Pinecrest Station

New Official Plan will change QTN

The draft New Official Plan (OP) for the City of Ottawa will have major impacts for the future of QTN. It is not bedtime reading. It is not easy to understand the impacts of the high-level, big ideas about population growth that make headlines. For those who love QTN, however, now is the time to be part of shaping our future.

Below are a few key issues that are being discussed by the QTN Planning Committee and links to further reading for anyone interested in learning more. Everyone can provide input directly to the City and to your planning committee. The deadline for public feedback on the draft OP is February 17, 2021 – the City’s website provides more information on how to provide feedback.

We are raising concerns, doing research, and working to promote what residents have named as the most valued features of living in QTN:

1. From suburban to urban

 QTN is included in the Inner Urban Transect. Under this plan QTN would change from a suburban to a more inner-city-like area over the next 25 years. How the change will be managed is not yet clear. Impacts include:

  • Increased density, which means more people living in the same area
  • More two-to three story low rise housing forms, small yards
  • Services within walking/biking distance – what is called a 15 Minute Neighborhood
  • Greater flexibility for proponents of in-fill and redevelopment projects

Questions include:

  • Does QTN fit well in the Inner Urban Transect?
  • Are the measures to protect the desired features of QTN strong enough?
  • How will “regeneration” be implemented in QTN?
  • Will the tree canopy and “green” character of QTN be maintained?
  • Will services be improved at the same time as density increases?

2. Queensview Drive and Lincoln Fields as Transit Hubs

Queensview Drive will change to a mixed use commercial/residential area under the draft OP, with higher density development in the transit hub close to the station. It will be designated as a Minor Corridor. What that could mean for QTN is the focus of planning committee discussion.

  • How can we ensure that there are benefits for QTN, improve connections to the LRT station and services, and prevent any negative impacts?

There will be a secondary plan for the area around the Queensview/Pinecrest Station. That plan will include the QTN neighborhood. More details and a public meeting will come in the Spring. Our focus right now is to ensure the OP does not constrain what we can do through the secondary plan and is strong on policies that promote what people value about QTN.

For more information, see:

Lincoln Fields is already changing and will undergo more change as a Transit Hub. A secondary plan for the Lincoln Fields Area is moving forward again, after several delays. More than a year ago QTN called for more careful attention to this area in an article published in the Ottawa Citizen which is an issue that has been reported on more than once.

There will be more details and another public meeting in the Spring. You can learn more about the Lincoln Fields Secondary Plan here. The QTN planning committee named some priority issues in a letter to City planners (PDF), and we are working with other neighborhoods around Lincoln Fields mall to strengthen the focus on community concerns in the planning process.

Send us your feedback

The QTN Planning Committee welcomes your questions, suggestions, or feedback on the issues that will affect our future. You can direct your questions or comments to the planning committee by emailing qtncommunity@gmail.com.

More Changes Coming to QTN: Update on Berms, Paths, and New Development

Planning Committee Report

Thank you for taking time to provide thoughtful suggestions and concerns on proposed plans for QTN, such as the proposed berms in Connaught Park, the paths that will connect us to future LRT stations, and the Lincoln Fields and Queensview surveys. Your feedback helps to get more serious attention to present issues and future plans for our community.

Connaught Park Berms: Revised Design & Update

Work on the berm plans continues. Feedback from residents showed that more residents supported having berms to mitigate the visual and noise impacts of the LRT than the original plan which had almost no mitigation measures except tree re-planting. A drainage study was completed and the plans for the berms were revised to address some concerns.

On June 24, a revision of the berm proposal was presented to several QTNca board members. Click here to view the revised berm presentation (slide 8) and a  high-resolution PDF of the concept. Please note that the proposed modifications are subject to change. They were made to address many resident concerns:

  • Drainage concerns;
  • Visual impacts of the LRT (e.g., fly-over, tunnel);
  • Noise impacts of the LRT (e.g., berm size, location, greenery);
  • Preservation of natural environment and replanting of trees/vegetation;
  • Quality of pathways (e.g., ease-of-access to LRT stations, local travel for groceries or school, safety issues, winter maintenance); and,
  • Active uses such as dog-walking, winter sledding, and other casual recreation uses.

This week we learned that the City is taking over leadership of the berm project. Instead of final plans coming soon from KEV, as expected, the process is delayed again. The impacts of the City taking over the project are uncertain. We will continue to advocate for strong measures to mitigate visual and sound impacts, ensure usable paths, and maintain trees and green space.

We will share final plans and updates on the process to keep everyone informed.

Multi-Use Pathways (MUPs)

Residents who copied us on their feedback were clear – the Queensview station connections to QTN are insufficient and changes are needed to make crossing Carling Avenue more safe. Many of the proposed improvements, such as connecting Queensview station to Severn Ave, are not funded. While they would improve access to the LRT, they may not be built as part of the Stage 2 LRT project, unless other funding is found.

We continue to insist on improved access to LRT as essential, along with improved pathways that allow residents to bike and walk to get services or for recreation. All residents can help to reinforce the importance of making these improvements now, without delay.

