By Jeremy Chenier
Ottawa city council has decided that a five-year-old plan to attract more development to Centretown should be re-examined to build on earlier accomplishments.
“I think we had some positive success with the Re-Do-It initiative formalized in 1994,” says Mayor Jim Watson. “I think it’s important that we build on those successes.”
City council unanimously approved a motion by Watson and Somerset Coun. Elisabeth Arnold to update the so-called Re-Do-It plan. Council has made Centretown development a priority and plans to hold a public meeting in January to generate new ideas and improve on old recommendations. City staff will come back to council with a way to implement the public’s ideas in April 2000.
The original Re-Do-It plan was designed to stimulate residential and commercial development in Centretown. It was based on recommendations put together by Centretown politicians and business people in 1993 and 1994.
The re-examination comes at a time of uncertainty about the region’s political structure. The province is expected to announce its amalgamation plan in the coming months, leaving questions about whether a new regional government will endorse it.
But Watson says this is a non-issue.
“There’s always going to be a downtown . . . I think most people in the suburbs understand and appreciate that the downtown core requires a little more nurturing because of the nature of downtowns,” he says
Watson and Arnold say more people living downtown improves safety, is good for retailers and helps the environment by reducing travel.
“I think everybody understands the benefit of having a healthy core whether you live in the downtown or whether you live in Kanata,” says Arnold.
But the new proposal hasn’t met with universal approval.
“Our downtown isn’t all that bad,” says former city councillor Peter Harris. But he adds that if it is cheaper and easier for a developer to build in a place like Nepean, they would be unlikely to develop downtown.
“Why bother beating your head against the wall?”
However, Watson and Arnold said they think a limited suspension of development fees would be a way to attract builders to Centretown.
“I’d like us to look into implementing an incentive program to get people to build . . . by perhaps saying, if we get a building proposal within a set time frame . . . that the city waives the building fees,” says Watson.
“I think there are other things in terms of zoning bylaws,” he adds. “What could we do, for instance on Sparks Street, to make it easier for someone to take an abandoned office . . . and turn it into a loft apartment.”
Watson and Arnold say they want input from the public and the business community about other ways to make development more attractive.
But Harris, who was a member of the first Re-Do-It committee, says this is not necessary.
“They don’t need any more plans, they need day-to-day political will,” says Harris. “The main success of the (original) plan wasn’t so much a result of the plan, it was a result of the intent . . . to actually allow and push for residential housing on City of Ottawa lots.”
According to Watson the original plan brought 1,400 new housing units and 2,500 new residents to Centretown.