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Bob's Vision
Chiarelli to Reclaim Bayview Yards A Community Green Space
OTTAWA, November 8, 2006 - Today, Mayor Chiarelli released his plan to redevelop Bayview Yards and create a community green space.
The Mayor’s plan would turn the 22-acre site at Bayview into a substantial green space to be used for outdoor recreation, sports, a memorial garden and a possible site for outdoor concerts. “This project will help to provide urban residents with precious park space, right in the downtown core,” said Chiarelli.
Twenty five per cent of the area will be reserved for residential and commercial buildings, including affordable housing. The existing on-site buildings, when possible, will be converted into a community arts and recreation facility.
“This project is win-win for our community - it will lead to the cleanup of a brownfield and turn it into a thriving centre for community recreation and arts activity,” said Bob Chiarelli. “This area has been in need of a facelift for a very long time. We are now in
a position to do something about it.”
Currently, through Ottawa’s Brownfields Redevelopment Community Improvement Plan, development charges are forgiven to encourage builders to develop unused, contaminated sites primarily along the downtown core and land adjacent to rapid transit stations. It is a coordinated approach to encourage the identification, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfield sites in Ottawa, returning them to safe and productive use to benefit our communities and businesses.
Brownfield sites are contaminated properties that are usually, but not exclusively, former industrial or commercial properties that may be underutilized, derelict or vacant. Converting brownfields into usable community space creates employment opportunities, beautifies our city, increases property values and promotes intensification. For every $1 invested in brownfield redevelopment, $3.80 is invested in the economy. Every hectare of brownfield development saves 4.5 hectares of greenfield land from being developed.
“I will ask the province to join us in this redevelopment since Bayview Yards is owned by both the City and the National Capital Commission (NCC),” said Chiarelli.
In contrast, Alex Munter would turn Bayview into a massive transit hub for buses and diesel trains with vast unsightly turning areas and bus parking. The site would also be used as main transfer station for the extended diesel O-Train project proposed by Munter. This would result in a large area being paved and intensify diesel and bus emissions in the area. The Mayor’s proposal opens up Bayview to the Ottawa River waterfront and creates a hub of activity that connects Mechanicsville, Westboro, Lebreton Flats, Somerset Village with the downtown core.
“This project will revitalize the downtown area and provide a beautiful place for people to enjoy,” said Chiarelli. The Mayor will work with the community to promote Bayview Park as a transit-oriented, higher density mixed-use development on the residential and commercial portion of the project, which will also offer affordable housing, in accordance with Ottawa’s Official Plan. The remaining land will be turned into green space, with a possible band shell for concerts and outdoor theatre.
“I am excited to work with the local community to identify the many possible uses for Bayview Park, including a potential outdoor skating rink in winter and a soccer fields,” said Mayor Chiarelli. “There could also be walking paths, a memorial park, where people can sponsor benches and trees, and an underground pedestrian connection to the Ottawa River Parkway.”
The City of Ottawa will work with the Ontario Government and the private sector to bring this initiative to fruition. Development charges generated from new construction along Scott Street and the perimeter of the site will provide the majority of the revenues required to pay for the creation of the park. Additional funding sources include Ontario’s Brownfield Financial Tax Incentive Program (BFTIP), and possible fundraising from a memorial garden that could include the sponsorship of trees, benches and pathways from the community at large. A Private sector partner will be sought to sponsor the outdoor band.
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