Queensview Drive – Impacts of the Official Plan

The City has changed its approach to planning for Queensview Drive. Plans for its future as a hub close to a LRT station will now be included in the new Official Plan which covers the whole city. We will not have the promised community consultation through the station study before major decisions are made that will impact QTN. The secondary plan, including QTN, will now address details later, after the Official Plan is adopted.

Expected changes include:

  • Mixed commercial/residential uses (currently employment area zoning)
  • High, medium, and low-rise buildings (specifics will be in draft plan)
  • Transit-oriented development (e.g., less parking, more pedestrian walkways)

The QTN planning committee has highlighted:

  • Community-oriented services, accessible by foot or bike
  • Well-designed transition between commercial areas and neighbourhood, including trees.
  • Noise reduction on south side of the neighbourhood
  • Issues relating to the one exit from Queensview Drive onto busy Pinecrest Avenue.

We hope to learn more about the options being considered by City Planning in late-Summer in order to host some form of discussion for residents prior to the tabling of the draft Official Plan this Fall.

Lincoln Fields & Carling Ave Redevelopment

Similar to Queensview Drive, plans for the Lincoln Fields Station/Carling Avenue area, as an LRT hub, will be included in the new Official Plan. The secondary plan, which will now deal with additional details, has been delayed until after the Official Plan. Expected changes include mixed commercial/residential uses and higher densities. For example, the proposed apartments on Richmond Road/Forest St/Bond St anticipate future development on the north side of QTN.

We have been told that further community discussions will occur this Fall. Earlier newsletters and a QTN submission on Lincoln Fields mall address impacts for QTN that we continue to raise. We are pushing for more community input early in the process. Watch for fall updates.

Sidewalks – Update on Connaught Ave, Henley St

QTN residents had early input into planning a pedestrian sidewalk or walkway on Connaught Avenue, during our annual Winter Carnival. City planners will re-engage the community with their final plans/options in the Fall. Construction is expected to begin in 2021.

We have learned that plans for a sidewalk/pedestrian path on the north side of Henley from Connaught to Alpine are being developed, as part of the sewer renewal project on Henley. We have flagged the significant drainage issues from Elmhurst Park onto Henley St which causes localized flooding year-round. We expect more specific plans and discussions this Fall.

Questions and Suggestions

We continue to advocate for action on the issues identified by QTN residents. We welcome your questions and suggestions and hope to host community discussion in early Fall – likely on-line due to COVID-19. We will continue to update you on each of the projects in QTN.

Sincerely,

Kathy Vandergrift, Chair of Planning Committee & Vice-President, QTNca
Simon Partridge, President, QTNca

We want your input: Lincoln Fields, Queensview, Local Paths and the Future of QTN

Queensview Drive and Lincoln Fields Surveys

Big changes for future development on Queensview Drive and Lincoln Fields/Carling will be included in Ottawa’s new Official Plan, expected this fall. What happens on the south and north boundaries of QTN will have major impacts for residents living here. Higher density and mixed commercial/residential development are expected as these areas become hubs close to LRT stations.

Earlier we were told there would be stakeholder discussion and community input as part of secondary plan processes for both locations. Those are now delayed until after the major decisions are made in the Official Plan. That makes it more challenging to develop a common community position and have our voices heard, since the Official Plan will set directions for development in the whole city.

The QTN planning committee is raising several concerns related to each area for consideration in the planning process. Good connections, for example, and preserving green spaces are high priorities, along with reducing high noise levels near Queensview Drive and safer crossings of Carling Avenue.

We also encourage all residents to imagine what the future could be and discuss it with your neighbours and friends in the area. Would you like to see more shops and services on Queensview Drive, reachable on foot or by bike, without the traffic of Carling Avenue? Should affordable housing be a high priority? Could QTN become a 15-minute neighborhood? That refers to living in a place where you can access services, transit, etc. within a 15-minute walk. How do we prepare for the impacts of climate change?

For now, you can register your views through two surveys:

  1. Lincoln Fields & Queensview Drive Surveys: Britannia Village Community Association is sponsoring a survey about redevelopment of Lincoln Fields for all the neighborhoods around it. Please consider taking a few moments to participate. We will get and report the results of the survey as part of further discussion.

Click here to access the Lincoln Fields Survey (includes Queensview Drive survey)

  1. Queensview Drive Survey: QTNca is sponsoring a survey about the future of Queensview Drive. Questions specific to Queensview Drive can be answered using the survey link below or as part of the Britannia Village survey above:

Click here to access the Queensview Drive survey

If you would like to send a separate message or engage in further discussion, please send an e-mail to qtncommunity@gmail.com. QTNca’s planning committee will consider your views in their work and you will receive a response from the Chair of that Committee, Kathy Vandergrift.

As we learn more about what will be in the draft Official Plan, we will keep you informed and find a way to hold some discussion and engage with our City Councillor or make formal submissions to City Council.

REMINDER – Provide feedback on our local paths (July 10)

July 10 is the deadline to speak up about the pathways that you will use to get to the new LRT stations. We strongly recommend you review and comment on the proposed plans (click to view). We need strong community support to push for a better connection between QTN and Queensview Station and safe crossings to Lincoln Fields. For more information on this please see our earlier message on paths.

Kathy Vandergrift, Chair of Planning Committee, Vice-Chair of Board