Ed McKenna
Plant Pool Recreation Association (PPRA)
The PPRA annual general meeting took place at Plant Recreation Centre (PRC) on November 30. Our new Somerset Ward councillor, Ariel Troster, was guest speaker.
The councillor spoke to some of the current issues for the development of recreation and greenspace in Dalhousie. She’s aware we don’t have enough! The PRC is at capacity. Current park space per capita in Dalhousie is just 25 percent of the city’s target.
AGM participants discussed greenspace planned for the Gladstone Village development. Meetings with the city, led by the neighbourhood P4X group, will resume in the spring of 2023.
Immediate concerns include the condition of the soccer pitches at Plouffe Park. They are located on a city-built “flood basin” – the park is situated at the lowest point in the City of Ottawa! The well-used pitches are often closed for rehabilitation, which frustrates the scheduling of PPRA’s soccer programs. And the location of this flood basin may be a hindrance for any southerly expansion of the PRC.
Councillor Troster said she has met with the city engineering department to learn about this flood basin and will follow up on the installation of sports turf.
And then there is Bill 23, which received Royal Assent November 28. AGM participants discussed concerns that the new act may limit community access to public funds acquired from development-related charges and used for the improvement of greenspace in Dalhousie.
The PPRA added four new volunteer members to the board to help with program operations and advocacy. For more information: plantpool.org, or email plantpoolrecreationassociation@gmail.com
The Loss of Mature Trees
We can’t say we weren’t warned. Five years ago the city told us they were going to clear-cut Albert. But it’s still a shock to see the 28 stumps of mature trees along the north side of the street between Commissioner and Brickhill.
The DCA Planning Our Neighbourhood committee regularly points to the loss of mature trees as a troubling outcome of new development. A hundred trees will take the place of those destroyed during its construction, the planners of Ādisōke tell us.
But can a tree flourish when planted atop the concrete roof of an underground parking garage? Or amongst the infrastructure for city services that line our roadways? Too often, the newly planted trees simply don’t make it.
Our ward has a mere 22 percent of tree canopy. The target for the city is 40 percent!
245-267 Rochester
The loss of mature trees was a concern raised by the DCA in its comments on a proposal to build a nine-storey residential building at the corner of Balsam and Rochester. There are 10 mature trees on the site. Seven will be destroyed. The developer, 3N Group Holdings Inc., plans to plant three in their place.
New development at this location is to be welcomed, but following a meeting of our planning committee, DCA can’t support the application. It “constitutes an overdevelopment of the site.”
To construct a nine-storey building on Balsam, which will tower over the newly built townhouses across the street, several changes to the zoning bylaw must be approved.
If permitted, the development will introduce a new mid-rise building in an established low-rise residential area, and will serve as a precedent for future proposals to overbuild in Dalhousie.
The DCA has asked that a public meeting be organized by the city to discuss the proposal with the developer.
The Booth Street Corridor
The DCA’s mobility committee met November 29 to discuss two major development applications for LeBreton Flats: the towers proposed for 665 Albert at Booth, and the deletion of the Preston extension from the Official Plan.
The DCA supports both proposals, but the mobility committee has written to the city to underline its concerns about the impact of these developments on LeBreton Flats on traffic in the neighbourhood, particularly on Booth, south of Albert.
Because of construction at the Chaudière Crossing, southbound traffic on Booth now is prohibited from crossing Albert into the local residential area.
Residents have noted (with relief) that traffic on Booth has lessened.
At the same time, the left turn from the Parkway to Booth is now permitted, removing a major irritant for the residents who live north of Albert.
It’s a win-win for traffic management in Dalhousie, but the changes are temporary.
The DCA has called on the city to make both measures permanent, even when the Chaudière Crossing is restored to regular vehicular traffic.
Get involved
The DCA will not hold a regular meeting in December, but we’re gathering again on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. Join us!
Check out our website: ottawadalhousie.ca, or contact president@ottawadalhousie.ca