Frustration 'palpable' during rezoning workshop

Posted Feb 2, 2012 By Jessica Cunha

EMC News - Neighbours, friends and residents of the Beaverbrook community gathered for a hastily assembled workshop to deal with an application to rezone the land at 2 The Parkway, on Jan. 24 at Earl of March Secondary School.

Kanata North Coun. Marianne Wilkinson hosted the meeting in an effort to develop a plan for the plot that fits within the community. Due to an error in the Jan. 19 councillor column, which incorrectly identified the date of the meeting at Feb. 24, a number of residents received little notice about the workshop.

"Twenty-eight hours notice is no good," said Andrew Stirling, who lives on Reaney Court with his wife Eileen Howell. The two have been collecting funds from the community to pay for legal consultation and a possible OMB hearing into the rezoning of the lands.

"The idea of spot rezoning is fundamentally bizarre," said Stirling.

The developer, Morley Hoppner Group, bought the land at 2 The Parkway, where the old Canada Post Office currently sits empty. The company applied to the city to have the land rezoned to allow for a 16-storey residential building.

The workshop was supposed to allow for groups of residents to discuss alternate ideas for the site that would fit within the community's design. However, much of the meeting gave way to a heated debate about spot-rezoning.

"The one success of this meeting is to show the planning process is broken," said Matt Muirhead, president of the Kanata Lakes Community Association. "The frustration is palpable in the room."

About one quarter of the close to 50 residents who turned out for the meeting left before it was over.

"There's a feeling of powerlessness," said Muirhead.

Some residents submitted their own comments privately to the councillor at the meeting but there was no outward discussion of what type of building would better serve the community.

Gary Sealey, president of the Kanata Beaverbrook Community Association, said coming up with an alternative plan for the land should not fall to the residents, the issue is with the city and the planning committee allowing for spot rezoning to take place.

"We anticipate the same systemic problems," he said. "Many people are feeling this, something is wrong here.

"There's a lot of people enraged. There's a lot of concern."

Stirling echoed the sentiment.

"The battle is about spot rezoning. The battle is about bad planning," he said.

COMMUNITY PLAN

Wilkinson said she needs a "composite community plan" to bring to the planning committee or else it's likely the committee will accept the staff recommendation - which residents may not like.

"I know they're not recommending a 16-storey building, I can tell you that," she said.

A number of residents submitted comments before the meeting, but very few made suggestions as to what could be done with the property, she said.

"I'm up against real obstacles," said Wilkinson. "I think we need to be a little more specific."

Under the current zoning, the developer could build a community centre, a day care, a group home, a place of assembly or worship, among many other options. Other ideas could be brought forward, but may also require the city to rezone the land.

"We want (the planning committee) to say 'Yes this will work,'" said Wilkinson, about submitting alternative ideas. "They're very open to it."

She said that without community suggestions, she can't take a stand on the development.

"I can't make a decision on supporting the public until I get the full picture," she said. "I want all the ideas."

A number of residents at the meeting said they were concerned the developer wouldn't listen to the alternatives suggested by the community.

"We have to come here cynical," said a new resident to Beaverbrook, who didn't want his name used.

He named similar battles over rezoning in the Glebe and Westboro, communities that lost against the developer.

"It's a flawed process," he said.

Others said suggesting alternatives may weaken their position on spot rezoning.

"It's a sign of weakness," said Muirhead about making recommendations.

He questioned Wilkinson if providing alternatives could "weaken the position of the community" in the future.

Her answer was no, but Muirhead said he wasn't convinced.

"People are just really suspicious of the planning at the City of Ottawa," he said.

A number of residents still submitted their suggestions to Wilkinson as to what the developer could do with the site.

Included in residents' recommendations under the current zoning:

- A land exchange, possibly with the public school board.

- Keep the present building and find a use for it.

- Create a community garden.

- Build a retirement home or residential care facility.

- Construct an educational facility or an extension for Earl of March.

- Build a community health and resource centre or a clinic.

Included in residents' recommendations with a change to the zoning:

- Create townhouses similar to Callaghan Court.

- Build a multi-dwelling building similar to the condos further south on Teron Road, with a recommended maximum of five to 10 storeys.

- Construct a mixed-use building that could house residential, commercial and community rental spaces.

Wilkinson said she is looking into possibly hosting a second workshop if there are enough residents interested in the idea.