The Centretown Citizens Community Association has elected local restaurant manager Thomas McVeigh as its new president, a choice that will put the CCCA on more of pro-development path.
McVeigh, manager of the Wellington Street bistro Absinthet, says he plans to focus on developing community parks, and encouraging housing projects that will accommodate greater numbers of residents but preserve downtown Ottawa’s quality of life.
“Density is an amenity,” says McVeigh, a Vancouver native. “However street-level interaction is very important. That interaction is helped through buildings that focus on increased accommodation and townhouse-style design.”
Jordan Charbonneau, who did not seek re-election, says that McVeigh is a good fit for the job.
“In a volunteer organization it’s always important to share the leadership, otherwise you have the same people running things and ideas can become stale,” says Charbonneau, who is pursuing a Master’s degree in public administration at Carleton.
According to Charbonneau one of the big projects that McVeigh will be transitioning into is the CCCA’s appeal of the city’s Community Design Plan for Centretown.
“We want to protect the residents and residences we currently have in Centretown, and the plan is more focused on the introduction of commercial establishments.”
The plan has a few policies that are currently receiving criticism from both the association and developers, including the “Tall Landmark Buildings Policy” and the “Small Moments Policy.”
The first would allow the construction of buildings with heights of up to 40 storeys, which would tower over many of the existing buildings in the community. The second policy would require developers to build common recreational spaces before being approved for greater heights.
Rob Dekker, the CCCA’s outgoing vice-president, says the main focus of the association’s appeal is its opposition to mixed-use buildings. Mixed-use buildings would allow for commercial businesses to occupy the same buildings as residential units. The setup would cause the community to become dark after hours, decreasing the amount of foot traffic at night, according to Dekker.
“The City wants to see a half-and-half approach to building, while we are completely opposed to the concept as a whole. It’s something we will be addressing at the November meeting.”
While McVeigh has never met Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes he says the best way to handle the appeal is to work together.
“We know that we share some common concerns, so a common front is the best way to go about the process.”