City Council Meeting Highlights

Mayor O’Brien delivers State of the City Address

Mayor Larry O’Brien delivered his State of the City Address and reflected on the new and exciting opportunities for Ottawa. He reviewed the ingredients that will make Ottawa a model creative class city in the 21st Century as well as the long-term investments that Council has made and those that will be made this term.

“First, we approved the increase in funding for the Conference Centre to a grand total of $40M dollars to make that project a reality. After pressing the reset button on transit in 2007 we prepared and developed a new transit plan based on LRT and a tunnel to ensure a faster more reliable transit for our Citizens from the east to the west ends of our City,” said Mayor O’Brien. “Last November we started an exciting and formal course of action that will see Lansdowne Park restored to its former or, dare I say, even grander glory. We have also invested in our aging infrastructure at a record rate, including authorizing the spending required to address the troublesome and long-standing problem of pollution in the Ottawa River.”

For the Mayor’s complete State of the City Address, please visit: ottawa.ca <http://www.ottawa.ca/city_hall/mayor_council/mayor/speeches/state_city_2010_en.html>.

City Council approves next step in light rail implementation

City Council today approved the recommendation of its Transit Committee, approving the Recommended Plan for the Downtown Ottawa Transit Tunnel (DOTT) Planning and Environmental Assessment Study, by a vote of 19-4.

Approval of the Recommended Plan represents the next major step toward the transformation of public transit in Ottawa by constructing a light rail transit (LRT) link between Tunney’s Pasture and Blair Road, with trains passing below downtown through twin 3.2-kilometre tunnels.

City Council’s decision to accept the Recommended Plan means the functional design for the LRT corridor and the Maintenance and Storage Facility are now approved, and directs staff to start work in several key areas:
· Initiate the formal, expedited environmental assessment (EA) process using the functional design to define the undertaking and file the Environmental Project Report with the Ministry of the Environment;
· Following Ministerial approval of the EA, and provided that project funding is approved as part of the 2010 budget, initiate the process of acquiring property for the project;
· Initiate the preliminary engineering and the procurement management process; and,
· Undertake an urban design study and a transportation study for the downtown that takes into account pedestrian, cycling facilities, and residual transit service for post-DOTT implementation.

The LRT system will cut the number of buses traveling through the city’s downtown core in half, while the number of buses running along Rideau and Wellington streets will be reduced from 2,600 per day to 600 per day. With a virtually emissions-free LRT system in operation and fewer buses and other vehicles on the road, the city will be able to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 10 million litres a year, and cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 27 million kilograms a year. Combined with a redesigned bus system, LRT is expected to reduce transit-related operating costs by up to $100 million annually starting in 2019 - providing citizens a significant return on investment.

With the launch of the expedited EA process for public transit projects, provincial approval for the LRT project could be granted as early as May 2010.

Council approves the environmental assessment for the Hunt Club Community Pathway
Connection

City Council approved the environmental assessment for the construction of a pedestrian and cyclist bridge over the Airport Parkway that will connect the Hunt Club community at Cahill Drive West to the South Keys Transitway station.

The bridge is a key part of the Hunt Club Community Pathway Connection, and will cost an estimated $5 million to construct. The connection also uses a portion of an existing multi-use pathway around the southern end of the Sawmill Creek Constructed Wetland (SCCW) and the existing underpass for the future North-South Light Rail Transit line adjacent to the South Keys Transitway station.

The new connection will assist residents of the Hunt Club community located to the west of the Airport Parkway and to the north of Hunt Club Road to gain safe and convenient access to a number of nearby facilities, including rapid transit service at the South Keys Transitway station, pathways surrounding the SCCW, employment and shopping facilities and the neighbouring residential areas located along Bank Street. In addition, this pathway will provide new and safe access to the multi-use pathways around the SCCW to residents in communities to the east (Bank Street) and south (Hunt Club Road) of the South Keys station.

Council updates plan for Riverside South

Council approved an updated community design plan (CDP) today for Riverside South, which will provide residents with enhanced access to transit and expand the amount of green space in this growing area of the city.

A transit hub, located in Riverside South’s core area, will play an important role in connecting the community to the City’s rapid-transit network. The CDP focuses high-density residential areas with a mix of office, retail and commercial space in this key transit node. The Main Street Transit Station will be the major terminal for both light rail transit and bus service. In addition, the CDP core area includes plans for Park & Ride areas, one on either side of Limebank Road accommodating a total of 1,175 vehicles.

The land designated as an employment area has been increased in size and density in proximity to transit stations to increase public transit usage.

The distance of residential and employment development from the Mosquito Creek valley has been increased providing residents with a larger green corridor. As well, the CDP continues to include plans for 24 parks and provides more than 280 hectares of green space throughout the community. An additional 5.5 hectares has also been set aside for a future Riverside South recreation complex, to be located within a district park.

Riverside South, which is located south of the Ottawa Airport and east of the Rideau River, is expected to grow to include more than 20,000 homes and reach a projected population of 54,500.

Council supports transit-friendly neighbourhood

Ottawa Councillors today again showed their support for the notion of building transit-friendly communities. Council okayed a zoning change at 3211 Greenbank Road. That decision paved the way for Minto to proceed with plans to build high density, low rise residential buildings. The people who eventually move in will be well served by the Southwest Transitway extension. Construction on that $53 million project is now underway.