[Please note, this post represents my own personal views and not those of the Westboro Community Association, of which I am a member.]
A few of you who’ve been reading this blog for awhile may remember the stink I made over a little convent in my immediate neighbourhood. This was in 2007 and the convent was called Maison de Jeanne D’Arc.
It was built in the 1930s, designed by the Mother Superior of the order at a time when women weren’t designing buildings very much at all. (In fact, I think there were only 5 registered female architects in Canada in the 30s).
The population of nuns who lived there were slowly dwindling so they sold it to Barry Hobin, a local architect, who said the building was ugly and not worth saving. He was all set to plow it under – along with all the green space attached to it – and replace it with 21 homes.
At the time I’d never been the kind of person who got involved in anything, but this really bothered me. I liked my neighbourhood. I liked this building too. I liked what it added to my neighborhood. I pay property taxes and mow my lawn. I was invested here, both financially and emotionally and could not fathom why a developer can come in here and do what he wants.
So I started knocking on doors. A lot of doors, up and down the streets. I accosted strangers. I helped organize meetings and got a few other people involved. I met with our Councillor. I stood up in front of various councils and committees and read, with a shaky voice (and palms that were practically pruny from sweat), from carefully prepared notes. It became all I could talk about at the dinner table and at the schoolyard. (I’m sure people learned to scatter when they saw me approaching with a clipboard.)
This kind of thing did not, and does not, come naturally to me. I had to force myself to do it because the need was too great. And you know what? The main part of the building was given heritage status, and it’s still standing (albeit with monster homes all around it, but STILL).
So here we are, 4 years later. And it’s happening again … but with a different convent.
Ashcroft Homes plans to built a commercial and residential project on a site formerly owned by Les Soeurs de la Visitation. The site, including a Gothic Revival structure built in 1864 that the nuns used as their convent, fronts Richmond Road and backs onto Byron Avenue, just off Island Park Drive. The nuns had occupied the land since 1913, but sold the property to Ashcroft in 2009.
There was another public meeting about it last night. Those who were there were upset, which was understandable given what they’ve seen so far. In a nutshell, this whole situation is a fiasco that has been spinning out of control since the for sale sign went up.
So when I see Robert Sibley from the Ottawa Citizen describing what I’m doing as FRETTING it makes me a little upset. This is what he wrote about the meeting last night:
“They fretted about overloading traffic along Richmond Road with hundreds more vehicles belonging to those who purchased the 620 residential units included in the project. They objected to allowing an exit from the site through Byron Linear Tramway Park to Byron Avenue, saying it would “diminish the park.” They also questioned how dedicated Ashcroft would be to maintaining the heritage legacy of the convent.”
You can read the whole article here.
The fact is, this is a massive development, surrounded by other massive developments. This one will have 620 units and will add an estimated 900 vehicles to the immediate area. Traffic impacts will be far reaching. Think of how hard it is to navigate anywhere near Island Park and the Champlain bridge right now.
This is not fretting. FRETTING is what you do when you pull your new sweatshirt out of the wash and it’s all pilly. FRETTING is what you do when your dog walks over your clean bedsheets with muddy paws. FRETTING is when someone at the grocery store runs into your ankles. I am way past fretting. I think a lot of us are.
FRETTING?
Ashcroft is not taking into account what this will mean for our community. But I can’t blame Ashcroft entirely. Many developers don’t bother following zoning bylaws… because city planners don’t enforce them. I’m not sure why. There is a Community Design Plan for this area, so why are developers allowed to build outside the guidelines?
Sibley managed to make us sound like a whackadoo bunch of naysaying NIMBYs.
I find myself wondering – again – why is there such a lack of respect for our built heritage. I might as well cut and paste text right out of my old convent posts. It’s properties like this one that provide the connecting fabric that links us together. Bulldozing and over-building a site that is so rare and rich in character like this one would do nothing but permanently erase part of our neighborhood character for short-term financial gain. And it’s not worth it.
I’m not against infill. I want SMART infill. Where is the thoughtful design? The preservation of our collective history? Why are we not able to do something truly inspiring for this site?
As someone pointed out at last night’s meeting, we are at a tipping point here folks. Let’s not let Ashcroft and the City of Ottawa squander an opportunity to create something truly amazing in our community just for the sake of turning a buck.
So. What can we do? Well, plenty.
If my experience with the FIRST convent taught me anything, is that emails count. As individuals we often feel powerless. What can little ol’ me do about a giant like Ashcroft? And the City? I will tell you. Make a stink. If you don’t like it, say so. Tell your friends and neighbours to say so too. Every single email and phone call counts. It really really does.
Contact any of these people:
- Larry O’Brien, Mayor: Larry.OBrien@ottawa.ca
- Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager: Nancy.Schepers@ottawa.ca
- John Moser, General Manager, Planning & Growth Management: John.Moser@ottawa.ca
- John Smit, Manager Development Review(Urban): John.Smit@ottawa.ca
- Doug James, Planner: Doug.James@ottawa.ca
- Caitlin Salter-MacDonald, Planning Committee Contact: Caitlin.Salter-MacDonald@ottawa.ca
This issue is not exclusive to the west side. It’s happening everywhere. Find your city councillor and drop them a line too.
Things you could write about if you choose to do so (if I haven’t said it already):
– Heritage is important. What can we do to keep it alive?
– Express your opinions about traffic and density and the lack of green space in this community
– the need to repurpose the actual convent in a heritage-sensitive way so the whole community can benefit
– the chopping up of Byron Tramway Park
– zoning and height restrictions
I would love love love it if you wrote to your councillor (and mine, Christine Leadman) to express your views and left a copy of your email in the comments below.
If you’re really keen. Show up where councillors will see you. The project will be going before city council’s planning committee on Sept. 28. I can give more info about this meeting as I hear more about it.
