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New Edinburgh News
jUNE 2003
Official Plan – A Beechwood Community
Design Plan is Coming
I encourage everyone to learn as much as possible about the new
Official Plan, dubbed Ottawa 20/20. The proposed Official Plan (O.P.),
which now only requires ministerial approval to become law, is
available at branches of the Ottawa Public Library and on the
City’s web site at
www.ottawa2020.com .
For New Edinburgh, one of the first consequences of the new O.P.
will be a city-sponsored community design plan. The purpose of
such local plans is described in the new O.P. in sections 2.5.6 -
‘A Design Strategy for Ottawa’ and 2.5.7 - ‘Collaborative
Community Building and Community Design Plans’. In those sections,
the City declares its intention to undertake, over time, Community
Design Plans for ‘… mainstreets designated on Schedule B’.
Beechwood is such a “mainstreet”. Community Design Plans ‘will
translate the principles and policies of the Official Plan to the
community scale’. Prior to amalgamation it was difficult, if not
impossible, to develop such a strategic approach for this corridor
as it was a boundary between two municipalities. Not only is this
now possible, it is most timely when one considers the
redevelopment potential of the Canadian Forces Base - Rockcliffe
site and the enormous impact that redevelopment will inevitably
have on this corridor regardless of the use which is finally
decided for CFB Rockcliffe. City staff will use computer programs
allowing three-dimensional visualization of the built-form that
may be possible for this corridor. Staff should be ready to
initiate this process in the fall. New Edinburgh will thus be one
of the very first communities to benefit from these new design
tools.
In the meantime, I encourage you to consult the “Beechwood Avenue
Revitalization Project – November 2002”, available at both the
Rockcliffe and St. Laurent branches of the Ottawa Public Library
and on the web at
www.rideau-rockcliffe.com - your ward web site.
Public Works in the Neighbourhood
Acacia, from Beechwood to Maple, is scheduled for sewer and road
rehabilitation in 2004. Community consultations will, however, be
scheduled this month (June 2003 – most likely in the Lindenlea
Community Centre. There are aspects of the corridor that may
change as a result of the works, e.g. the presence or not of
sidewalks, the geometry of the Rideau Terrace/Acacia intersection
and, possibly, the width of the roadway. These works will mostly
concern those whose property faces Acacia. However, the final
result will affect the larger community because Acacia is an
important roadway as well as a bus route. During some phase of the
works, it is likely that buses may be temporarily rerouted to
other neighbourhood streets.
You are also reminded that works (budget permitting?) involving
sewer, watermain, sidewalks, road narrowing, curbs and gutters may
be conducted, beginning in July, on Queen Victoria Street (between
Stanley and Mackay) and on Avon Lane (between Queen Victoria and
Union). Consultations, which were originally scheduled for May,
will now occur in June.
I am now informed that road repair works on Princess have been
rescheduled for 2004. The reason advanced for the delay is the
more extensive nature of the rehabilitation that, it is now
evident, is required. The roadway effectively must be re-built;
simple resurfacing is not an option.
West Nile Virus
The City has retained the services of a mosquito surveillance and
control firm to address this problem on public property.
Larviciding of the City's storm water sewers will begin in
mid-June with a second application in mid-July. Storm sewers are a
prime breeding area for the mosquitoes that maintain the virus in
the bird population. The firm will also perform ongoing
assessments of a variety of locations throughout the season to
determine whether a location is a mosquito breeding area and what
the best options for control would be in each situation.
Information on how to protect oneself is readily available on the
City's website at
http://ottawa.ca/city_services/yourhealth/environmental/westnile_en.shtml
.
You can communicate with me at (please include a telephone
number):
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa ON K1P 1J1
Tel: 580-2483, Fax: 580-2523
e-mail:
jacques.legendre@ottawa.ca
Web Site:
www.rideau-rockcliffe.com
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