Centretown East Precinct

Centretown East must retain its unique character of mixed-uses and multiple building types. Open space improvements are required to support increased activity and occupation. Infill guidelines are also required to manage the area's heritage resources. To achieve these goals, the following targeted precinct strategies are suggested:

Civic Street Beautification and Streetscaping

36. Civic Street Beautification and Streetscaping

The street network of Centretown East is built on a traditional grid. The shallow city blocks are well defined by major north-south corridors, which dominate the road system. Primary east-west connectors include Somerset and Gladstone. Due to the heavy volume of traffic that use the north-south corridors, large parts of these streets require repair and enhancement to their related public realm. Key improvement locations include:

a. Elgin Street

Elgin Street is one of downtown Ottawa's most successful and vibrant streets. The character of this important street changes as it moves south from Wellington Street. At Lisgar Street, Elgin transitions from a Ceremonial Route function to a Main Street function. This Main Street function needs to be strengthened and protected. Although it is not recommended to make the entire length of Elgin Street part of the Ceremonial Route, streetscape improvements should be of the highest quality and mirror the quality of the Federal Ceremonial Route.

Elgin Street south of Lisgar Street could potentially act as a showcase civic street for the City. This section of the street would benefit from a de-cluttering of signage and street furniture to improve the visual and pedestrian environment.

b. O'Connor Street

O'Connor Street is a one-way connector route tied directly into Ottawa's 417 highway network. This has resulted in it supporting a greater than average level of traffic. The level and speed of traffic along this street has created a non-pleasant pedestrian environment, inhibiting development opportunities and forcing buildings to turn their backs to the street. O'Connor Street needs to be protected from further deterioration.

The Strategy recommends converting O'Connor to a two-way street. Two-way systems create a better balance between highway access and the promotion of a positive urban environment capable of supporting a wider spectrum of uses. Conversion to a two-way system will need to be linked to the current 417 study and requires a review of the highway ramping structure.

c. Somerset Street

This popular and prosperous street supports a wide number of character nodes as it moves through the downtown and into surrounding neighbourhood areas. Although Somerset is a successful street, it would benefit from a programme of planting and landscaping, paving and street furniture to soften what can frequently be a drab and sometimes even poor pedestrian environment. To avoid creating a homogenous street environment and harming the street's unique character areas, such as Somerset Village, any new streetscape improvements must complement and build on the existing character of the street.

Metcalfe Gateway and Canadian Museum of Nature Block Restoration

37. Metcalfe Gateway and Canadian Museum of Nature Block Restoration

This high-profile site is critical for fostering a positive image of Downtown Ottawa. For many visitors to the downtown, it is one of the first sights/sites they experience as they exit from the 417, creating an immediate impression of the core. Although on the axis of the street, the most impressive view of the Museum is rarely seen from vehicles due to Metcalfe's one-way nature.

When one considers the number of roles this site plays within the city, its importance becomes evident. Currently, the site functions as:

• a major gateway for the downtown from the 417, Metcalfe Street and Elgin Street south;
• one of the few large open spaces in the downtown core, serving the needs of adjacent neighbourhoods;
• an anchor for Metcalfe Street; and
• the grounds and primary entrance to a major national museum, attracting more than a quarter million visitors annually from around the world.

Although this site is clearly important to the city, its full potential has yet to be realized. At present, the site is poorly integrated with neighbouring areas and the convoluted 417 access system fragments the available open space and acts as a significant physical barrier to the Museum and its related open space. Far too much land has been made residual through the area's existing circulation route.

There is a need to make the park space around the museum more meaningful. The blocks bounded by the 417, McLeod Street, Elgin Street and O'Connor Street provides significant opportunities for a new public green space and gateway entrance to the downtown. The existing fragmented park space should be repaired and the grounds reinstated to a high quality civic open space that celebrates the Museum, the neighbourhoods and welcomes visitors to the city. To realize this, the Strategy identifies seven targeted actions. Additional engineering and transportation studies will need to be undertaken in a future phase to test several of these recommendations:

1. Restore the urban grid and block structure to allow for an expanded park. This can be achieved through the elimination of the Metcalfe Street continuation between McLeod Street and Argyle Avenue.
2. Re-landscape the park to bring it up to a significantly higher standard (as per February 2003 Public Works Canada study).
3. The intersection of McLeod and Metcalfe should have a special treatment. This will help to slow traffic and tame this very busy corner, making it more inviting for pedestrians. It will also create the opportunity for a much needed public gathering space to be created at the front door of the Museum.
4. Convert Metcalfe and O'Connor Streets to two-way.
5. Reconstruct Metcalfe Street as a Civic Boulevard for Ottawa. This high profile, high quality public street creates a critical link between the Capital and Civic realms. The northern portion of Metcalfe terminates at the Parliament Buildings, the middle has some of the finest examples of historic local architecture, while the southern end is anchored by the Museum and proposed improved civic park space. Required streetscape improvements include street tree planting, special paving, lighting, co-ordinated street furniture and traffic calming measures at key intersections.
6. Consider a reconfigured 417/Metcalfe/O'Connor ramp system. This should be undertaken as part of the 417 Study currently underway. There may be opportunities to realign and/or consolidate access ramps and bring them closer to the 417. This will help to contain some of the on/off movement of the 417 at O'Connor and Metcalfe Streets.
7. The existing access system from the 417 and Elgin Street to the Queen Elizabeth Driveway is poor. At present, this road network is confusing. It is cumbersome and wasteful of valuable canal-side land. This entry point to the downtown has the potential to be one of the most important and picturesque gateways to the heart of Downtown Ottawa.

