Civic not like other neighbourhoods
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The Civic Hospital Neigbourhodd Association met with Kitchissippi Ward Councillor Katherine Hobbs on January 26, 2011. A summary of issues discussed follows:
Overview
¨ Neighbourhood encompasses about 2000 homes and apartment units;
¨ Borders are Carling Ave to the South, Island Park Drive to the West, Hwy #417 to the North and Railway Street to the East;
¨ Area borders on two major hospitals includes 3 parks – Fairmont, Reid and Tremblay;
¨ Some professional & commercial buildings in the area but limited retail space; and very limited community infrastructure;
A brief history of the Civic Hospital Neighbourhood
¨ After construction of the Civic Hospital in early 20th Century, Community developed west and south of railway lines and Preston/Mechanicsville neighbourhoods through 1930’s and 40’s.
¨ Unique borders – Experimental Farm, Queensway - created an urban “bedroom” community;
¨ Prominence of Civic Hospital traditionally primary link within community
¨ More recently, while CHNA informally represented area east of Bayswater Avenue, decision made to include and represent this part of community as part of CHNA
Role of the Civic Campus
¨ The Ottawa Civic Hospital opened in 1924 on land purchased from the Reid family of Reid Park (farmhouse at Sherwood & Reid)
¨ In 1998, the Civic, General, Riverside and Grace hospitals were merged as TOH – Grace was closed, Riverside became an out-patient center
¨ Visits per year, the Civic does about 70,000 emergency, 300,000 outpatient (clinics, diagnostics etc) and 20,000 inpatient admissions
¨ U of O Heart Institute (UOHI) is also located on Civic campus as Canada’s largest cardiovascular care center treating 80,000 patients year
¨ With more than 100,000 visits/year, most arrive by vehicle via Parkdale Ave even though eastbound 417 visits could use Carling exit for faster access
¨ OUHI is seeking $185 million expansion to be developed on the Civic Hospital campus site including a new parking ramp
¨ Ruskin Ave lot is owned by the City with agreement to be used by TOH for 30 years as a surface lot for patients and visitors (see Reference Addendum)
¨ TOH expansion discussed in 2008 has been narrowed to one location – CEF land – and although years away will completely alter the CHN area
CHNA Traffic Committee Priorities
¨ Meeting of Traffic Committee held on Nov. 30, 2010 of all area residents who signed up at the CHNA AGM in October
¨ General discussion of traffic and parking issues of concern to area residents, affecting peace/beauty of the neighbourhood
¨ Using a focused prioritization exercise, our top objectives are:
¤ Traffic Calming and Diversion Measures to encourage use of Carling Avenue and to lessen impact of through traffic on residential streets.
¤ 40km speed limit throughout neighbourhood (requested in 2009)
¤ Updated and independent traffic study for the area
Challenge starts with the North/South Bottleneck
¨ Lack of N/S transportation corridor creates bottleneck at Parkdale and 417
Parkdale Ramps & Corridor
¨ Homes were built in the corridor along with the Civic but most were post-1940s and in 1966 Hwy 417 was completed on old the CN railway
¨ Four ramps were located at Parkdale - 2 eastbound, 2 westbound - making it the service corridor for 417, Tunney’s, Wellington West, Civic Hospital, Heart Institute, CEF, and southbound traffic to Fisher, Merivale, Prince of Wales
¨ It will absorb the major additional traffic accessing 417 from new developments at Champagne via Sherwood Drive and Carling Ave
¨ Parkdale is an extremely narrow and completely residential street – only two lanes wide with limited parking and restricted to home based business
¨ Residential streets in the corridor were never designed for this intensity which creates choke points and a bottleneck that is unsafe, unusable, unsustainable
Impact of new development
New buildings and additional traffic and residents
¨ 855 Carling (Arnon) - Two office towers. One 15 storeys. One 12 storeys. 800 parking spaces.
¨ 100 Champagne (Domicile) One residential 12 storey apartment building with 94 units. One three storey townhouse dwelling with 6 townhouses. 109 parking spaces. Two car sharing spaces (Vrtucar) and six visitor spaces.
¨ 125 Hickory (Mastercraft Starwood) - Town houses and two condominium towers. An estimated 342 residential units. 263 parking spaces
¨ 330 Loretta (Domicile) - One tower is built and one is under construction. Shared garage with 160 parking spaces (The new tower will result in about 80 more vehicles on our streets)
¨ RESULT: 1260 additional vehicles in our neighbourhood* and an estimated 1000 additional people **
*This number is based on the parking spaces
** This estimate assumes an average of two people per unit at 125 Hickory, 100 Champagne and the second Domicile condo which is currently being built at 330 Loretta
Community and CHNA concerns
35 storey condo on Preston –This project (which has not gone to the planning committee yet) and already approved developments will put enormous pressure on existing infrastructure.
855 Carling –Arnon may request an increase in the height of buildings at 855 Carling..
Humane Society site Development on this site is almost certain. Site is next to Ev Tremblay Park. At edge of a low rise residential area.
Hickory between Champagne and Loretta – Further development on this strip of land is likely. Land right next to low rise residential area.
125 Hickory - Site plan approval removed from staff for 125 Hickory because of community concerns. Update on status.
LRT
Parkdale Avenue Corridor Plan
