ByWard Market plan, Kanata development win approval
A $129-million plan to improve public spaces in the ByWard Market received council's full support Wednesday, with members stressing the importance of improving one of Ottawa's main tourist attractions.
The plan includes better lighting, more trees and “flex” spaces that can be used for different uses, such as café seating or festivals. The plan would dedicate more room for pedestrians and soften the largely asphalt and concrete public areas of the district.
One big hitch: the plan will require grants from other levels of government.
The city will rely on the private sector to redevelop the parkade and retail structure at 70 Clarence St. to create a destination building.
The plan also calls for a redesign of the intersection of Rideau Street, Sussex Drive and Colonel By Drive, but it's not included in the cost estimate.
Orléans Coun. Matthew Luloff questioned spending more money in the area when other public realm projects, such as one on St Joseph Boulevard in his ward, go unfunded. The city just completed a multi-year job to revamp Rideau Street and has rebuilt the George Street plaza in the market.
Gloucester-Southgate Coun. Diane Deans agreed councillors need to advocate for projects in their wards, but she said the ByWard Market requires citywide attention.
“It is a front-facing look at the City of Ottawa,” Deans said.
“If you kill your core, you kill your city.”
In his state of the city address, Mayor Jim Watson announced he'll chair an organizing committee to celebrate the market's 200th anniversary in 2027.
Watson said one of his goals is to have La Machine back in Ottawa for the 2027 event. The French production company wowed crowds during Canada 150th anniversary celebrations in 2017 with its giant mechanical creatures.
KANATA INTENSIFICATION PROJECT RECEIVES APPROVAL
Three councillors voted against a controversial application in south Kanata to build a 12-unit apartment complex to replace a single house.
MG4 Investments Inc.'s two-building, three-storey project at 33 Maple Grove Rd. has been criticized by the community as being too large for a traditionally lowrise neighbourhood. Residents have said the new buildings will appear even taller from the back because of a grade on the property.
The majority of council thought otherwise, passing the rezoning application with ease.
Kanata South Coun. Allan Hubley, Bay Coun. Theresa Kavanagh and Gloucester-South Nepean Coun. Carol Anne Meehan dissented.
COUNCIL CHANGES LANGEVIN AVENUE TO COMMANDA WAY
The city has stripped Langevin from a street name in the Lindenlea community of Rideau-Rockcliffe.
Council renamed the street Commanda Way in honour of William Commanda, the late Algonquin elder and former chief of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg. Commanda's name is also poised to be attached to an interprovincial multi-use pathway when the city transforms the Prince of Wales Bridge.
Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Rawlson King proposed Commanda's name for the street in his ward after a multi-year consultation process with residents.
Council's decision follows the federal government's move in 2017 to change the name of Langevin Block to the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council.
Hector-Louis Langevin was a father of Confederation and a supporter of the residential school system, which removed Indigenous children from their families.
MANDATORY MASK BYLAW EXTENDED, COUNCIL CALLS FOR SALES RESTRICTIONS AT BIG-BOX STORES
Council extended the temporary bylaw requiring people to wear masks in enclosed public spaces to April 29.
However, it shouldn't surprise anyone if the bylaw is extended even further, since the COVID-19 vaccines are projected to continue rolling out through the summer.
Council can revisit the timelines of the bylaw and adjust them as required in response to the pandemic.
The bylaw came into force on July 15.
Council also approved a motion from Kavanagh and Watson directing the mayor to ask that the province allow small businesses to reopen under similar restrictions applied to big-box stores under the stay-at-home order.
If the province doesn't change the rules to help small businesses, council wants big-box and discount stores to restrict in-person sales to grocery and essential items.
Kavanagh said it's unfair that small businesses are hurting under the provincial restrictions while larger stores are profiting. Watson said it's “patently unfair” and he planned to write to the premier by Thursday.