Downtown Ottawa wants ‘visionary, transformative’ motion, report says

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Downtown Ottawa is experiencing “a number of crises without delay,” within the type of housing and homelessness, psychological well being, drug consumption and an financial downturn, and is in want of “visionary and transformative motion.”

That’s in accordance with a report by the Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Process Pressure, a bunch of native politicians, businesspeople and strategists. Entitled Revitalizing Downtown Ottawa — A Name to Motion For Our Metropolis, it outlines the struggles the nation’s capital is dealing with following the COVID-19 pandemic, with a lot of town’s workforce not commuting each day into the core.

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The report “calls upon the federal, provincial, and municipal governments in addition to the non-public sector, civil society and particular person residents to work collectively and reinvent our collective relationship to downtown.”

Ottawa’s downtown was constructed round a “commuter, car-centric method,” Somerset Ward Coun. Ariel Troster stated Friday. A member of the taskforce, Troster stated town wanted “sturdy partnerships” with the federal authorities for main revitalization initiatives, together with changing empty workplace buildings into housing, amongst others.

Downtown neighbourhoods in main cities throughout Canada and america are adapting to altering work habits, with hybrid work sparing many public- and private-sector employees from each day commutes.

“We have to rethink the character of downtown,” Troster stated, engaging folks to reside and work downtown “as a result of they wish to, not as a result of they’re pressured to.”

Troster stated the federal authorities has a “explicit accountability” to downtown Ottawa as a result of “the choices the feds made throughout and after the pandemic have had an influence.”

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The report units lofty objectives for the capital’s downtown, envisioning a neighbourhood of “simply accessible providers and out there inexpensive housing that can appeal to new residents and employees.

“We foresee new residents, each households and younger professionals alike, shaping a brand new culturally numerous and inclusive downtown, whereas taking part and strengthening the native economic system,” it reads. “A spot the place metropolis applications enhance the sense of well-being and security for everybody. We will think about Ottawa as a frontrunner in key development industries, the place communities and companies can incubate and develop.”

Downtown Ottawa must also be a mannequin of local weather change adaptability, profit from cutting-edge vitality applied sciences and deal with pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, with “year-round common accessibility,” the report provides.

To get there, the taskforce recommends “fast-tracking processes that encourage actions of transformation.”

The report envisions a “downtown of the long run” with elevated residential developments to entice households to reside within the core, in addition to an emphasis on greenspace and energetic transportation and “around the clock leisure” with eating places, theaters, live performance halls and arenas.

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Final fall, the federal authorities introduced 1,600 housing items can be constructed on its “surplus properties” in Ottawa in mild of town’s burgeoning housing disaster as a part of an general plan to construct almost 3,000 items on government-owned property throughout Canada.

“Public buildings and workplaces have formed the historical past of our nation,” Minister of Public Providers and Procurement of Canada Jean-Yves Duclos stated in November. “They’ve communicated the legitimacy and stability of Canada’s establishments to its folks. Now, in response to unprecedented housing wants all through the nation, many of those buildings may be remodeled into secure, accessible and inexpensive properties.”

In spring 2023, the federal authorities stated it could be offloading 10 properties within the nationwide capital area as a “regular a part of the life cycle of government-owned buildings.”

That listing included L’Esplanade Laurier, presently dwelling to a number of authorities departments. The duty pressure report recognized the three-building complicated as considered one of three key “transformative initiatives” to revitalize the downtown space.

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A “prime candidate” for downtown revitalization, the towers could possibly be transformed to low-cost and household housing, together with townhomes, cafes and outlets, a brand new municipal park and extra greenspace, the report stated.

The Jackson Constructing at 122 Financial institution St., one other federal property recognized for offloading, could possibly be transformed to a housing co-op with “income producing features” like retail area, the report stated. Moreover, the Ottawa Public Library at Metcalfe and Laurier is about to be vacated throughout the subsequent 5 years and will then be remodeled right into a “​​area for high quality creative and cultural occasions that draw folks,” it added.

Troster says it’ll take extra to show the tides for downtown Ottawa, although.

“If the feds wish to be a part of visionary partnership, to create a extremely fantastic areas for folks steps from parliament, we don’t simply want disposal of federal land and constructing, we additionally want a partnership to have the ability to develop them,” she stated.

Sueling Ching, president and CEO of the Ottawa Board of Commerce, stated an motion plan following the report can be launched throughout the first few months of 2024.

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The board of commerce, an financial improvement and enterprise advocacy group, recognized Ottawa’s downtown as its prime precedence for 2023 and known as on each stage of presidency and native companies to do the identical.

Earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic, about 25 per cent of Ottawa’s inhabitants labored downtown. and 50 per cent of these employees have been within the public sector, Ching stated. Now there’s a possibility to “remodel the downtown core into one thing extra numerous, extra vibrant than earlier than.”

However, like Troster, Ching says funding from increased ranges of presidency is required for transit initiatives, changing workplace area into housing, addictions and psychological well being help and extra.

“It’s so critically vital to the financial development and neighborhood prosperity of our entire area,” Ching stated, “and, in fact, because the nation’s capital, for the entire nation.”

With recordsdata from Catherine Morrison

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