Heron Gate redevelopment | In progress

[Davis137]

Realistically, people will have to start living elsewhere (cities/towns other than the GTA, Ottawa, Montreal, etc), as the cost of living will be more favorable. This doesn't just happen to low-income households, as many people are leaving places like the GTA, and relocating to say Hamilton, Brantford, Paris, Guelph, etc...

This sort of thing is NOT discriminatory, it's just the way things go. Doesn't matter what walk of life you come from, if you can't afford to live somewhere, you will need to move on. As a matter of fact, my own family wanted to live in a couple areas of Ottawa, but the price of admission was way too high for how little of property we could secure, so we looked elsewhere. It's tough finding a property that is meant for larger families (we have 4 kids under the age of 10), that is somewhat reasonable, that isn't in a poor location (with regards to commutes to work or schools).

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

So about $40,000 grand a year in Canada Child Benefit payments?

Yes, I put a pretend family in the calculator and found it was $41,000/year ($3300/month) for an income of $65k (which may be generous?)

It seems like what they're building is several tens of times the density of the existing townhomes. Can they not just do the communist thing and set aside three and four bedroom apartments for the evicted families, who would move back into the same 'lot' but in the building instead of a townhouse? This was normal during the post-war communist growing pains in the fatherland.

[waterloowarrior]

Toronto has a rental demolition/conversion replacement by-law... Mississauga just passed one. These by-law can require the developer to provide affordable replacement housing or provide cash-in-lieu towards the City's affordable housing program.

https://yoursay.mississauga.ca/rental-housing

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Toronto has a rental demolition/conversion replacement by-law... Mississauga just passed one. These by-law can require the developer to provide affordable replacement housing or provide cash-in-lieu towards the City's affordable housing program.

https://yoursay.mississauga.ca/rental-housing

That's an example Ottawa needs to follow.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

Yes, I put a pretend family in the calculator and found it was $41,000/year ($3300/month) for an income of $65k (which may be generous?)

It seems like what they're building is several tens of times the density of the existing townhomes. Can they not just do the communist thing and set aside three and four bedroom apartments for the evicted families, who would move back into the same 'lot' but in the building instead of a townhouse? This was normal during the post-war communist growing pains in the fatherland.

Are they planning any four bedroom units? That's got to be pretty rare.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Are they planning any four bedroom units? That's got to be pretty rare.

I suspect there would be little demand. Those being evicted probably couldn't afford units of that size in a brand new building.

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I suspect there would be little demand. Those being evicted probably couldn't afford units of that size in a brand new building.

Yes, but what I'm saying is that a very small number of units would be needed to let these people continue living in their neighbourhood for the same price. The developer avoids being the evil profit-hungry maniac, and the people continue to live in their neighbourhood.

It would be what, maybe two floors of the buildings? The remainder of the units go for full price. Same deal as CCOC buildings and other large developments with mixed-incomes.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

Yes, but what I'm saying is that a very small number of units would be needed to let these people continue living in their neighbourhood for the same price. The developer avoids being the evil profit-hungry maniac, and the people continue to live in their neighbourhood.

It would be what, maybe two floors of the buildings? The remainder of the units go for full price. Same deal as CCOC buildings and other large developments with mixed-incomes.

Not sure, it sounds like there are hundreds of residents implicated in this. I don't have any details but I think it would be a lot more than two floors.

[c_speed3108]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Not sure, it sounds like there are hundreds of residents implicated in this. I don't have any details but I think it would be a lot more than two floors.

According the Citizen article the other day.

150 Units are being torn down
105 Were Occupied at the time the notices were sent out.


70% of the 105 ~ 74 units have found places elsewhere to move to.

This means there are about 31 units where the residents have not yet found a new place to live.



They also said about 75% of those staying in Ottawa are within 5 KM which places them roughly in box bordered by the Fisher, the Queensway and 417, airport and the Greenbelt .

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by c_speed3108

According the Citizen article the other day.

150 Units are being torn down
105 Were Occupied at the time the notices were sent out.


70% of the 105 ~ 74 units have found places elsewhere to move to.

This means there are about 31 units where the residents have not yet found a new place to live.



They also said about 75% of those staying in Ottawa are within 5 KM which places them roughly in box bordered by the Fisher, the Queensway and 417, airport and the Greenbelt .

Great data. I'm surprised so many found alternative accommodations so quickly in our really tight rental space.

How many units is the developer building now (almost complete) and how many will be built in the future?

Edit: So I counted about 24 units per floor of one building, so assume 96 per building, so that's 288 units on the same lot as 79 (that I counted from satellite image) townhomes.

Now, not everyone would want to live in an apartment building, so again only about 31 holdouts would move into one of the apartment buildings. There are several three bedroom units per floor, and even if some are converted to 4's it wouldn't be a huge stretch for the builder. AND even if they offered a steep discount on these units, its not like they're losing money.

I don't know what the other development will look like, didn't bother to look up the plans, but assuming its similar percentages, and hopefully the buildings are friggin' bigger than these 4 storey wastes of vertical potential. I guess the NIMBY's on the north side of Heron won on that one?

[originalmuffins]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Not sure, it sounds like there are hundreds of residents implicated in this. I don't have any details but I think it would be a lot more than two floors.

Even better, they can then use that as rationale to increase the floors!.

