Jack Hanna
Launching a new heritage district
The Centretown Community Association is working with city officials to create a new Heritage Conservation District (HCD) in the area between Kent and Bronson.
The big challenge for the CCA is to recommend where exactly the boundary of the new HCD should be drawn.
A series of leisurely Saturday afternoon walking tours will explore the streets of this area and discuss whether particular city blocks should be included in the HCD or not. The walks will happen each Saturday at 2 p.m., beginning September 9.
More information: jack.2014@icloud.com
Learn about the new heritage district for Centretown
The drive to obtain a new Heritage Conservation District (HCD) between Kent and Bronson will commence with an information session hosted by city heritage staff the evening of Thursday, September 7.
The session will explore how to determine where exactly the HCD boundary should be drawn. Which city blocks should be included? Which excluded?
For information or the Zoom link, email: jack.2014@icloud.com
Elgin Street Market on Sundays
The Elgin Street Market is back Sundays until October.
The CCA-sponsored market, in Boushey Square at Elgin and Waverley, is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
There are vegetables, both organic and not; gourmet mushrooms; herbs; artisanal breads; and apple pies. There will be craft beers and ciders, coffee beans, and take-away Italian and Lebanese foods. Artisans will offer candles, soaps and lotions.
Free yoga Sundays in Jack Purcell Park
In conjunction with the Elgin Street Market, Cattleya Yoga Studio is leading free yoga sessions Sundays from 10 to 11 a.m. in Jack Purcell Park, until September 3.
Fall Festival
The annual Fall Festival returns to Dundonald Park on Saturday, September 23.
It will be a kid-friendly event. Expect children ’s crafts, a read-aloud, a magician, and free popcorn.
Grown-ups can watch live music and dance performances. There will be an abundance of information booths on such diverse topics as pollinators, nature photography, trees in Centretown, and native flowers and plants.
The event is sponsored by the CCA and the Centretown Community Health Centre.
Let’s share bicycles
The city is studying the possibility of a bike-share program. In a presentation to city councillors, the CCA’s Transportation Committee said that is a great idea.
A bike-share program should be publicly funded and inexpensive or free, just like public transit or roads, the CCA said.
It also needs to be integrated with public transit. There must be bike-hire stations at all LRT stations and transit hubs, with payment via Presto card.
A publicly funded bike-share program would recoup costs because it reduces road maintenance. It also increases equality, serving those who cannot afford a car. And it is great for the environment.
Do not close the QED for two years
Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation plans a two-year closure of the roadways on both sides of the Rideau Canal, in order to replace the Highway 417 bridges across the canal. The closures could commence as early as 2026. (See the story in the June BUZZ.)
The new Queensway bridges would be constructed on Queen Elizabeth Driveway and Colonel By Drive, and that’s why those roads must be closed for such a long period, the ministry says.
However, the CCA’s Transportation Committee argues a slight shifting of the construction site would result in shorter closures.
As well, the CCA says in a letter to the province that bike and pedestrian pathways along the canal need to be kept open throughout construction.
Shorten skyscrapers at former bus depot
The CCA opposes the trio of skyscrapers proposed for the site of the former bus station on Catherine Street at Kent.
Developer Brigil proposes skyscrapers reaching to 26, 36, and 40 storeys. The CCA argues the towers are too obtrusive in the low-rise neighbourhood and would cast big shadows over surrounding streets.
In formal comments to the city, the community association says that the skyscrapers should respect the city’s official plan and the zoning, which restricts heights on Catherine to 25 storeys.