Planning
The mandate of the Planning Committee is to respond proactively to planning and zoning issues affecting the Lowertown community and to coordinate the community’s position on development proposals and planning studies or related initiatives that may affect the community.
The LCA , through its Planning Committee continued its efforts to revitalize the ByWard Market through its participation in the city-led Public Realm Study regarding the more effective use of public spaces in the Market area.
The Planning Committee also participated in the City-led initiative to update the Site plan Control Application process that is intended to add efficiencies to the planning and development process.
It reviewed, provided comments on or monitored a number of development applications such as the proposed high-rise hotel and residential structure at 201 – 213 Rideau Street, the now approved development at 541 – 545 Rideau Street, the 11 unit apartment building at 33 Heney Street, 3 new homes on a site at 101 Wurtemburg Street, the proposed addition to the Chateau Laurier Hotel and the re-application by Trinity Developments for high and mid-rise residential and commercial structures at Rideau and Chapel Street.
Members of the committee attended confidential consultations with City staff and the Councillor on new private sector-led planning proposals prior to the announcement of a formal initiative.
It also scheduled presentations and discussions at monthly meetings on development proposals and issues, such as the conversion of a former office building at Rideau and King Edward into a new student residence, and the continuing initiative by the City to review changes to its residential fourth density (R4).
The Planning Committee meets the first Tuesday of every month except in July and August. It welcomes the participation of residents who wish to contribute to the well-being of the community.
Heritage & Culture
The LCA’s Heritage and Culture Committee has been through a year of transition. A new chair, Andrew Waldron, was nominated to continue the hard work that the previous co-chairs, Liz Mackenzie and Nancy Miller-Chenier, had led. The City recognized the committee’s leadership at its spring heritage awards.
First business was to develop a list of heritage priorities from a long list of challenges. At monthly meetings various pressing concerns were raised. By the end of the year, priorities were selected as goals that could be achievable. These included: engagement with the community and improved communication with City heritage staff, more public art in the public realm of the community, addressing a backlog of heritage designations and the development of a Lowertown heritage foundation.– Progress on these priorities has been a challenge, but small steps will lead to success. In the fall, two productive meetings were arranged with the City’s heritage staff and senior manager. Recommendations from the meetings have resulted in a dedicated staff member liaising with the committee, an increased heritage grant and a 3-year action plan that includes addressing priorities of the committee.
Other ongoing or completed actions this year include: a submission for designation of the historic Porter Island Bridge, organizing a plaque unveiling for the Lowertown West HCD, drafting of walking tour pamphlets, mounting unique signage for the HCD, addressing the backlog of outstanding designations, focusing attention on neglected properties and revising the HCD plans. The LCA asked the City to update and approve the two HCDs in Lowertown West. Not all priorities will be completed in this year.
The greatest challenge of the committee is participation and engagement by citizens. We are hopeful that in 2019-2020, there will be stronger support and greater accomplishments for protecting and sustaining our shared heritage and history.
Safety & Security
In the fall of last year, the summer students hired by the LCA Safety and Security presented to the community their report on crime in Lowertown. The presentation resulted in interviews from the media. It provided a baseline on which we could build upon. It also raised the issue among residents and city officials.
The LCA Safety and Security Committee worked with the Community Police officer Constable Sebastien Lemay on understanding the reporting of crimes in Lowertown and the need for the community to ensure all crimes are reported. We requested a presentation by the Police Reporting Service to the Community.
During the fall and winter, we worked to write a proposal for funding to provide awareness workshops to combat sexual violence in Lowertown. Due to timing and lack of volunteers we were unable to commit to this program and did not proceed with the request for funding.
Again, this year the LCA Safety and Security committee has requested funding for the Canada Summer Job Program and we are currently interviewing Criminology Students to take into account the 2018 full year statistics and to build on our current understanding of the causes of crime in the Lowertown. At the completion of the work the results will be presented to residents in the fall.
