Dave Scharf, Centretown News
A runner uses the Trans-Canada Trail, on the south side of the river. The NCC plans to develop the Ottawa River waterfront to enhance year-round recreational use.The National Capital Commission has put plans in place to develop the Ottawa River waterfront – including the northwest corner of Centretown – to enhance the year-round recreational offerings for Ottawa residents.
The plans feature a winter trail and a riverfront linear park, both of which will run alongside the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway from the Canadian War Museum.
While the linear park has recently completed its third and final consultation phase, the winter trail launched a pilot project in late February in a partnership between the NCC and the Westboro Beach Community Association, with support from Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper.
The 16-kilometre winter trail featured groomed pathways, which gave recreational enthusiasts the option to cross-country ski, snowshoe, bike, or walk the snowy trail from the museum to Westboro Beach.
The trails were groomed and maintained throughout the weekend by Dave Adams, who works as a trails and facilities co-ordinator at Nakkertok Ski Club, Canada’s largest cross-country skiing club.
The proposed linear park is finally nearing the end of a long consultation period, after being the subject of three public sessions held in 2014, 2015 and another last week, held on March 23.
According to the NCC’s plans, the linear park will run between the shoreline of the Ottawa River and the westbound lane of the Macdonald parkway to Mud Lake.
The NCC says the park will help improve public access to the riverfront, and will also help preserve its “natural” setting.
The park’s plans were made possible by last year’s decision to have the western LRT fully buried under a reconstructed and realigned parkway – which is to make the shoreline parkland more usable and accessible to residents.
Byron Linear Park in Westboro is currently Ottawa’s only linear park. Much of its success has to do with its easy accessibility to members of the surrounding community, says Leiper.
“The length of the linear park is a huge part of its attraction, and it’s so accessible for people to bike, run or simply just amble,” he says.
Leiper says he thinks the proposed riverside linear park will have similar success, but adds that more attractions may also be useful along the river.
“There’s nowhere for people to grab a beer or a coffee along the river,” he says. “I think it should be treated sensitively, but achieving a balance between the natural setting and creating something more urban-like will be a challenge.”
Both projects will also be easily accessible to Centretown residents.
While the most easterly portion of the pathways will begin at the War Museum, the linear park and winter trail will also be accessible from the O-Train.
“The fact that they’re accessible by transit is absolutely fascinating,” says Leiper.“All adjacent communities can walk out their front door in the wintertime and start to ski. And for the communities who are further afield, they can easily hop on the O-Train.”
Despite the enthusiasm, both projects are still yet to be finalized.
The NCC has encouraged the public to review the proposed concepts for the linear park and offer any comments or suggestions on the designs. One concept, which is expected to generate some controversy, calls for a narrowing of the parkway from four lanes to two in a stretch of west-end Ottawa.
The final design is to be submitted later in the spring and will require approval from the NCC board of directors by the end of the year.