38. Urban Open Space Programme

Although Centretown East benefits from a number of open spaces, as described above, opportunities to acquire sites will be minimal due to the value of land in the this desirable area. With the area's potential population increase, and to ensure that Centretown East does not become fully built-out, a network of small, open spaces should be introduced. The City should move quickly to secure a number of currently available development sites for future park spaces.

The Strategy has identified a selection of available sites across the area. Priority sites for consideration include locations along the Metcalfe seam at the corner of Somerset and Lisgar and along the O'Connor seam, with the strongest candidates located at the intersection of Gilmour, Lisgar and Nepean.

Streetscape Infrastructure Programme

The area supports several well-defined corridors, including Elgin, Metcalfe, Somerset, and O'Connor Streets. Although many of these corridors act as strong connector streets from the 417 to the Business Precinct, Metcalfe and O'Connor streets' one-way system makes them challenging pedestrian and residential environments and has a negative impact on redevelopment potential. Over time, both of these one-way streets should be converted back to two-way systems. This will enable these streets to be used less for high-speed connections between the 417 and the Business Precinct and more as Main Streets that can foster and support new commercial and residential developments in the downtown.

A programme of streetscaping, landscaping and public realm improvements should be introduced along the Main Streets, including Metcalfe, Somerset and Cartier Streets between Somerset and City Hall. Treatments are also required on the reconfigured streets that bound the Canadian Museum of Nature and the 417 access streets.

Somerset Street will continue to function as an important east-west pedestrian and vehicular link through the downtown. The existing programme of planting and landscaping, paving and street furniture should be re-imaged to respond to the very localised character of this unique street.

Parks and Open Space Strategy

Centretown East benefits from a number of existing open spaces, including the area around the Canadian Museum of Nature, Jack Purcell Park, Minto Park, St. Luke's and smaller neighbourhood pocket parks. The majority of these spaces are clustered in the southern portion of the area around the heart of the established residential neighbourhoods.

North of Gilmour Street, the Strategy has identified several sites suitable for the introduction of new urban green spaces as part of their redevelopment. Introducing new park spaces to this northern area will help soften its hard urban character. This is important if the City wishes to attract new residential development to this location.

Due to the availability of larger established park spaces within the precinct, as well as the precinct's convenient access to Confederation Park and the Canal, smaller, more frequent open spaces would be more appropriate than the introduction of a single larger park space.

Built Form Guidelines

Built form guidelines for Centretown East need to recognize its wide mix of building forms as well as the substantial differences in density and height found throughout the precinct.

A blanket Heritage Conservation District designation protects almost all the blocks south of Lisgar Street. The Heritage Conservation District designation is an important means of protecting the heritage character of the area and a useful tool in the review of zoning and site plan control applications. With many infill opportunities for residential and commercial redevelopment, particularly along the major corridors, the designation provides the guidance to help sustain the character and qualities that make this area a desirable place to live and work.

The Centretown Secondary Plan also provides guidance for the height or profile of buildings in different parts of Centretown East. In addition to conform to the maximum height/profile policy areas, all new development should have a strong base that continues the existing street frontage and ground level connections to the street.

Regardless of the height of new buildings, the City should carefully review all design aspects, including street setback, privacy, light, context, distance between buildings, massing, parking accommodation, and so forth. It is important to note that while zoning may define an allowable building envelope, design review could impose limitations and require further refinements within that envelope to ensure compatibility with local conditions.

As building heights exceed six storeys, this design review becomes even more critical to ensure appropriate development and compatibility with the existing context. Section 2.5.1 of the Official Plan outlines the criteria to be followed in order to achieve compatible development when undertaking intensification and infill in established areas.

Catherine Street defines the southern edge of the precinct. It currently has a mix of vacant lands and under-developed sites, with a limited number of newer buildings interspersed along it. New uses should be encouraged to locate along this very accessible and visible commercial location. This corridor can support commercial, institutional and mixed use buildings with larger floor plates. Overtime, the streetscape of Catherine Street needs to be improved.

Some sites in Centretown East provide opportunities for the City to negotiate new open spaces as part of the development. These are identified in the plan on the previous page.