like this only has a one day live consultation event. The NCC has so many empty properties, why can't they set something up that's open for a few days or even weeks? They should do like Zibi and set up some shipping containers in the middle of that desolate field or along the Aqueduct across from Pimisi Station.

[lrt's friend]

“Build literally anything by 2060.” Let's make this 2064 and we can celebrate the centennial of the demolition.

“Flats for neighbourhood first — city second — tourists third,” said one note on the theme of LeBreton’s role as a capital district. “Madam (sic) Tussaud’s Wax Museum No!” said another.

Is this the same person who declared a Botanical Garden to be like Disneyland? Nobody proposed Tussaud's Wax Museum but this suggests that any proposal that supports the tourist industry will be like that. Hey, let's build subsidized row houses and a grocery store. Project done! Or even better, more Claridge high end condos and a grocery store. Ugly as sin but at least the neighbourhood would be quiet without unwanted hooligan tourists and Orleans residents.