Residents in the Gladstone Station District will be able to attend a community open house this weekend and weigh in on development plans for the area.
The Gladstone Station District is the area between Somerset Street and the 417 and Breezehill Avenue and Preston Street, according to the website of Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes.
The open house will take place March 1 at Bridgehead Coffeehouse at Preston and Anderson streets. With a new O-Train station slated to open on Gladstone Avenue, the event is the next step in the City of Ottawa’s Gladstone Station District Community Design Plan.
The plan will guide private and public developments in the neighbourhood over the next 20 years.
Several concepts for the district’s future will be on display, and residents will have a chance to speak to the city planners behind the project.
A January city report outlined three concept designs for the CDP, and residents will be able to review the available options and voice their opinions on the project.
The designs, created by HOK Planning Group Canada, were based on information gathered at a design workshop held in November 2013.
The first option, called the Transit-Oriented Development Corridor, suggests development along the O-Train line and creates a central community space in the centre of the district.
The second option, called the Community Node, creates a stronger urban centre for the area at the intersection of Gladstone Avenue and Preston Street. This concept “presents the most density and urban character” of the three options, according to the report.
The third option, the Transit-Oriented Development Node, distributes development through the area and aims to create a more walkable community.
The report identifies the Transit-Oriented Development Corridor as the preferred option for development, as it improves connections to surrounding areas and protects the neighbourhood’s character.
The final concept will be displayed at another open house in April, and CDP recommendations will be presented to city council for approval in June.