Since 2004, discussion about the long-term development of the land tract between Henderson Street and King Edward Avenue has been a hot topic between the University community and its Sandy Hill neighbours.
The University’s King Edward Precinct Plan received a stamp of approval by the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI), and on October 1, the plan, developed by Urban Strategies, Delcan and ERA Architects, was awarded an OPPI Excellence in Planning Award.
Developed in collaboration with the Sandy Hill community, the plan will concentrate institutional development along King Edward Avenue in order to stabilize and strengthen the urban fabric of Sandy Hill by preserving the residential scale and character of Henderson Street. King Edward Avenue is projected to become a vibrant pedestrian-oriented focal point for the University.
The City of Ottawa’s Planning and Environment Committee and city council approved the plan earlier this year.
The University will continue to consult with area residents as the plan is implemented and to submit any proposed new developments through the standard city approval process, including public consultations.
For Claudio Brun del Re, assistant director, planning and programming of the
Physical Resources Service, the King Edward Avenue rezoning is a collaborative effort with the local community in establishing a vision for this important area.
“Working closely with the Sandy Hill community allowed a unique win-win solution to emerge that will support the University’s full development needs while maintaining Henderson’s architectural scale and character,” says Brun del Re. “Now that we have stabilized the long-term vision for these three important blocks, we are working on a more detailed master plan for the area. While there are no active projects as of yet, we are testing a few development scenarios, both on King Edward and Henderson, that may lead to some exciting developments in the next few years,” he adds.
