Month: December 2009

streetscaping

Yucca Yuk

Westsideaction

This picture is taken along the city parking structure on Laurier Avenue. Along the south-facing side is a pleasant-but-thin garden. The perennials have been cut back flush to the earth. Notice the hole in the centre. There was a matching hole at the other end of the garden. These were homes to spectacular Yucca plants. Looking straight out of the Arizona & New Mexico deserts, these exotic looking perennials are hardy in Ottawa and send out tall bloom spires. Alas, the mature plants are gone — victims of city maintenance crews or theft? I collected some seeds off this plant in … Continue reading Yucca Yuk

cycling in Ottawa, NCC

More Cycling Advice

Westsideaction

I attended a small group meeting of cycling advocates with Inge Molenaar, cycling honcho from Den Hague, the bureaucratic capital of The Netherlands, who was brought to Ottawa by the NCC to share cycle planning lessons. The instructing was made more pleasant by the Embassy treating attendees to hospitality afterwords. Some observations: The Hague will have 6 to 9000 indoor bike parking spaces in their new central rail station. I wonder if there will be any safe or secure bike parking facilities at Ottawa’s new LRT stations, or will there be a bent-paperclip rack stuck on the lawn? I also … Continue reading More Cycling Advice

condos, infill, intensificatioin

Lisgar street condo coming

Westsideaction

Canus Plastics,  on Lisgar, half block east of Bank Street, is slated to become another condo tower as residential infill and intensification continues in the downtown. The building is by Starwood Mastercraft, who are also building condos on Parkdale and 125 Champagne (the latter being the Acquerelo site) near Carling OTrain station. Click on the map to enlarge for readability, or go to their site http://www.sohovipclub.com/. Continue reading Lisgar street condo coming

little Italy, parks, Plouffe Park, Preston street

Sk8ers UnStoned on grass …

Westsideaction

Plouffe Park can be found behind the Plant Recreation Complex. Part of it runs along Preston street. Part of it used to run along Somerset street too, but the City found it convenient to convert the kiddie playground into a parking lot so motorists don’t have far to walk so far to the Complex to get their exercise …. Along the Preston side, pedestrians parambulating the Little Italy wide landscaped sidewalks are presented with numerous opportunities to rest their derrieres on benches. There are also several planter sections that double as benches along the sidewalk. Naturally, skateboarders will sometime discover these concrete edges … Continue reading Sk8ers UnStoned on grass …

bikewest, cycling in Ottawa, NCC

The Den Hague experience

Westsideaction

The NCC invited Inge Molenaar, chief cyclist of the Den Hague city bureaucracy, to tell the NCC what it should do to make the National Capital Region cycling friendly. As part of that visit, she gave a public presentation Monday night. A few of her points stood out to me: — ebikes will extend the comfortable cycling range from 8km now to 16km. The Hague will continue to let ebikes mix with pedal bikes on bike paths. Mopeds, on the other hand, being faster, are kept on the roads. — they have a practical policy guideline for where segregated bike paths … Continue reading The Den Hague experience

little Italy, Preston street

Writ Big

Westsideaction

Signs appeared recently on the Queensway overpass over Preston Street. On both sides — facing north, facing south — have appeared these large channel letter signs. While not lit up when I saw them, they look like they could be lit up. Real estate speculators and condo buyers will have no problem knowing when they are in trendy (according to Ken Gray at the Ottawa Citizen)  Little Italy. Continue reading Writ Big

Chinatown, cycling in Ottawa, Plouffe Park, Preston street, somerset street, streetscaping

West Siders can get involved to get the city they want …

Westsideaction

The first meeting of the Bayview-Carling CDP group will be this week…while intended primarily for those who were in the prior process to reacquaint themselves and review the previously identified issues and recommendations, I would think anyone else keen to get involved should contact randolph.wang@ottawa.ca .  The study area is from Bayview along the Otrain track to Carling, and includes the undeveloped/underdeveloped/industrial lands along the route. The initial Public Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday, December 10th, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., at Room 4102E/4103E, City Hall. The rooms are located on the fourth floor at City Hall. A public advisory group … Continue reading West Siders can get involved to get the city they want …

condos, hintonburg, housing policy, infill, intensificatioin

Small Houses

Westsideaction

The renovated house in the top picture is on Armstrong Ave in Hintonburg. I love tiny houses, there is something so doll-house-like, so intimate, so cute about them. Maybe it’s the little-child in me wanting to curl up in a cupboard. Hidden behind the renovator’s trailer to the right of the blue and white house there is a foundation in the ground for another thin house infill. I hope the vacant lot, now for sale, gets some more tiny infill houses rather than a McMansion. I would love to see more tiny houses built in the city. I feel there … Continue reading Small Houses

Bayview, Bayview-Carling CDP, bike path, little Italy

Bayview-Carling CDP Re-Activated !

Westsideaction

Along the OTrain corridor is this hidden gem. After a long struggle by residents and the neighborhood associations (the Dalhousie Community Association and the Hintonburg Community Association), and with much behind-the-scenes pushing by the concerned Councillors Holmes and Leadman, the Bayview-Carling Community Design Plan has been reactivated by the city. The focus of the plan is Bayview Station to Carling Avenue, along the OTrain track, which is currently the subject of a development frenzy by condo and office developers who feel the time is right for the rebirth of this former industrial zone. No doubt some of the “time is … Continue reading Bayview-Carling CDP Re-Activated !

Bayview, cycling in Ottawa, hintonburg, streetscaping, Trees

Potted Tree Planting

Westsideaction

Tom Brown arena got new front entry paving and landscaping courtesy of the water main installation along Bayview Road. The old front entry had a large concrete planter with low walls. Trees in it rooted right into the underlying soil. A sign on it indicated Tom Brown’s ghost or a concerned neighbor maintained the planting bed. The new entry treatment has lots and lots of trees. I love this aggressive tree planting. One tree philosophy, I’m told, is to plant too many trees in the expectation that some will die. Rather than come back and replace them (which is expensive), they just … Continue reading Potted Tree Planting

DOTT, downtown, LRT

Dubai, LRT lessons

Westsideaction

Last week there was a interesting public presentation at City Hall on planning and development in Dubai. Presenter was Gordon Stratford of HoK architects and planners, a mulitnational consultancy. In August 05 Dubai called tenders for a LRT system, and then opened the first 40km segment with 22 stations in Sept 09. The system is expected to grow to 70km with 43 stations, although the 2012 opening date may be delayed given the statlet’s decline into near insolvency  recent debt restructuring moves. I recall that at the June LRT technology forum held at City Hall, the winner equipment provider was … Continue reading Dubai, LRT lessons