April 16, 2010 - Glebe Report

CITIZENS INITIATIVES
Hands off our park
In early March, many Glebe families first learned that the principles and
terms of reference for the Lansdowne Park urban design competition were calling
for proposals that would include the recreational, multi-use park located
on a parcel of land east of O’Connor St. and just south of Fifth Avenue. In the
true spirit of citizens’ initiatives, several concerned individuals stepped forward
to organize a response at the grassroots level to the many questions and
concerns articulated by residents in the area. As their numbers have grown,
their campaign to raise awareness about the community park has made use
of traditional means of communication such as flyers, posters, informal and
formal meetings with neighbours, as well as e-mail and social media which
have allowed them to post pictures of the park in use and announce upcoming
events to a wider audience. On April 15, the public meeting at the Glebe Community
Centre included dialogue about their concerns.
by Adrian Evans
The city chose to include Sylvia Holden Community Park in the Lansdowne
Park design process. This has raised concerns for the following reasons:
1. Poor consultation
The city passed a motion indicating that the community park was excluded
from the Lansdowne re-development. We now find out that it is included and
there has been no consultation with residents. It is incumbent upon the city to
sit down with residents to explain.
2. Unknown layout
As part of the Lansdowne Park redesign, the elements of the community
park may be moved to integrate them into a larger urban park. Does this mean
that parking garages or staging areas will be located along Holmwood Avenue
and O’Connor Street?
3. Universal access
The community park is to be integrated into the urban park. Parts of the
urban park will be closed for large events. Will the wading pool and playing
fields be closed whenever there’s a concert, football game or festival (e.g., during
Bluesfest)?
4. Governance
The re-developed Lansdowne Park site may be managed by a municipal services
corporation (MSC). Apparently, the community park will be operated by
the city. How is this possible? What prevents the MSC from controlling access
or imposing fees?
5. Incorrect inventory (no dog park!!)
The RFP for the Lansdowne Park design competition indicates that, “Sylvia
Holden Park includes two baseball diamonds, a basketball court, a splash pad,
a play structure, outdoor rinks, an informal sports field and a small wadding
[sic] pool and a park support building.” The dog park, two sets of swings and
all of the trees are omitted. There is no splash pad nor outdoor rinks. Would the
new park only have a splash pad?
6. Will the new Lansdowne Park be safe for children?
The re-developed Lansdowne site is going to include a large shopping mall
and will host large sporting events, concerts and festivals with huge crowds.
Will the community park attached to it be a safe place for children?
7. The community park is part of our neighbourhood
The existing community park is a central part of our neighbourhood. It has
come to be associated with the park established in honour of Sylvia Holden
and it includes commemorative trees and many mature trees. How do we preserve
this history?
8. Can the city deliver?
The outcome of the design competition will be an ambitious park project.
Does the city have the budget to deliver this project? Or will we only see
the commercial aspects (e.g., shopping mall, hotel) built? The City of Ottawa
has a track record of promising ambitious re-development and not following
through (e.g., Orleans town centre, Lebreton Flats, Westboro Loblaws).
Many aspects of the Lansdowne site can be improved; however, the community
park works well as it is. Please write to council and the program manager,
Development Review, John Smit (John.Smit@ottawa.ca) to share your
concerns. Consult our blog (http://savesylviaholdenpark.blogspot.com/) or
email save.sylvia.holden.park@gmail.com to get more information.
Photo: Julie Riemersma
Glebe Report April 16, 2010 11
City manager’s update on
Lansdowne Park greenspace
As you can see from other articles in this issue, a growing number of questions
have arisen about the impact that re-designing Lansdowne Park may have
on the boundaries, safe access to and future use of the community park east
of O’Connor and south of Fifth Avenue in the Glebe. Answers provided to
concerned citizens have often been contradictory and confusing, making it difficult
to have a productive dialogue about the essential issues. In that context,
the following clarification of the city’s terms of reference, which differentiate
between Sylvia Holden Park and the multi-use recreational community park,
comes as an invitation to take a breath and a welcome pause in the conversation.
Delivered to council by Kent Kirkpatrick, this update does provide a
more coherent summary of the information on record at the city and can be
quite useful in trying to identify the parcel of land in question and to appreciate
the importance of its past and current use. Editor
Excerpt from March 31, 2010 Memo to Council: Update on Lansdowne
Redevelopment “Sylvia Holden Park – Request for Information and
Clarification”
Further to Councillor Peter Hume’s
letter dated March 15, 2010, sent to
you in his capacity as a member of
the Lansdowne Strategic Design
Review and Advisory Panel, certain
members of the community and the
media have approached the City with
questions regarding the future of Sylvia
Holden Park in the context of the
Lansdowne revitalization. By way of
this memo, I would like to provide
you with information that will be
made public shortly in response to a
number of inquiries received to date
by staff.
Sylvia Holden Park is often referred
to as the greenspace which includes
the corner of Holmwood Avenue and
Bank Street, the grass corridor that
runs along Holmwood and the park
adjacent to the Ottawa Fire station
and the Queen Elizabeth Driveway.
In fact Sylvia Holden Park (0.46 hectares)
is limited to the greenspace at
the corner of Holmwood and Bank
that runs along Holmwood to the west
side of the Horticulture Building.
As a result of further investigation
on the history of the parks in and
around Lansdowne, I would like to
clarify that we have confirmed that
the park adjacent to the Ottawa Fire
Station and the Queen Elizabeth
Driveway (which includes baseball
diamonds, wading pool, basketball
court, play structure, day care, service
building etc.) is undedicated
parkland, referred to as Lansdowne
Community Park (2.56 hectares) and
is not part of what is commonly referred
to as Sylvia Holden Park.
The Parks, Recreation and Cultural
Services department programs
the wading pool and the two baseball
diamonds at Lansdowne Community
Park. It is fully intended that the
Lansdowne Community Park remain
a City asset and continue to be fully
accessible to the community whether
the revitalization of Lansdowne Park
proceeds or not. The Lansdowne
Community Park is and will remain
directly under the control of the City
of Ottawa and programmed by the
Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services
department.
It is important to note that Lansdowne
Community Park has been
included for consideration in the
master plan development through
the Urban Park Design Competition.
This was done at the request of the
Lansdowne Strategic Design Review
and Advisory Panel in accordance
with the “Guiding Principles for
the Lansdowne Transformation”. In
order to safeguard this area within
the Urban Park Design Competition,
specific provisions were included in
the Request for Proposals (RFP), to
ensure that the existing park amenities
are retained and to emphasize
the local and community importance
of this park. It states, in part, the following:
“The facilities in the existing park
are important to the local community.
Design solutions may propose
to redesign the existing community
park; however, must also ensure
that the park amenities are not lost.
Therefore if redesigned, the primary
community facilities must be integrated
into the new urban park and
must remain fully community accessible
at all times…If any of the current
facilities are relocated to a new area,
the new facilities must be in place
before the existing ones are decommissioned.”
According to the Schedule of
Events in the RFP, the deadline for
urban park design submissions is
May 11, 2010. Immediately thereafter,
between May 12 and 28, 2010,
the submissions will be on public display
in keeping with the design competition
process. The Technical Panel
and Jury for the urban park design
competition will review the submitted
designs in early June.
Ultimately, City Council will consider
the matter on June 23, 2010
when it will be asked to endorse the
selected design proposal and approve
the conditions upon which
the City would negotiate a business
arrangement with the selected firm
for the refurbished urban park. Any
changes to the existing programming
for this site, including Lansdowne
Community Park, Sylvia Holden
Park and for Lansdowne Park itself
will be the decision of Council.
These important assets will remain
City-owned.