Signs appeared recently on the Queensway overpass over Preston Street. On both sides — facing north, facing south — have appeared these large channel letter signs. While not lit up when I saw them, they look like they could be lit up. Real estate speculators and condo buyers will have no problem knowing when they are in trendy (according to Ken Gray at the Ottawa Citizen) Little Italy. Continue reading Writ Big
The first meeting of the Bayview-Carling CDP group will be this week…while intended primarily for those who were in the prior process to reacquaint themselves and review the previously identified issues and recommendations, I would think anyone else keen to get involved should contact randolph.wang@ottawa.ca . The study area is from Bayview along the Otrain track to Carling, and includes the undeveloped/underdeveloped/industrial lands along the route. The initial Public Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday, December 10th, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., at Room 4102E/4103E, City Hall. The rooms are located on the fourth floor at City Hall. A public advisory group … Continue reading West Siders can get involved to get the city they want …
These two houses on Hollard are fraternal twins. I find it interesting how differently each looks after some renovation. While I am a fan of brick and generally not a fan of plastic siding, the right one scores higher on the curb appeal. I wonder how it will age. Continue reading Dutch twins
You gotta give it to this Willow Street property owner who took a really big hammer to renovation. Continue reading Willow Street Reno
The renovated house in the top picture is on Armstrong Ave in Hintonburg. I love tiny houses, there is something so doll-house-like, so intimate, so cute about them. Maybe it’s the little-child in me wanting to curl up in a cupboard. Hidden behind the renovator’s trailer to the right of the blue and white house there is a foundation in the ground for another thin house infill. I hope the vacant lot, now for sale, gets some more tiny infill houses rather than a McMansion. I would love to see more tiny houses built in the city. I feel there … Continue reading Small Houses
Along the OTrain corridor is this hidden gem. After a long struggle by residents and the neighborhood associations (the Dalhousie Community Association and the Hintonburg Community Association), and with much behind-the-scenes pushing by the concerned Councillors Holmes and Leadman, the Bayview-Carling Community Design Plan has been reactivated by the city. The focus of the plan is Bayview Station to Carling Avenue, along the OTrain track, which is currently the subject of a development frenzy by condo and office developers who feel the time is right for the rebirth of this former industrial zone. No doubt some of the “time is … Continue reading Bayview-Carling CDP Re-Activated !
Tom Brown arena got new front entry paving and landscaping courtesy of the water main installation along Bayview Road. The old front entry had a large concrete planter with low walls. Trees in it rooted right into the underlying soil. A sign on it indicated Tom Brown’s ghost or a concerned neighbor maintained the planting bed. The new entry treatment has lots and lots of trees. I love this aggressive tree planting. One tree philosophy, I’m told, is to plant too many trees in the expectation that some will die. Rather than come back and replace them (which is expensive), they just … Continue reading Potted Tree Planting
Last week there was a interesting public presentation at City Hall on planning and development in Dubai. Presenter was Gordon Stratford of HoK architects and planners, a mulitnational consultancy. In August 05 Dubai called tenders for a LRT system, and then opened the first 40km segment with 22 stations in Sept 09. The system is expected to grow to 70km with 43 stations, although the 2012 opening date may be delayed given the statlet’s decline into near insolvency recent debt restructuring moves. I recall that at the June LRT technology forum held at City Hall, the winner equipment provider was … Continue reading Dubai, LRT lessons
Pedestrians climb over the significant height of the steel barrier to leave the sidewalk and climb down the slope along Albert Street at Tom Brown arena. At the foot of the slope, they cross the soccer field or parking lots at a diagonal, heading towards West Wellington or Bayview/Bayswater. The worn out slope is quite wide, indicating the volume of pedestrian desire is so large is might be termed pedestrian lust. The “landing zone” on the slope is almost a foot lower than the sidewalk, worn down by all the users. [Notice the curious shaddow of the man – it … Continue reading Slippery Slope of Pedestrian Desires
I note in today’s paper the recent demise of His Tremendousness, Giorgio Carbone, the elected prince of the principality of Seborga — (Bing it!) What caught my interest was the name of the coin of the realm: in addition to the Euro, they had the Luigino. Hmm. Given the popularity of Luigi, spokescharacter for Preston Street, who had locals and tourists alike posing for pictures with his sign likeness, and who enjoyed a certain popularity with the light-fingered, perhaps the Preston BIA should mint its own currency, the Luigi. Make it a 25c or dollar coin, use it for change at … Continue reading The Luigi
The issue of Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ) out this past week has a major story on the development pressures along the Carling-Bayview OTrain corridor, parallel to Preston’s trendy Little Italy. They interviewed me (tiny bit, amongst more illustrious others) following my postings about developments at the Champagne/Hickory/Carling area. You can read their story at http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/295971895949675.php Last week I attended the Civic Hospital Neighborhood Assoc meeting. First item was the new development by Domicile at the corner of Hickory and Champagne Avenue (shown below). The site is now a one storey industrial building, and is zoned for 4 storey redevelopment. A month or so ago, … Continue reading Condo mania on OTrain corridor
Science Canada had a national short film contest for high school students, on the subject of science. Ecole Secondaire de la Salle (on Old St Patrick St) is the local french language public high school for the west side action area. Produced for chemistry class, and recorded in a single 75-minute period, this short rap film extols the virtues of science and technology through the illest lyrics you’ve ever heard . It was produced from start-to-finish in less than five days while the students continued attending regular classes. ES de la Salle won first, second, and fourth prizes in the film contest. You can watch … Continue reading Science Canada awards national prize to local school
