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12. RIDEAU STREET URBAN DESIGN STUDY ÉTUDE DE CONCEPTION URBAINE DE LA
RUE RIDEAU
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Committee recommendationS as
amended
That Council approve the Terms of Reference attached as Document 1.
1. That the Downtown Rideau Business Improvement Area be included on the Technical Advisory Committee.
2. That a representative of the Roads and Cycling Advisory
Committee be included on the Technical Advisory Committee.
3. That the study area be extended to include Waller Street
and the Arts Court area.
RecommandationS modifiÉeS du Comité
Que le Conseil approuve le
cadre de référence ci-annexé (Document 1), avec les modifications
suivantes :
1. Que la zone
d’amélioration commerciale (ZAC) du Centre-Ville-Rideau soit représentée au
sein du Comité consultatif technique.
2. Qu’un représentant du Comité
consultatif sur les routes et le cyclisme soit ajouté au Comité consultatif
technique.
3. Que la zone d’étude soit élargie de
manière à inclure la rue Waller et la Cour des Arts.
Documentation
1.
Deputy
City Manager's report Planning,
Transit and the Environment dated
7 March 2007 (ACS2007-PTE-POL-0013).
2. Extract of Draft Minutes, 27
March 2007.
Report
to/Rapport au :
Planning and Environment Committee
Comité de l'urbanisme et de
l'environnement
and Council / et au Conseil
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/
Directeur municipal adjoint,
Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance
Contact
Person/Personne ressource : Richard Kilstrom, Manager,
Community Planning and Design Division
Planning, Environment and Infrastructure
Policy/Politiques d’urbanisme, d’environnement
et d’infrastructure
(613) 580-2424 x22653, richard.kilstrom@ottawa.ca
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SUBJECT: |
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OBJET : |
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That Planning and Environment recommend that Council approve the Terms of Reference attached as Document 1.
RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement
recommande au Conseil d’approuver la cadre de référence ci-annexé (Document 1).
BACKGROUND
At
its meeting of June 14, 2006 City Council approved a motion which directed
staff to work with the local councillor, local stakeholders, the Ottawa Police
Services and the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committeee on an urban design
concept for this area of Rideau Street that accommodates transit users in a
safe, secure environment. In response
to this motion, staff conducted a scoping exercise to determine the nature and
extent of the issues that have raised concern for the community and Councillor
Bedard.
Following
this scoping exercise staff utilised the findings to prepare this terms of
reference, which describes the approach that will be taken to improve the
design of the Rideau Street environment in order to resolve the issues
affecting the community in and around the area as well as the travellers that
pass through it on a daily basis.
CONSULTATION
The scoping exercise that staff conducted involved a survey of the various stakeholders in this area of Rideau Street to determine what they consider to be the key issues that are the cause of concern in the community. The key stakeholders included in the initial survey were: the Ottawa Police Services, the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee, the Downtown Rideau BIA, OC Transpo, STO, the National Capital Commission and the Rideau Centre. The results of this survey were then compiled and the key issues identified. From this information staff were able to draft an outline of the factors that would require investigation to inform a process towards creation of a new concept for the design of Rideau Street.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
This study will be undertaken by existing City planning staff and has no budget assigned directly to it. Should this study require the specific expertise of an external consultant as it proceeds, limited funds are available in account 903261- Community Design Plans.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document
1 Rideau Street Urban Design Study - Terms
of Reference
DISPOSITION
Staff of the Department of Planning,
Transit and the Environment will undertake this study as set out in the Terms
of Reference.
RIDEAU
STREET URBAN DESIGN STUDY -
TERMS OF REFERENCE DOCUMENT
1
TERMS OF REFERENCE
RIDEAU STREET (Mackenzie to King Edward) URBAN DESIGN STUDY
A Community Improvement Plan for Rehabilitation and Revitalization
Introduction
Over the past year emergency measures were deemed necessary to repair damage and address ongoing social problems on Rideau Street primarily in the area between Sussex and Nicholas Street. To rectify this situation City Council directed staff to take action on a number of fronts. One initiative is to produce an urban design concept for this area of Rideau Street that accommodates transit users in a safe, secure environment, in consultation with the local councillor, local stakeholders, the Ottawa Police Services and the Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee. The following terms of reference provides an outline of a strategy to produce an urban design concept, which will contribute to solving the ongoing problems in and around Rideau Street.
Background
From the origins of Ottawa as a colonial settlement, Rideau Street has been a major gateway to the city from trading routes along the Ottawa River and Montreal to the east. As early as 1845 it received the first plank sidewalk in the city to accommodate the many pedestrians plying the shops. In the 1920’s and 30’s it was the focus of retail trade with the heyday of the Caplan’s and Ogilvy’s department stores. Rideau Street, and especially the section between Sussex Drive and King Edward Avenue, has seen a number of changes in the last quarter century. In the early 1980s, along with the construction of the Rideau Centre Mall, it was converted to a bus mall with continuous glass and steel shelters that ran along the entire ground floor frontage of the buildings. This structure and the exclusion of other modes of transportation proved to be a failed design, as it removed the pedestrians from the stores, became populated by vagrants, and generally limited retail traffic only to those in transit through the bus mall.
The structures were removed in the mid-1990s and the street was refurbished, including the reintroduction of vehicular and bicycle traffic. Although this provided a more inviting pedestrian environment, many of the social problems have remained and perhaps evolved into an even more challenging social environment fuelled by poverty, homelessness, drugs and alcohol. These factors, along with the 2400 buses funnelling through this section of street daily, have contributed to its premature deterioration.