Housing & Homelessness
As the housing market is poised to become an election issue this fall and Ottawa reaches midway through our local 10-Year Housing Plan it’s clear that there’s plenty of work to be done. In December 2018, CBC reported that while 819 long-time shelter residents have been housed since 2015, chronic homelessness has increased by 21 percent across Ottawa. While emergency shelters remain at capacity, overall demand has also risen by 15 percent. The number of homeless families in particular continues to climb in the nations’ capital.
Since January 2018 in Lowertown:
• An online private petition compared emergency shelters to terminal cancer
• A supportive housing provider removed an identifying marquee due to negative reaction from neighbours
• Signage comparing the Shepherds of Good Hope to a zoo were posted along Murray Street
In an effort to unpack the layered political challenges of addressing homelessness, the LCA organized a panel discussion for our January 2019 meeting that included policy advisors and frontline workers. Demystifying the complexities was one goal – another was to affirm the human impact. An audiorecording of the informative discussion is available on the LCA website. The following month, in anticipation of the latest City budget, the LCA joined ACORN and other advocates to demand funding and public land allocations for affordable housing initiatives – via a written petition and public rally at City Hall.
Stigmatization is powerful and often subtle. Attitudes enable behavior, so I urge residents to unpack their economic and social anxieties pertaining to homelessness. We must value human rights in the pursuit of housing for all. Individually and as a community we can challenge stigma – through courage, critical thinking, and meaningful conversation.
Environment
At the time of writing, Ottawa remains in a state of emergency due to flooding. We are experiencing the effects of climate change now. We continued to advocate for action on climate change at the City. We also pressed for improved active transportation, protecting our trees and water, and enhancing our parks. Many participated in park cleanups, at McDonald Gardens, Cathcart, Bingham and gardening. We pushed for clearing sidewalks and improving pedestrian infrastructure. We co-chaired the Community Association Forum on Environmental Sustainability (CAFES) and worked together with community associations, Ecology Ottawa, Greenspace Alliance and others.
Together we:
1. Co-hosted a candidates’ forum on climate change before the municipal election.
2. Presented at Environment Committee in June 2018 on the lack of progress and delays of the Energy Evolution.
3. Prepared and participated in 4 CAFES meetings, discussed environmental priorities and strategies, urging each association to communicate their priorities to their Councillor for the Term of Council Priorities and the Budget.
4. Established LCA environmental priorities for the Term of Council and sent them to Councillor Fleury and urged inclusion of climate change and funding in Budget 2019.
5. Presented at Environment Committee in February 2019 urging a climate emergency be declared in Ottawa and funding for Energy Evolution in Budget 2019 as well as implementation of the much-delayed Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP).
6. Presented at the Environment Committee in March 2019 and secured funds for greenhouse gas emissions tracking and reporting, and annual reporting. A temporary staff position was created for the implementation of the UFMP and a freeze was enacted on low-income transit fares.
7. Sent a letter to Councillor Fleury and participated in a demonstration at City Hall calling for a climate emergency to be declared in Ottawa. On April 24 the motion was adopted by Council.
Active Transportation
Over the past 12 months the Lowertown Community Association’s Transportation Committee (LCA-TC) has been busy lobbying for improved snow-clearing of sidewalks in winter, better management of street parking on residential streets, and more effective measures to slow traffic down on the main arterial road in our community, King Edward Avenue (KEA). And we have had some success in each of these areas.
In particular, we are happy to highlight the headway that the LCA-TC has made into the issue of traffic calming on KEA. With leadership from Councillor Fleury and his staff, City councillors adopted a motion on March 1, 2019 calling for permanent traffic calming measures to be implemented on this Avenue. The LCA-TC met with the lead manager on this project on May 7, 2019 to learn of their proposals and provide input.
The two options discussed at this meeting were to either widen the median on KEA or to expand the “sidewalk” portion. The LCA-TC suggested that a permanent divider be installed to separate the right lane from the other two lanes traveling northbound over the bridge north of St. Patrick. City staff welcomed the suggestion and will study it in greater detail. Permanent traffic calming measures are necessary to reduce the speeding of freight trucks which cause excessive noise pollution as they speed up and send vibrations through the homes along this avenue. They are also needed to make crossing KEA safer for all community members.
We hope to have City staff present on the revised design options at the monthly LCA meeting in September 2019.