Lori Mellor, of the Preston Street BIA, is fighting against over-developments in Little Italy.
Key players in the community say they are gearing up for a battle over two controversial issues in the proposed Preston-Carling development after the city deferred the plan for further study late last month.
“We’re going to have a busy spring and summer. It’s not the victory we wanted, but it is at least not a loss and so we’ll happily keep things going,” says Michael Powell, president of the Dalhousie Community Association. “We think there are lots of good arguments on our side and not so many on theirs.”
The two contentious issues on deck are an intensified “mews” − a new north-south road lined with nine-storey buildings along the east side of the Carling-area O-Train tracks − and two new vehicular bridges over the O-Train to access the mews.
The city’s planning committee decided last month to accept the municipal staff’s recommendation to defer these two issues for further study. However, the committee accepted other parts of the plan, such as new design rules for high-rise buildings in Little Italy to ensure they have distinct tops to improve the skyline.
Committee chairman Peter Hume told planning staff at the meeting that it’s critical they have strong justification for any decisions about the mews and bridges.
Powell says he’s optimistic the city will keep community leaders involved in the process.
“We’re going to keep at it and keep reminding councillors and planning staff that there’s lots of room for development in Little Italy, and lots of room for intensification,” Powell says. “But when you’re designing a community, you have to remember what makes a community important, and for us it’s that low-scale residential feel.”
Powell isn’t the only community stakeholder to promise to keep fighting what many residents believe is an over-development of the area.
“They deferred them (the mews and bridges), but that still doesn’t protect the neighbourhood, ” says Lori Mellor, executive director of the Preston Street BIA. “I have worked at the BIA for 10 years. We have a vision about what this neighbourhood should look like in the end,” Mellor says. “It’s just going to destroy the residential fabric of the neighbourhood.”
The proposed mews and bridges are part of the Preston-Carling strategic direction report. It sets out the development for Preston Street between Carling Avenue and the Queensway. The report acts as a placeholder until an official community design plan is achieved.
George Dark, an urban-planning consultant, developed the plan. He has described the area surrounding the Carling O-Train station as Ottawa’s next development hot spot. It will eventually have some of the tallest buildings in Ottawa, including Claridge’s proposed 42-storey condo tower at 505 Preston St.
But while some prepare for battle, there are others who welcome the proposed changes.
“I’m for it. It will just bring more life to the neighbourhood,” says Richard Urquhart, the owner of the Black Cat Bistro, which has been open on Preston Street for five years.
Urquhart says he hopes development will revitalize the area and lead to grocery stores and other retailers moving in.
“I’m not opposed to change. I like the idea,” Urquhart says. “I just like the life of it, the bustle. I don’t quite understand why you would oppose them. Have you seen some of the buildings around here? They’re pretty run down.”
It is expected that a full community design plan for the area will be worked out by next fall.