The City is pretty much finished its reconstruction, streetscaping, and traffic calming work along Bayview Avenue near Scott. The picture above is of the recently sodded field between Tom Brown arena and the Bayview/Scott/Albert intersection. The dividing line between the old field (left) and new sod (centre) is obvious. Notice how pedestrians cut across the field starting right at the end of the steel crash barrier along the road. The barrier effectively discourages many pedestrians from taking even shorter short cuts; as soon as the barrier ends, a few paths appear immediately. There is a city sidewalk, but it goes … Continue reading Pedestrian desires ignored
The two new condo towers downtown on Kent Street called the Hudson have their entry keyboard on the outside rather than in the Lobby. I haven’t noticed this in Ottawa before. It is common in Vancouver, where the climate is milder. Approaching and using this key pad felt cramped and uncomfortable. It is reality today that so many buildings now have to have their exterior doors locked to prevent people moving into the comfy chairs in the lobby, but this is the first time I have seen one keep people out of the airlock entry. It’s one more step to … Continue reading No lobby for the homeless
A new condo is planned for 1433 Wellington, a half block east of Island Park Drive. It is almost opposite the recent Domicile building at the corner of Picadilly. The site is currently a small strip mall. I think a new mid-rise condo is a big improvement over the strip mall and worthwhile bit of intensification. The building will have vehicular access from the side facing the Loeb/Metro store. The building exterior is very much in the same style as the building at 200 Lett Street at the corner of Wellington, the first condo built in the current LeBreton Flats … Continue reading West Wellington Condo Mania
Whilst walking along Preston Street on a new sidewalk (and not climbing over gravel and around holes) I spotted this gourmand partaking of pigeon delight in Ploufe Park. The concrete in the foreground is the planter wall that separates the sidewalk from the playing field. So, the bird is about 12′ from me. I poked my camera through the chain link fence to become paparazzi to the eagle-eyed. The bird stopped eating, eyed me suspiciously for several moments, before flying off with the carcas. A similar predator frequented my backyard last winter, importing pigeon delicacies to consume by the hibernating … Continue reading Gourmet Take Out
Any introductory book or course on advertising will bring up the original Burma shave campaign. A series of signs along the road has to be read in sequence to get the whole message or advertisement. I thought this was somewhat similar, in front of St Andrew’s Church in downtown Ottawa. If Celtic Prayers don’t do it … there are Prayers for Peace … and then Scottish Tea, plus two other signs that don’t match. Continue reading Shaving Religiously
Claridge is busy building the second tower / second half of the first building at 200 Lett Street on LeBreton Flats. Now that the garage levels are in, the swiming pool cast, and the ground floor poured, the remaining floors will pour quickly, maybe one floor per week. The new building will be a seven storey podium of yellow brick, with a tower on the east side going to 14 floors, with an exterior of yellow brick and glass (same glass as first tower, but second tower will read as mostly brick). The architecture or style of this building is … Continue reading LeBreton Flats condo grows
There are some interesting comments on the recents posts about the lack of building permits for projects on Preston Street. Above is the latest “stop work” order, posted on premises that are already occupied and in business. It makes THREE of these in the same block and half of Preston Street. Continue reading No permits necessary
Seen parked in store window of new condo tower on Rideau Street. And in front of GCTC on West Wellington. Continue reading pedicabs / trikes
This row of stacked townhouses on Lyon Street at Gloucester were damaged by fire last June. After months of no action, repairs are now underway. Continue reading Lyon Street townhouse repairs underway
This info from Capital Crime Writers about a workshop being held in Chinatown at Sushi 88, between Bronson and Cambridge. **Next Sunday’s workshop has limited enrollment, so if you are interested get your tickets soon! The The Dusty Owl Workshop Series Presents Bare Bones of Mystery Writing with Barbara Fradkin Sunday 29 November 2009 1pm to 4pm Sushi 88690 Somerset Street West, Ottawa $15 — tickets available at Sushi 88! For more information: www.dustyowl.com This informal, interactive workshop will examine the enduring power of the mystery novel, in all its guises. There are four magical ingredients of writing crime fiction … Continue reading Chinatown Mystery
One of the noticeable aspects of the Preston street landscaping project is how aggressive the landscape architect was in sticking in trees and shrubs (she was responding to some pretty intense lobbying by the BIA and residents for more greenery). There are a number of tiny planters like this in the area. Barely four feet square, I wondered how well a tree would thrive in such a small well of space. It should thrive, though, due to the protection of the curb from foot traffic that pounds down the earth, and protection from snow plow damage. But mostly its success … Continue reading Tree will thrive …
I have dismayed to see the material trees and shrubs are planted in during the reconstruction of Wellington and Preston Streets. How do they expect trees to grow in paving base? I looked closer, and noticed that the gravel is actually very “dirty”. It is a scientific mixture of gravel, clay, and water-holding chemical ‘modules’. Here is a close up of the material, called structural earth: Below is a picture of a bus stop bulb out on Preston Street into which a tree or shrubs will be planted. It is excavated 3.5 ft down and lined in landscaping fabric to … Continue reading Structural Earth
This infill on Preston is rapidly being enclosed for winter completion. The window pattern is pleasing. There are two storefronts on the ground floor and six apartments above. The top floor is stepped back from the lower floors, which reduces the building bulk. It doesn’t look like the flat roof on the second floor will be balconies/terraces, though, which seems a missed opportunity. Continue reading Preston Infill
