Dear Woodpark Residents:
The extension of Ottawa's Light Rail Transit (LRT) project will bring significant changes to our neighbourhood. The Woodpark Community Association Board Members have concerns about the nature of the developments near the New Orchard and Lincoln Fields Stations. We are asking all recipients of this email to read on and take action with us to have our collective voices heard and to help ensure we maintain a high quality of life for residents in Woodpark. The deadline for comments from our community is March 22, 2022 so please act with us now!
What is the issue?
In anticipation of the LRT extension, a Secondary Plan was prepared for the stretch of Richmond Road between New Orchard Avenue and Clearly Avenue which has now been incorporated in the City of Ottawa’s Official Plan. A key recommendation was that new high-rise development along Richmond Road should not exceed 20 storeys. However, the City of Ottawa has recently received an application for a much bigger development at 1047 Richmond Road, on the north side of Richmond Road, east of New Orchard Avenue. Details on the proposal can be found in the links below. The developer is proposing a mixed-use (residential and commercial) development of three towers ranging from 36 to 40 storeys high. A total of 1,343 residential units are proposed with 762 underground parking spaces, 672 spaces for residential use and 90 spaces for visitors. This means that only half of the units will have assigned parking.
While this very large development contains a number of positive elements, the Woodpark Community Association is concerned that it will exacerbate existing traffic and parking problems, negatively impact the streetscape along Richmond Road, reduce the afternoon and evening light in some parts of the neighbourhood, and will increase pressure on school facilities and the limited recreational facilities and green spaces in the area.
Because this development is greater than that which was included in Ottawa’s Official Plan, the applicant has applied for amendments to the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaws. As part of the amendment process, the City is seeking our views on the proposed development.
The link to the Cleary New Orchard Secondary Plan is provided here for your reference. https://ottawa.ca/en/planning-development-and-construction/official-plan-and-master-plans/official-plan/volume-2b-site-specific-policies/cleary-and-new-orchard-area. A similar plan is currently being developed for Lincoln Fields.
What can Woodpark Residents do?
Learn more about the project by reviewing the material at:
Provide comments on the proposed development by March 22 to the City Planner Laurel.McCreight@ottawa.ca, Bay Ward Councillor Theresa Kavanagh at Theresa.Kavanagh@ottawa.ca and the Woodpark Community Association at Woodpark.Ottawa@gmail.com . Points to consider in preparing your comments are listed below.
Attend the March 23, 2022 virtual public meeting hosted by Bay Ward Councillor Theresa Kavanagh. To register please use the following link https://www.baywardbulletin.ca/public-meeting-on-1047-richmond/
Help the Woodpark Community Association prepare its presentation to the City of Ottawa’s Planning subcommittee on May 13, 2022. If you are interested in helping prepare for this presentation, please send an email to woodpark.ottawa@gmail.com.
Points to consider including in your comments to the City of Ottawa on the project.
The Secondary Plan for Cleary-New Orchard recommended that the high-rise towers not exceed 20 storeys in height along Richmond Road. The proposed development at 1047 Richmond Road proposes towers ranging from 36 to 40 storeys high, bringing a much bigger development to the area with many more people than envisioned in the secondary plan.
The Clearly New Orchard Secondary Plan notes that “Cleary and New Orchard are neighbourhood stations located in established neighbourhoods. They are not key transfer stations. Therefore, the type and scale of development, while needing to be dense, urban and compact, will not be a profile comparable to what may be found at key transfer stations or Mixed-use Centres along the rapid transit lines”. The Proposal for 1047 Richmond Road is not consistent with the vision of the Secondary Plan.
Approval of the 1047 Richmond Road development may set a precedent for the approval of future development of this scale in the same area. It is anticipated that there will be further mixed use development to east of the site at the Tim Horton’s, Tops Carwash and the Honda dealership sites. This would bring even more people to the area putting additional pressure on the local infrastructure and would be inconsistent with the vision of Cleary New Orchard Secondary Plan.
There are already very limited recreational facilities in the area. The Dovercourt Recreation Centre is over capacity. The YMCA at Carlingwood has closed. Woodpark’s only park, New Orchard Park is very small. How will our modest public amenities support the residents of this new development and all the other new and existing residents in the area?
The Transportation Impact Assessment, prepared for the proponent by the consulting firm Parsons (see links to proposal), concludes that the proposed development at 1047 Richmond Road can proceed from a transportation perspective. It bases this conclusion on the assumption that there will be a 30% decrease in traffic volume on Richmond Road due to the LRT and active transportation initiatives. It factors in traffic impacts from the proposed developments at 100 New Orchard Ave and 1071 Ambleside Drive but not additional developments east of the site where the Tim Horton’s, the Tops carwash and the Honda dealership are currently located. Woodpark residents would like to know what the City’s perspectives are on the conclusions of the Transportation Impact Assessment and whether the impact on traffic from the development at 1047 Richmond Road and other anticipated developments will really be negligible?
What planning has been done to ensure that there are sufficient schools, day cares, medical facilities etc in the neighbourhood to support such a significant increase in population?
What is the value of developing a new Secondary Plan for Lincoln Fields if the recommendations of the Cleary New Orchard Study are not respected?
We encourage Woodpark residents to provide their comments to the City Planner about the proposed development. If you have already provided comments, we thank you for taking the time to do so.
Woodpark Community Association