City Council has long recognized the importance of Rideau Street to the health of downtown Ottawa. The Official Plan in 1991 designated it as a major Theme Street in the Secondary Plan for the Central Area, and identified it as an area needing revitalization. More recently, the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy of 2005 prescribed modifications to the function and design of the street to enhance its role as a Retail, Arts and Theatre Precinct
There remains a need to improve the pedestrian experience along Rideau, particularly between Sussex Drive and Nicholas Street. It will be challenging to improve the quality of this street given the volume of city buses, truck traffic and ongoing social problems. Each of these factors contributes to a very complex situation that impacts directly on the quality of the street environment. If anything is clear at this point it is that Rideau Street plays a significant role in the life of Ottawa and is worthy of considerable effort to ensure that it performs adequately to realize its potential.
In the mean time, a more vigorous maintenance programme has been introduced to address the accelerating deterioration of the streetscape, and to establish a greater sense of safety and security for its users. This will assist in stabilizing the street environment until we can progress to a comprehensive strategy for its rehabilitation.
Goals and Objectives
The goal of this Urban Design Study is to create a vision and an implementation strategy for the rehabilitation and revitalization of Rideau Street (Mackenzie to King Edward). This Study is intended to form the basis for a Community Improvement Plan (CIP) that will be adopted under Section 28 of the Planning Act to assist in implementation of the vision.
While the vision has yet to be confirmed, the Urban Design Study and the resulting Community Improvement Plan are anticipated to fulfill six fundamental planning objectives. These are set out as follows:
§ Investigate the origin and factors contributing to social problems impacting on the street and its environs.
§ Determine the priorities for the use of the street
§ Determine the capacity of the street to perform its functions.
§ Develop a vision for the design of the street and its environs in collaboration with stakeholders.
§ Create a Conceptual Streetscape Design, which includes any related modifications to the contiguous area as shown on the Study Area Map.
§ Produce an implementation strategy for the recommendations of the Community Improvement Plan.
§ King Edward Precinct Strategy - University
Relevant Ongoing Studies
§ Interim Control Study for Nightclubs and Bars in the By Ward Market & Rideau Street Area
§ Interim Control Study for Special Needs Housing covering Rideau Street east of King Edward Avenue in the Rideau-Vanier ward.
Study Area
The proposed study area includes the blocks centred around Rideau Street, bounded to the north by George Street, to the south by the McKenzie King Bridge, Nicholas Street, Besserer Street, to the west by Mackenzie Avenue, Colonel By Drive, and to the east by King Edward Avenue.
The primary focus of the study, however, is the design of the three-dimensional public realm defined by the Rideau Street right-of-way between MacKenzie Avenue and King Edward Avenue and the buildings along it. The Colonel By pedestrian underpass also constitutes a key element for the study, which is why the focus area extends west to MacKenzie Avenue.
The study will consider a larger geographic area in order to enable an understanding of the context of the built form, pattern of use and socio-economic dynamics on Rideau Street, and to examine the ongoing impacts of these factors on the viability of physical improvements that may be proposed by this study.
Work Plan
The overall Urban Design Plan study process includes three general stages:
1. Initiation (September 2006 – April 2007)
2. Planning and Design (April 2007 – September 2008)
3. Approval (September 2008- December 2008).
1. Project Initiation Stage (September 2006-April 2007):
The initiation stage aims to define the scope, process, and deliverables of the study, as described in this Terms of Reference. It is done through consultation with affected City departments, and major stakeholders, including affected Business Improvement Areas (BIAs), Community Associations, major land and business owners, and federal agencies. The project Terms of Reference is prepared as a result of this scoping exercise.
2. Planning and Design Stage (April 2007-September 2008):
The following Work Plan is a detailed schedule for the planning and design stage. It is structured in three distinct phases. The general tasks described below, including the responsible parties, are allocated to the 16-month time period of this stage.
2.1 Existing conditions investigation (April 2007 – September 2007)
§ Form Technical Advisory Committee and Public Advisory Committee
§ Initial Public Open House
§ Policy and existing conditions review
§ Past and existing programs review
§ Socio-economic context review
§ Transit and transportation review
§ Municipal infrastructure review
§ Streetscape review
§ Built form and heritage inventory
§ User and behaviour setting analysis
§ TAC and PAC meetings
§ Establish website to provide ongoing public notices on the progress of the study.
Deliverables: Background Report - post on website
2.2 Concept Development (September 2007 – March 2008)
§ Public Open Houses, design workshops, and user groups, etc
§ Best practice research
§ Alternative concepts
§ Development and costing
§ TAC and PAC review
§ Revision of alternative concepts
§ Second Public Open House
Deliverables: Alternative Design Concepts
2.3 Draft and final Urban Design Plan Preparation (March 2008- September 2008)
§ Draft urban design plan – preferred concept
§ TAC and PAC review
§ Revision of draft urban design plan
§ Third Public Open House
§ Final urban design plan
Deliverables: final urban design study - post on website
3. Approval Stage (September 2008-December 2008):
The purpose of the approval stage will be to seek approval of the Urban Design Study from Planning and Environment Committee and City Council. The Staff report for the Study will be prepared at this stage. Since the Urban Design Study is intended to have a Community Improvement Plan status it must also be approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing of the Province of Ontario.
Project Management
Staff of the Community Planning and Design Division of the Department of Planning, Transit and the Environment will manage this project. The Project Manager and the staff support team will be responsible for the coordination of the planning process including all meetings of the PAC, TAC and Public events, as well as the production of all deliverables throughout the planning process. It is intended that this project will be completed by the above-noted staff; however, should it be determined that supplementary studies are necessary to support the planning process, the Project Manager will be responsible for the coordination of all related consultants.
Project Team
Project Manager:
Charles Lanktree, MCIP, RPP, CSLA, OALA
Urban Designer
The Project Team:
Randolph Wang, MCIP, RPP
Urban Designer
Representatives from Public Works and Services and Community and Protective Services, where required.