The community’s fight against the University of Ottawa parking lot proposed for the green space at 160 Lees Ave. has yielded positive results.
The city and the university continue to consider their options.
“Staff continue to request that the parking lot space be as small as possible,” said Joel Thirsk, a spokesman for Mayor Jim Watson.
At a pre-Christmas public meeting, Old Ottawa East residents and others voiced strong opposition to the proposed elimination of the huge green space between the Lees Avenue apartments and Springhurst Park.
The meeting on Dec. 19 at Old Town Hall, saw a packed room of residents and representatives of various sports groups pepper city officials with questions about the proposed Light Rail Transit (LRT) construction staging area and large parking lot that would cover most of the green space between Lees Avenue and the Rideau River.
Image right: Proposed cutlines for parking lot design: The 360-spot parking lot proposed for 160 LeesAve. would cover about half of the green space. Graphic: City of Ottawa
The city responded with a revised proposal that would eliminate the staging area on the site but would still see the creation of a temporary parking lot covering about half the green space. While the revised proposal was seen as a positive step, residents argued there had been inadequate consultation and poor justification for the massive parking lot with little consideration of alternatives.
At the Jan. 8 meeting of the Old Ottawa East Community Association (OOECA), Matt Eason of the city’s LRT office provided a further revision of the parking-lot plan. He said the latest version would use less of the green space and ensure a full playing field for community sports. It would leave more room between Springhurst Park and the parking lot.
The proposed 360-stall lot is the city’s solution to compensate the University of Ottawa for the use of two of the university’s small parking lots as staging areas during LRT construction. One lot with 120 spots is on the north side of Lees Avenue adjacent to the transitway station. The other lot with 110 spots is on the main campus.
No Clear Answers
At the December meeting residents repeatedly asked why there would be so many more proposed parking spots than currently exist (360 vs 230). They said the university’s existing parking lot beside the Lees station was underutilized. They added it was unlikely current users of the downtown campus parking lot required for LRT construction would want to park almost two kilometres away on Lees Avenue.
Residents also argued it was time to encourage university students and staff to switch to transit, rather than provide more parking spots. The university, which boasts of its sustainable development initiatives, has not revealed any study to show a need for 360 spots.
The Springhurst green space has become a key recreational area for the 3,000 residents of the Lees apartment buildings and for the Archville neighbourhood. Four sports associations have permits to run their games in the green space.
“Springhurst Park is a very important asset to our organization due to its location and accessibility,” Christiane Marceau, executive director of the Ottawa Carleton Ultimate Association wrote to Nancy Schepers, deputy city manager. “In a time when active adults and children are such a focus, as well as the importance of healthy living, OCUA hopes that the removal of Springhurst Park is reconsidered to ensure that access to sport and recreation remains available for residents in this neighbourhood and throughout the City of Ottawa.”
Minutes from the public meeting as well as a copy of the alternate proposal and other documents are posted on the OOECA website at http://www.ottawaeast.ca
