Report to/Rapport au :

 

Planning and Environment Committee

Comité de l'urbanisme et de l'aménagement

 

2 December 2004 / le 2 décembre 2004

 

Submitted by/Soumis par : Councillor/Conseillère Diane Holmes

Somerset Ward / Quartier Somerset

 

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Councillor/Conseillère Diane Holmes

(613) 580-2484, diane.holmes@ottawa.ca

 

 

Ref N°: ACS2004-CCS-PEC-0014

 

 

SUBJECT:

FREIMAN MALL

 

 

OBJET :

MAIL FREIMAN

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATION

 

In the 1980s the City of Ottawa agreed to close Musgrove Street as part of The Bay’s expansion.  A public right-of-way connecting Rideau Street and the By Ward Market was the retained within the redevelopment.

 

1.         Does the City of Ottawa retain ownership of the Musgrove Street right-of-way?

 

2.         How have the terms and conditions of the original agreement been amended regarding:

 

·                    Hours of operation and public access to the Freiman Mall?

 

·                    Minimum ‘effective circulation area’, that is the width of the pedestrian walkway, and the amount of encroachment permitted for display or wares and marketing?

 

·                    Enforcement of the terms of the agreement?

 

3.         Has City Council approved these amendments?

 

4.         Is The Bay in compliance with all of the terms and conditions of the agreement?

 

 

RECOMMANDATION DU RAPPORT

 

Dans les années 1980, la Ville d’Ottawa a approuvé la fermeture de la rue Musgrove dans le cadre de l’agrandissement de La Baie et un droit de passage public reliant la rue Rideau au marché By a été conservé.

 

1.         La Ville d’Ottawa demeure-t-elle propriétaire du droit de passage de la rue Musgrove?

 

2.         En quoi les conditions et les modalités de l’entente originale ont-elles été modifiées en ce qui concerne :

 

·                    Les heures d’ouverture et l’accès du public au mail Freiman?

 

·                    L’aire de circulation utile minimale, c.-à-d. la largeur de la promenade piétonnière, et l’aire d’empiètement permise aux fins d’exposition de marchandises et de marketing?

 

·                    Les conditions de l’entente sont-elles exécutées?

 

3.         Le Conseil municipal a-t-il approuvé ces modifications?

 

4.         Est-ce que La Baie se conforme à toutes les modalités et conditions de l’entente?

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

At the 23 November 2004 meeting of the Planning and Environment Committee, Councillor D. Holmes put forward the Notice of Motion outlined in the Report Recommendation for consideration at the 14 December 2004 meeting.

 

CONSULTATION

 

The item will be advertised as part of the City ads appearing in local newspapers the week prior to the meeting in which the item will be considered.

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

N/A

 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

 

Document 1 - Memorandum from Deputy City Manager, Planning and Growth Management

 

 

                                                                                                                                                   Document 1

 

M E M O   / N O T E   D E   S E R V I C E

 

 

 

 

To / Destinataire

Chair and Members of Planning and Environment Committee/

/Président et members du Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement

File/N° de fichier: 

 

From / Expéditeur

Ned Lathrop

Deputy City Manager/Directeur municipal adjoint

Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance

Contact/Personne ressource:

John Moser, Director/Directeur, Planning and Infrastructure Approvals/Approbation des demandes d’urbanisme et d’infrastructure

580-2424, 28869

john.moser@ottawa.ca

Subject / Objet

Inquiry No. PEC-12-04-PEC meeting of 9 November 2004

Date:  22 December 2004

 

 

 

Extract of Draft Minutes – 9 November 2004

 

Councillor D. Holmes raised the following inquiry:

 

In the 1980s the City of Ottawa agreed to close Musgrove Street as part of The Bay’s expansion.  A public right-of-way connecting Rideau Street and the ByWard Market was to be retained within the redevelopment.

 

1.      Does the City of Ottawa retain ownership of the Musgrove Street right-of-way?

 

2.      How have the terms and conditions of the original agreement been amended regarding:

 

Þ    Hours of operation and public access to the Freiman Mall?

 

Þ    Minimum ‘effective circulation area’, that is the width of the pedestrian walkway, and the amount of encroachment permitted for display or wares and marketing?

 

Þ    Enforcement of the terms of the agreement?

 

3.      Has City Council approved these amendments?

 

4.      Is The Bay in compliance with all of the terms and conditions of the agreement?

 

Response/Réponse 

 

1.      In 1981, as part of the Rideau Centre project, the City of Ottawa entered into a Development Agreement with Hudson’s Bay Company to create the Freiman Mall.  The City agreed to close Freiman Street (formally Musgrove Street) and lease the space to the Hudson’s Bay Company in exchange for the construction of a public pedestrian mall. The Bay agreed to construct a public mall – “an area at grade open to the general public 24 hours per day to include a clear passageway from George St. to Rideau St. of a minimum width of 20 feet”. The Development Agreement also permitted the installation of three kiosks, “not exceeding eight feet in width” in the public mall area – the kiosks could be used for retail purposes. As well as the Development Agreement the City entered into a lease with the Bay  - the lease has a term of 99 years.  The lease requires the City to contribute proportionately to the operating and security costs of the Mall based on the size of the “Public Area” and the amount of time the Mall is open beyond store hours of the Bay.  The larger the size of the “Public Area” and the longer the hours the mall is open, the higher are the City’s operating and security costs payable to the Bay.

 

In specific response to your question, the City retains ownership subject to the terms of the lease. [Council Authority:  May 6, 1981]

 

2.      By the late 1980’s, security issues and increased operating costs were a concern both for the City and The Bay.  The City’s portion of operating costs were averaging $107,000 annually plus $62,000 for security, all in accordance with the lease.  In 1992 the lease was amended to allow The Bay to encroach upon the public area while maintaining the 20-foot wide pedestrian passage and the hours were reduced to 20 hours a day. The operating costs billed to the City were similarly reduced. [Council Authority: December 2, 1992]

 

3.      As indicated above Council did approve the amendments to the lease that occurred in 1992.

 

4.      Staff has become aware that The Bay has reduced the hours to 14 hours a day and has encroached on the pedestrian passageway beyond the area permitted in the 1992 amendment.  The Bay has been advised and staff will be meeting with the Bay early in the new year to address this and other operating and financial issues.

 

 

 

 

Ned Lathrop