Glebe Community Association Lansdowne Committee Update 

April 2021

 

This update will focus on the following items concerning Lansdowne Park:   

 

  • City’s review of Lansdowne Park
  • Aberdeen Square Renewal project
  • Canada Healthy Communities Initiative funding application
  • Glebe Community Pop-Up art gallery at Lansdowne Park
  • Next meeting of the GCA Lansdowne Committee

 

City’s review of Lansdowne Park:

 

  • Following the decision by City Council in December 2020 to extend its partnership with OSEG until 2066, the City and OSEG committed to undertake a review process to update and improve the Lansdowne Partnership Plan.
  • As part of this process, two Councillor Sponsor Groups have been formed to review the work and findings of city staff and OSEG. One group focuses on how to enhance the site through greater animation and use of amenities, and the other group examines theplanning and infrastructure aspects of the site. Councillor Menard is a member of both groups and both Councillor Sponsors Groups have met and started their work. 
  • Additionally, a stakeholder Sounding Board is being commissioned to review the work of city staff, OSEG, and both the Councillors Sponsors Groups, and provide critical input, feedback, and suggestions. 
  • Laura Smith, Anthony Carricato and June Creelman will represent the GCA on the stakeholder sounding. Representatives from the Glebe BIA, residents who live in the condominiums at Lansdowne, neighbours on Holmwood Ave as well as representatives from Old Ottawa South and Old Ottawa East will make up the stakeholder sounding board. 
  • The first meeting of the stakeholder sounding board is on May 5th, 2021. Following this initial meeting, Anthony Carricato will brief the GCA’s Lansdowne Committee and report on what we heard and how we can continue to advocate for an improved Lansdowne Park.
  • The review is supposed to be complete by June 2021 and will be brought to the City’s Finance and Economic Development Committee in the Fall. (Timeline subject to change).

 

Aberdeen Square Renewal project:

 

  • Following the community consultation in October 2020 and several meetings with OSEG, Councillor Menard and community association representatives in Capital Ward in late 2020, plans for a renewed Aberdeen Square were put on hold until OSEG had a discussion with Casino Lac-Leamy on a revised concept that better aligned with the community’s vision for Aberdeen Square.
  • On March 23rd, 2021, OSEG informed the City that they would like to pause the current plans they had been working on for enhancements to Aberdeen Square to allow the City working group and Councillor Sponsor Groups to given the opportunity to complete their review and include the Square’s “best use forward in the scope of the ongoing work.” 
  • OSEG’s letter says they remain committed “to work with the City, and our community on innovative and creative ways to evolve Lansdowne into an active gathering space that works for our neighbourhood, our region and for visitors to our City.”

 

Canada Healthy Communities Initiative funding application:

 

  • Earlier this year, the Federal Government launched the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative providing up to $31 million in existing federal funding to support communities as they deploy new ways to adapt existing public places such as parks, main streets, and indoor spaces that encourage safe cultural or physical activities, and local commerce. In other words, “safe and vibrant spaces.”  
  • Aberdeen Square, which is municipal land would not only qualify for this funding, but perfectly meets the criteria. 
  • Andrew Peck, Executive Director of the Glebe BIA and Anthony Carricato, Chair of the GCA Lansdowne committee are working with representatives from OSEG to pull together a funding proposal before the deadline on June 24, 2021. 
  • Our proposal will take the ideas we heard from the community during the consultations last Fall to add elements to Aberdeen Square that will enhance the square and the activities that happen in the square, for example, more shade, seating, trees, planters, etc. 
  • To be clear, this initiative is separate from OSEG’s plans to renew Aberdeen Square, and the funding will be in addition to the funding already committed by Casino Lac-Leamy.    

 

Glebe Community Pop-Up art gallery at Lansdowne Park:

 

  • The Glebe Community Pop-Up art gallery re-opened on March 6th, 2021 after the GCA, the Glebe BIA, OSEG and a new partner, AMICA the Glebe, worked together to lease the former Structube at Lansdowne Park. The Pop-up is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-5pm. 
  • We have doubled the number of participating artists from 9 in November and December to 21 in March and April. 
  • Our community pop-up art gallery has been a great success, despite having to temporary close due to the provincial stay-at-home order. We had 690 people visit the gallery during the 10 days we were open in March and early April. Given public health orders, we capped the number of people at 10 inside at any time, so we would have likely had many more. 
  • Our lease was extended until the end of May, and the artists are keen to re-open on the weekends as soon as non-essential retail is permitted in Ontario. 

 

Next meeting of the GCA’s Lansdowne Committee: 

  • The next meeting of the GCA’s Lansdowne Committee will be on Tuesday, May 11, 2020 from 7-8:30pm. Anyone interested in welcome to join us via Zoom: 

https://zoom.us/j/93111820834?pwd=Z3Y4TnVRSFpLaEZYakorU2FUSlJBZz09 

Meeting ID: 931 1182 0834

Passcode: 780538