Open Letter to Councillor Kavanagh

The Woodpark Community Association will be meeting with Councillor Kavanagh on September 18th to discuss some of the pressing issues in Woodpark. Below is a copy of the letter that we have sent to her in advance of the meeting. If there are additional issues that you think should be raised with the Councillor, please let us know by sending an email to woodpark@woodpark.ca.

Sue Milburn-Hopwood, President, Woodpark Community Association

Jody Proctor, Vice President, Woodpark Community Association

August 19, 2025

Dear Councillor Kavanagh,

We hope this letter finds you well and that you have managed to take some time for yourself to enjoy summer. We would like to start by thanking you for your hard work in championing issues of importance to Woodpark residents. The measures put in place to prevent increased traffic on the streets connected to Bryon have worked well and there has been relatively minimal disruption in the neighbourhood due to the work on Richmond Road. We are pleased to see the traffic calming measures in place on Ancaster Avenue and Compton Avenue and look forward to the installation of the speed sign on Ancaster. We look forward to receiving more information about the timing and location of the sidewalks on Woodland.

We also want to thank you for your offer to meet with the Woodpark Community Association

(WCA) on September 18, 2025. We thought it might be helpful to provide some details in

advance on what we would like to discuss to help you prepare for the meeting. We are also

hoping that you will be able to bring along your new planning advisor so that we can develop a

working relationship with that person and they can get to know our concerns.

1. Parking in Woodpark

Many Woodpark residents are becoming increasingly concerned about parking and the ability

for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists to navigate safely on our narrow streets. We are already

seeing 6 unit buildings being built on standard lots and with the impending passage of the new zoning bylaws that may increase the number of allowable units to 10 with no minimum parking requirements, the situation will only get worse. Higher intensification along Carling, Woodroffe and parts of Edgeworth, Compton and Anthony will also add to this problem. When the LRT is operational we expect that commuters from other neighbourhoods will want to park on our streets and take the LRT to get downtown creating further congestion on our streets.

The WCA would like to partner with the city to proactively develop solutions to current and

anticipated parking problems, building on the experience in other parts of the city such as

Tunney’s Pasture or the neighbourhoods surrounding the Carling Campus of the Ottawa

Hospital. For our part, the WCA has already given this issue significant consideration. We would like to begin a focused education process for residents on the current parking restrictions and parking management options and their effectiveness so that residents have the information required to make informed decisions. We will then proceed with a survey of residents to determine community concerns and priorities for further restrictions.

We would like to request that the City assign a dedicated parking expert to our community to

help us develop a comprehensive strategy and provide a speaker at an upcoming community

meeting so residents can engage directly and get the answers they need. Keeping residents

informed early and providing meaningful opportunities for input will be critical to ensuring

community buy-in and long-term support. It will also help the City better understand the unique challenges and priorities of our neighbourhood, leading to more informed and responsive decision-making going forward.

2. Community Green Spaces

You will recall that last November 5th , when the Planning and Housing Committee approved the Lincoln Fields Secondary Plan they directed staff to work with the National Capital Commission (NCC) to “explore opportunities for active or passive recreation space on the NCC’s greenspace that is accessible to the Woodpark community after the completion of the western expansion of the O-Train, located approximately north of the future development area east of Lincoln Fields Station and west of Edgeworth Avenue.”.

With the LRT work in Woodpark nearing completion, we think discussions need to start now on what this recreation space will look like. You will recall that the Lincoln Fields Secondary Plan acknowledged the significant lack of park space in Woodpark and the need will only increase with the intensification that will be permitted under the Lincoln Fields Secondary Plan and the proposed new Zoning Bylaws. To that end, we’d like to know whether city staff have had an opportunity to engage with the NCC on this issue. If not, we’re keen to understand what the plan is for initiating those discussions and we are ready to assist in any way that would help advance progress in this area.

Finally on this topic, residents would like to be engaged in the planning for the Lawn Avenue

parkette and eventually the Byron Linear Park. We would like to know how we can be involved

and when.

3. Community Infrastructure and Development

The recent surge in development has prompted concerns from both residents and developers

about whether the essential infrastructure—particularly water and sewer systems—is equipped

to handle the level of intensification planned for our neighbourhood. The WCA is seeking clarity

on the City’s strategy in areas like ours, i.e. older neighbourhoods where new transit stations are driving rapid growth. Specifically, we’d appreciate insight into the following:

• Does the City conduct local infrastructure capacity analyses before approving new building projects? Are the results of these assessments publicly available?

  
  

• Does the City have a reserve capacity analysis for Woodpark or plans to undertake one

  in the near future? If not, we would like to request that such a study be undertaken.

Finally, on the topic of infrastructure and development, we understand that Rio Can is changing

its business strategy and is getting out of the residential market (see article in Globe and Mail

Aug 16, 2025). Does the City have further information on what Rio Can’s intentions are for its

holdings within the area of the Lincoln Fields Secondary Plan?

We recognize this is a substantial list of issues, and we hope that sharing them in advance

proves helpful as you prepare for our September 18th meeting. The WCA values your ongoing

support for our community priorities, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration on

these important matters.

Sincerely,

Sue Millburn-Hopwood, President, Woodpark Community Association

Jody Proctor, Vice President, Woodpark Community Association