Preliminary sketches of proposed redevelopment of the Sussex/Rideau intersection.
The eastern gateway to Centretown is set to receive a multi-million dollar facelift under a strategic plan steered by the NCC to enhance the national capital’s commemorative attractions.
A series of preliminary sketches unveiled at a National Capital Commission public meeting on Jan. 22 offers the first glimpse of development ideas for the Sussex Drive/Rideau Street/Colonel By Drive intersection.
The redesign of the intersection is part of a two-gateway revamp that will also see major changes to the Portage Bridge approach on the downtown’s west side.
The changes are meant to enhance the city’s attractions and create an urban environment that’s more friendly to tourists and pedestrians.
“It’s the missing piece to make this puzzle beautiful,” says NCC chief executive Marie Lemay.
With an estimated 20,000 pedestrians passing through the Sussex-Rideau intersection each day, the goals of the redevelopment are to create a destination for people to stop while improving the movement of pedestrians and traffic.
Officials have listed Times Square in New York City, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and London’s Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus as examples of what they are trying to achieve in Ottawa’s downtown core.
Creating a gathering place to promote and support human interaction is a central goal, NCC officials says. The aim is that citizens will use the space to meet for lunch and incorporate it into other daily activities.
“The sketches are based on a number of scenarios,” says the NCC’s Diane Irwin. “In order to create a wonderful space, what might it look like?”
The plans are far from complete and only represent the beginning stages of the project, officials says, adding that many planning obstacles need to be overcome and consultations held before any work begins to take place.
One issue already raised by some NCC board members is the substantial grade problem at the site – sloping ground with streets converging at awkward angles.
“Our next step is to talk to the City of Ottawa and Public Works, since they own the Conference Centre,” says Irwin, “(then) hammer out an agreement and define timelines.”
A planning document discussed at the meeting referred to “potential construction within the next five years.”
The brief report noted that the intersection is “an important entry point into the capital core” and that the proposed redesign will be reviewed as part of a consultation among NCC, federal and municipal officials, area property owners, BIA representatives and citizen groups.
The intersection is one of the prime locations identified in a 2006 study of Confederation Boulevard as being an “eminent landmark” in the capital’s development and deserving of a major public commemoration.
The finished project will join the Canadian War Museum on LeBreton Flats and the Peacekeeping Monument near the U.S. Embassy as examples of notable downtown attractions enhancing the tourist experience along Confederation Boulevard, the ceremonial route straddling the Ottawa River and encompassing several major streets in downtown Ottawa and Gatineau.
NCC officials have tentatively discussed a “dominant vertical element” to be built at the intersection and a water feature as another desirable component, noting that the site should be “celebratory, interactive and educational.”
“Everyone is unanimous that there’s change needed at this location,” says Lemay.
Local residents and tourism officials are voicing general support for the planned redesign.
Shawn Menard, president of the Centretown Citizens’ Community Association, says a number of his members have been following the project.
He says that it would be nice if the corners were transformed to a public space that will attract tourists while also promoting walking and alternative forms of transportation.
While the redesign should accomplish those goals, he says the preliminary sketches “come across a tad tacky.”
Ottawa Tourism, meanwhile, says the NCC’s plan to redevelop the intersection is “definitely welcomed.”
“I think it’s a great idea to improve that intersection,” says communications director Jantine Van Kregten. “It doesn’t work particularly well for pedestrians as it is currently designed.”
The tourism organization works closely with the NCC on a number of projects annually to market the capital, she says.
Transforming that section of Confederation Boulevard into a “destination point or a landmark space,” she says, is something Ottawa Tourism looks forward to promoting.