Of the questions received by the CPCG board, most are related to the six store retail plaza on Merivale Rd just behind the ever popular Tim Hortons. Here is a brief update about it and other ongoing development issues in Central Park.
Retail Plaza
After work this fall, the exterior of the building is mostly complete with doors and windows added as well as the exterior brick-work.
The building had to be made waterproof so that it would not deteriorate over the winter. If this had not been done the City of Ottawa would likely have required the building to be torn down and re-built.
There are no tenants identified for the building, so it is likely to remain empty for now.
DOC Lands
Ashcroft Homes has applied for a zoning amendment for the land off Clyde Avenue commonly known as the “DOC lands”.
The land is proposed to have several private streets that will be narrower than standard streets and with shorter front yards. The smaller streets are needed to fit 150 units into the area. With this change, the overall Central Park density remains an issue, as this is only the latest in a long string of density increases.
The Central Park Traffic Impact Study (March 1999) is a basis for density numbers. It proposes 3 possible land uses:
- 1655 residential units and 115,000 square feet of retail/commercial
- 1735 residential units and up to 45,000 sq. ft. of retail and 60,000 sq. ft. of office space
- 1655 residential units and 200,000 sq. ft. of office space
An increase in density beyond these number means that the traffic study and the issue of a third access at Clyde/Maitland need to be revisited.
This zoning amendment is proposed to go to the (new) City of Ottawa Planning Committee on January 9, 2001. The CPCG has provided comments about the zoning amendment to the City including issues of parking and emergency access.
Retirement Complex
There have been various preliminary plans drawn up for a retirement complex at 110 Central Park Drive (inside the loop, adjacent to the main park). The zoning allows for high-density residential use and up to 10 story tall buildings. A retirement home is considered residential.
No site plan application has been submitted to the City. When one is, there can then be comments by the community. Nothing can be done until then.
Drop by and visit the Central Park web site at http://www.central-park.ottawa.on.ca for more information.