[TransitZilla]

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...o-more-mass-evictions-in-social-contract

HERON GATE DEVELOPER PLEDGES NO MORE MASS EVICTIONS IN ‘SOCIAL CONTRACT’
By: Aedan Helmer

Ottawa Citizen

Updated: February 11, 2019

There will not be a repeat of the mass evictions that forced families from their homes and enraged many in the Heron Gate community last spring, executives with developer Timbercreek pledged at a community consultation Monday night.

In the first update since early December on the plan to redevelop 40 acres of land in the heart of the Heron Gate community, Timbercreek executives and consultants, along with Alta Vista Coun. Jean Cloutier, rolled out some of the first conceptual sketches of what the property could look like.

Greg Rogers, Timbercreek senior VP development, called it a “long-term plan for a community’s renewal,” showing slides of streetscapes, parkland, and housing units that Timbercreek pledged would consist of about 20 per cent affordable housing.

The developer also pledged it would abide by a “social contract” that brought a round of applause from the crowd of about 60 residents and community advocates who packed into the Heron Road Community Centre.

“No further demolitions for occupied units will occur until impacted tenants are able to transfer their leases and relocate within the community to newly-constructed units at the same rent,” Timbercreek stated.

Cloutier said he’s been in talks for months with the developer about the “groundbreaking” agreement.

“It has never been done,” Cloutier said as participants broke off into focus groups to brainstorm further ideas and visions for the redevelopment, which Timbercreek has also promised it will study and incorporate into its final design.

“If there needs to be redevelopment and if some homes need to be torn down and demolished, we cannot have another episode where hundreds of families are being evicted en masse,” Cloutier said. “We need an agreement where those families can move into another home within the community, because it is their community.”

Those units have to be the right size for the family, the councillor said, and have to be at the same rental price.

“There’s the traditional planning where we talk about transit, land use, recreation — all very important factors, but this social part of this redevelopment is groundbreaking,” Cloutier said.

The councillor noted the commitment was made in the pre-consultation phase, as there is no official site plan or official zoning application before the city’s planning department while the developer continues to collect input from the community.

What Timbercreek described as the “social framework” of its vision is made of five main points, including the pledge to relocate impacted families and a commitment to designate 20 per cent of the newly-constructed units as affordable housing.

The developer also pledged diversity in housing units, improved use of green space in and around Sandalwood Park, and efforts to bring employment and training opportunities into the community.

“People need to feel included in the community, connected to social networks and engaged in community and civic life,” said Antonio Gomez-Palacio, a consultant working with Timbercreek on the project.

“That was a good first step, but this community is still in big trouble,” said community advocate Paul Howard outside the meeting, referencing the recent outbreak in violence and the long-standing presence of street gangs in the area.

“It’s in transition and things are actually getting worse before they get better. But we can beat this problem of violence, there’s no excuse for it. And I’m all for enforcement, but we can never arrest our way out of the problem,” he said.

Howard gave credit to Timbercreek and to the councillor.

“I’ve been (Cloutier’s) biggest critic, but I think we need to turn the page and all work together. We can do better in this city and it’s up to us to all pitch in.”

A second community consultation will be held Tuesday at 6 p.m. at The Hub on Cedarwood Drive.

[TransitZilla]

Erin McCracken had some pictures on Twitter from the open house, e.g.: https://twitter.com/erin_mccracken/status/1095102105461948416

[OTSkyline]

Wow that's a big increase in density vs whats currently there.

Good progress and for the area though! Although they will need to increase transit and frequencies on Walkley is that's the case.

Wonder when we will see the chosen plan and renders of the whole area.

[Multi-modal]

Construction Update...

South side of Heron Gate 7 (looking northeast):


Looking east from Sandalwood Drive:


Looking southeast from Sandalwood Drive:


Looking east from the intersection of Heron and Sandalwood:

[Multi-modal]

Erin McCracken of Ottawa Community Voice shared the following images from the Heron Gate public open house held yesterday evening:





Plans look great. Note the tallest building in the top rendering is supposed to be 40 stories. I hope they increase transit and community services though - if this gets built in 10-20 years like Timbercreek is planning then one of the most dense locations in Ottawa is going to be even more dense. Honestly more residential density than most people in Ottawa can imagine, and in a location that isn't on a rapid transit line (even if local service is decent).

I got a kick out of one of Erin's tweets, which reads like "local man concerned about things NIMBYs are concerned about always":

An Alta Vista man now expressing concern for heights above six storeys: light, privacy, wall effect on Heron Road.

I hope someone at the meeting told the Alta Vista man to screw off. No one is touching your single family home a couple blocks north of Heron. I wouldn't have the patience to be a planner at some of these meetings.

[CityTech]

Too much density for a site outside the rapid transit network. Should be rejected.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by CityTech

Too much density for a site outside the rapid transit network. Should be rejected.

Unfortunately, most of the low income developments are outside of the rapid transit network. Rapid transit is for middle class suburban commuters and for future luxury condo dwellers. Land next to the Confederation Line will be too valuable for the poor.

[OCCheetos]

Originally Posted by CityTech

Too much density for a site outside the rapid transit network. Should be rejected.

With an extension of the Baseline BRT (in some form) I feel like it'd be fine. It would feed well in to the Confederation Line at Huffman or the Trillium Line at Mooney's. The Alta Vista transit corridor wouldn't be too far either, and neither would a bank street subway..

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by OCCheetos

With an extension of the Baseline BRT (in some form) I feel like it'd be fine. It would feed well in to the Confederation Line at Huffman or the Trillium Line at Mooney's. The Alta Vista transit corridor wouldn't be too far either, and neither would a bank street subway..

You made some big assumptions there.