Jack Hanna
Woods in the hoods
The CCA is launching a Neighbourwoods initiative. Volunteers will survey trees near where they live, creating a baseline description of the tree canopy in Centretown. They’ll also identify gaps where new trees might be planted. The goal is to preserve the city’s established trees and focus efforts to get new plantings.
Love trees? Contact: dpearson.ottawa@gmail.com
Free transit
The CCA has backed an initiative, Free Transit Ottawa, to eliminate transit fares for low-income people. Specifically, transit should be free for recipients of the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Ontario Works (OW). The CCA wants the city to stop asking “those with the least to incur the biggest burden” for transit.
Act on affordable housing
The CCA is forming a new working group to advocate for affordable housing. The group kicked off with a workshop late last month featuring MPP Joel Harden and Councillor Catherine McKenney as speakers. The next event will feature experts with track records in actually getting affordable housing built.
The group intends to look at all sorts of mechanisms for getting new affordable housing. These could include non-profit providers or coops, requirements imposed on developers such as community benefit agreements or inclusionary zoning and community or housing bonds for “impact” investors.
To get involved, contact Mary, Brenda, or Daniela at: affordable-housing-champions@centretowncitizens.ca
406 and 408 Bank Street
The CCA has objected to some elements of the design of a new six-storey residential and retail building proposed for Bank and Florence Streets.
The CCA wants to mitigate the “cliff wall effect” by having the upper floors of the building recessed 1.5 metres back from the face on both the Bank and Florence faces. As well, the CCA wants the building to follow existing zoning, which requires it be set back on the Florence side three metres from the property line. This will help ensure the survival of two red oak trees on the site. The CCA points out that red oaks are “beautiful, majestic, and not common in Centretown.”
Suggestions for the new OP
In its comments on the proposed new Official Plan (OP), the CCA continues to focus on those elements most pertinent to Centretown.
The CCA’s OP Working Group made a 27-page submission to the city. Now members are readying for the final round of consultations. As part of the revamp of the OP, the Centretown Secondary Plan, which influences development, will be revised and updated. The secondary plan will be a key CCA focus.
Interested? Contact: janetmrenica.opplan2021@gmail.com