Deal will allow NCC to build embassy row in Mechanicsville
A row of embassies will soon be built in Ottawa's Mechanicsville neighbourhood.
Ottawa council approved a settlement with the National Capital Commission to allow the crown corporation to use green space near the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway for new embassies.
According to a motion approved by council, the future embassy site will have no more than "five principal buildings", parking will be encouraged to be built underground but surface parking will be allowed if its concealed by, or within, buildings, and there will be a new pedestrian corridor.
Under the deal, 24 per cent of the site will remain as greenspace, according to the Mechanicsville Community Association.
The settlement between the NCC, the city of Ottawa and the Mechanicsville Community Association ends more than three years of debate over the proposed Embassy Row in Mechanicsville.
The city's planning committee approved rezoning in 2021 for the proposed embassy zone, but council rejected the rezoning application. The NCC filed an appeal with the Ontario Land Tribunal, arguing council didn't follow provincial planning rules for the area.
Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper told council there will be some "significant disappointment" in the Mechanicsville community over the settlement, but asked council to endorse the settlement.
"I believe it is the most prudent way forward and there are a number of significant gains for the community that I think I can celebrate, including the creation of a much larger park space than the NCC had proposed and some significant new active transportation infrastructure," Leiper said.
In a statement, the Mechanicsville Community Association confirmed it signed an out-of-court agreement for a settlement on the 3.7-hectare piece of land for the embassy precinct.
"We are pleased to see that the NCC is respecting our community’s desire to keep the greenspace north of LaRoche Park as parkland," MCA president Lorrie Marlow said.
"The principles of settlement are in line with the parkland vision set out in 2014 when we develop and endorsed the Scott Street Community Design Plan."
The association says the agreement comes after more than a month of "intense negotiations" with the NCC, and the May 1 tribunal hearing will be cancelled
"Communities like ours are cash-strapped and having to raise $40,000 or more to pay lawyers and experts is a big burden on our working-class residents," Marlow said.
It's not known what countries will occupy the new embassies.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.