5 Ways to Improve Lansdowne 2.0

We must prioritize public investments in public space. This project must bring much needed improvements to the areas of the park used by residents every day. That would include enhancing Aberdeen Square so that it is more welcoming to pedestrians, keeping it clear of cars and providing small bandshells for events. It could include enhancing the skating rink with a proper skate shack and better lighting. It could include a better play area for kids, a safer water feature and splash pad, and more drinking fountains and public art.
 
We can’t delay these improvements for 15 or 20 years while we invest funds to build privately-operated commercial facilities. It’s time to prioritize public space. 

Public realm enhancements could include: 

• Additional seating in and around the park
• Small bandshell for varied events
• Additional covered bicycle parking
• Interpretive panels throughout the site
• Enhanced delineation of Aberdeen Square
• Increased lighting and better sound equipment at the skating rink
• Public WiFi on site
• Redesigned entrance at Princess Patricia Way and Queen Elizabeth Drive
• Forestry plan for the site, including floral plan along Queen Elizabeth Drive
• Additional shade
• Redesign and rebuild the Great Lawn
• New permanent art feature
• Permanent skate shack
• More water fountains
• New play area
• Community garden for residents living on site
• Horticulture Building ventilation
• Increased washroom access 

The greenspace at Lansdowne Park is well-used and well-loved by residents. Whether it’s sledding on the hill in the winter or picnics on the lawn in the summer, residents of Ottawa have shown their appreciation for the relatively small amount of usable greenspace at Lansdowne. We need to preserve greenspace and we shouldn’t have to trade 58,000 square feet of accessible greenspace for an event centre.

Should the new event centre be built into the hill and great lawn, then it either needs a green roof that will be accessible to the public, or we must find more space on site to expand remaining greenspace—this could include expanding the great lawn to incorporate the South Court beside Aberdeen Pavillion.

If more people will be living, working and playing at Lansdowne, they will need more greenspace, not less.

The Lansdowne 2.0 project proposes selling off or leasing public air rights for residential use: it must therefore create a significant amount of genuinely affordable housing on site or in the area, including options such as transforming the Bank at Chamberlain city owned parking lot into long-term affordable Ottawa Community Housing. The commitment must be to provide non-market housing units, either on site or close by, of an amount equal to at least 15% of the number of market units built on site.

New housing must be available to all residents, regardless of income. This project must bring permanent deeply affordable housing, owned and operated by a non-market provider.

The idea of three skyscrapers of 35- or 40-storeys shoehorned into Lansdowne Park contravenes thoughtful urban city planning at the site. Residential development should complement the heritage Aberdeen Pavillion. The third proposed skyscraper overshadowing the Pavillion is poorly designed and should be removed.
 
Housing development on the site should create an inviting atmosphere for people to come and enjoy the park, represent the urban village concept promised in Lansdowne 1.0, and it shouldn’t bring 740 additional cars parking on the site daily for the proposed skyscrapers.  
 
We can’t sell off city land and divert new property tax dollars for luxury unaffordable condos and rentals without corresponding public benefits. Lansdowne 2.0 is a public investment, and it must serve the public.  
 
New residents are going to need incremental services just as new residents in new residences anywhere else require incremental services. If 90 percent of the new Lansdowne residences’ city taxes are going to pay for Lansdowne debt, then all other Ottawa residents are going to have to backfill the funding needed for incremental services for Lansdowne residents. The city should be transparent about this. It can propose this financing strategy without making the misleading claim that it is a ‘revenue neutral’ approach.   

It is no secret that transportation to Lansdowne Park needs work. Bank Street is too regularly clogged with cars, without enough public transit serving the park for mid-sized events. Bank Street offers little space for pedestrians and no space for bicyclists. Twentieth Century car-centric planning has failed. If we want Lansdowne to succeed, we must look for new transportation solutions, rather than doubling down on the status quo.

Let’s ensure free shuttle service for all events at Lansdowne. Let’s have increased transit service to and from the park on Bank Street with a dedicated lane. Let’s get bike lanes on Bank Street and create new and safe bicycling infrastructure to and through the site. Let’s ensure the parking lots are accessible at either end of Lansdowne while restricting car access through Aberdeen Square and with surface parking confined to Marche Way. 

We can provide a new entrance way at Queen Elizabeth Drive that is welcoming to pedestrians and bicyclists, giving them a safe way to cross from the canal. We can implement a mid-block pedestrian crossing on Holmwood, to help people access different parts of the site. We can adjust the entranceways and provide safe connections for all road users at each entrance and exit. 

This is fundamental for a prospering and thriving Lansdowne Park. 

Transportation improvements could include: 

• Transit lane along Bank Street
• Increased shuttle service to the park for mid-sized events
• Expanded free transit for all ticket holders and users on Bank
• Long-term plans for either a permanent tram on QED or Gondola along Bank Street
• Bicycle/mobility lanes along Bank Street
• An advance bicycle light at Bank and Holmwood to pair with advance pedestrian light
• A signalized crossing at Queen Elizabeth Drive and Princess Patricia Way
• Extend the Echo Drive sidewalk west from Bank Street
• Create a two-way accessible link from the canal for pedestrians and bicyclists at Echo and Colonel By Drive
• Curb modifications at Bank Street intersections to create a more welcoming pedestrian experience
• Covered bicycle parking and repair station on-site
• A new pedestrian crossover on Holmwood near Bank
• A new sidewalk along the north side of Princes Patricia Way at Queen Elizabeth Drive
• New lighting along the Lansdowne multi-use pathway (MUP)
• Improved lighting at three-way MUP junction along Queen Elizabeth Drive
• Improved intersection design of Bank Street at Fifth Avenue, as per the 2019 Cycling Safety Review of High-Volume Intersections.
• Protected bicycling facility on Fifth Avenue eastbound
• Widened and protected bicycling facility on Fifth Avenue westbound at Queen Elizabeth Drive
• Northbound MUP facility for bicyclists and pedestrians on O’Connor between Holmwood and Fifth
• Upgrade asphalt sidewalk along Queen Elizabeth Drive between Broadway and Queen Elizabeth Place to a MUP
• A new Pedestrian Crossover on Queen Elizabeth Drive at the Southeast corner of the park
• Improved wayfinding on and around the park