Cycling

Queensview Drive and QTN: Plans for the Future

Change will be coming to Queensview Drive in the next few years. That can be good for QTN or it could create problems. The QTN planning committee is engaged in ongoing discussions to help ensure that the concerns and views of residents are considered. We welcome questions, suggestions, and active participation by all residents in a planning process that will affect all of us in the future. Below are a few of the current issues for attention.

Minor Corridor/Complete Street: The draft new Official Plan for Ottawa designates Queensview Drive as a minor corridor with increased density in mixed commercial/residential uses. What is the impact for QTN? That is one focus of the work being done by the planning committee. A more friendly street with easy-to-access-services is one goal.

Transit Hub and Inclusionary Zoning: The area around the new Queensview LRT Station will be designated a transit hub and the City plans to use new provincial policies for inclusionary zoning to encourage affordable housing. We are raising questions about how these new policies will be implemented to prevent negative impacts and provide some benefits for QTN.

Connectivity to the LRT Station and Services on Queensview: Many QTN residents put a high priority on being able to walk or bike to the new LRT station. Community-oriented services on Queensview Drive could be a benefit, if designed well. It will take persistence by QTN to ensure there are easily accessible, safe, friendly pathways to use.

At the same time, we are addressing concerns about new street connections that could increase traffic through QTN and concerns about on-street parking. At present the City has said there are no plans to open Queensview Drive onto Connaught Street. Parking issues may need to be addressed as they arise. Ensuring community voices are heard is our focus.

Noise: We continue to advocate for measures that will reduce the unacceptably high noise levels along the south side of QTN. The way redevelopment proceeds could be either an improvement or add to the problems.

Relocation of Bus Depot: There are no immediate plans. Relocation will likely happen within the 25 year timeframe of the new Official Plan. It is good to start talking about it now so that community priorities and concerns are considered early – before it is too late to have influence.

Official Plan and Queensview/Pinecrest Station Secondary Plan: The new Official Plan for Ottawa will set major directions. Residents can make suggestions until February 17. The plan will head to City Council for approval this fall.

More detailed plans for this area will be adopted in a Secondary Plan. The Secondary Plan will also include more specific directions for the future development of QTN. Watch for more details and a public meeting this Spring.

To stay up to date, check out some of these resources:

Queensview Drive and QTN: Good Neighbors?

Change is coming on Queensview Drive. It is both an opportunity and concern for residents of Queensway Terrace North (QTN). The QTN Planning Committee is taking early action to influence City plans for this area, instead of waiting to react to proposals by outside developers. City plans for Queensview Drive will become public in the draft Official Plan later this month.

In advance of the Official Plan, QTN is asking the City to consider how Queensview Drive could better serve area residents and be connected by pathways, in an integrated plan. This could make it easy to walk or bike there for necessities, recreation, or coffee with a friend. As outlined in a Discussion Paper, titled “Queensview Drive and QTN: Good Neighbors,” this requires attention early in the planning process. While density and the height of towers will get a lot of attention, QTN wants a stronger focus on the design of the whole street to be a place residents will want to go, rather than a wall of high towers on the edge of our neighborhood.

This direction reflects the responses of a majority of residents in an informal summer survey.

A majority of respondents want to see a mix of commercial and residential uses, with a focus on services for area residents, according to the findings in our survey.

Better connections and noise mitigation are other factors that QTN wants included in the early plan. A better connection to the Queensview LRT Station has been a high priority for QTN since the earliest discussion on the LRT. It needs to be in place when the station opens, not five years later, to ensure that QTN residents have good access to the LRT.

QTN is also asking that community services, such as a recreation center, be developed at the same time as affordable housing to foster community connections. QTN, says the discussion paper, could be an “oasis” neighborhood between Lincoln Fields on the north and Queensview Drive on the south, building on its green spaces and friendly streets. That requires a change in the planning process, to center the community in the plans and work with all the stakeholders, including businesses and residents, to find mutual benefits.

Looking to the future, QTN is also asking the City to consider moving the bus barns from the current location on Queensview Drive and using that space for affordable housing and associated services (see section 5 in our paper). This would reduce noise levels on the south side of QTN and allow more affordable housing than the current in-fill strategy, which is having negative impacts on QTN .

This is a working paper to foster discussion. QTN invites feed-back, suggestions, and discussion with your neighbors. We will continue to work toward a plan that works for the future well-being of QTN as well as for the new LRT stations on our boundaries.

Kathy Vandergrift, Planning Committee

 

You’re Invited: Community Workshops on Neighbourhood Walkability

As a community, walkability and pedestrian-friendly streets frequently come up as high priorities for the future of QTN. What does a 15 minute neighbourhood look like for QTN? Here’s an example of where you can walk today from the Alpine Ave tennis courts (source: walkscore.com):

Walking map of QTN

We encourage you to participate in a series of community workshops on neighbourhood walkability being hosted by Walkable Ottawa. To register for a workshop please visit Walkable Ottawa’s website. Here is some additional information on these sessions:

·  Sept 9, 7:00-8:30PM. Residential Focus: Neighbourhoods which are predominantly residential. They may have some public amenities, but little or no commercial. For example, Barrhaven West/Old Barrhaven, Alta Vista, Crystal Beach, or Manor Park.

·  Sept 10, 7:00-8:30PM. Mixed Urban: Somewhat walkable neighbourhoods with a mix of residential and commercial, near and around walkable shopping streets. For example, Sandy Hill, Glebe Annex, or Chinatown.

·  Sept 11, 7:00-8:30PM.  Mixed Residential: Neighbourhoods in which residents use their cars every day, with available rapid transit, which are located farther away from the city centre. For example, Overbrook, Britannia, or Hiawatha Park.

·  Sept. 12, 7:00-8:30PM. Approaching Walkable: Neighbourhoods which are similar to Mixed Residential in terms of car use, but with walkable shopping streets. For example, Westboro, The Glebe, or Beechwood.

“What should we expect?”
Each evening will open with introductions, followed by a brief Q&A and an informational video on the many aspects of walkability. We will then move into smaller groups through breakout rooms divided by participants’ main interests, and close with a large group discussion.

“Walkability survey?”
A week ahead of the consultation, you will be invited to complete an online survey on walkability in your neighbourhood. This will allow us to include your direct input in our consultation, and provide some context in advance of the community workshops. If you find it too long, do not feel pressured to complete all of it: simply the parts that matter most to you.

“Where is the information going?”
All the information we gather will be compiled into a report, which will be made publicly available on our website. These ideas will then be worked through with a diverse group of stakeholders, and presented to the City to supplement the work the Planning Department is doing on walkability.