Live at Wateridge
We are proud to announce our three new builder partners for Phase 1A at Wateridge:
- Claridge Homes
- Tartan Homes and;
- Uniform Urban Developments
The first phase of Wateridge Village offers a wide variety of homes. Quiet, pedestrian friendly, tree-lined streetscapes will accompany everyday conveniences and a welcoming new community.
An on-site sales pavilion will be opening later this fall. Until then visit www.wateridge.ca to learn more about the builders and homes that will be available.
DID YOU KNOW? In 1964, when the military ceased flying from the base, Rockcliffe housed one of the world’s more significant historic aircraft collections of the Canadian War Museum, the early National Aviation Museum and the Royal Canadian Air Force.
It takes a village
This is a long newsletter, but also an informative one. We hope you find it helpful.
Wateridge.ca
The Wateridge Village website is under continuing development and will soon transform into your online source for all project information and updates. In the meantime, Canada Lands wanted to provide some information and respond to common questions we have been receiving about Wateridge.
Construction Activity
Construction and associated inconveniences are an unfortunate reality in the creation of an ambitious, brand-new community. This development is not your average development; reintegrating a 310-acre (125-hectare) site into the fabric of the community is a monumental task and we appreciate our neighbours’ patience and understanding during the various construction phases. We are committed to having construction activities abide by all City of Ottawa by-laws for noise and other requirements, and for work to be completed as quickly as possible. We will do our best to post any significant construction updates to our website and Facebook page.
Codd’s Road will continue its reconstruction until December 2016; truck traffic will continue to use Burma Road in the interim. In 2017, as part of our Phase 1B exercise, the new Wanaki Road will be built with full municipal infrastructure and, once in service, Burma Road will then be a north end “cul-de-sac” or terminated at Provender. As such, land between Provender and Montreal Road is subject to a road closure and we look forward to working with residents on how we can improve this open space including the relocation of the Thorncliffe Village gateway feature. The gateway currently sits at the northeast corner of Montreal Road and Burma Road and will be impacted by Wanaki Road construction. Affected residents will be contacted directly.
To review the details surrounding the overall development we encourage you to visit the City of Ottawa website and view the approved Community Design Plan and other relevant materialspertaining to Wateridge Village.
Various site plans, most extracted from the Community Design Plan, provide a better understanding of the overall development.
Plans include:
and more!
DID YOU KNOW? Wanaki Road, which is the the re-aligned Burma Road, is named for the phrase “Wanaki”, which is the Algonquin term for “at peace”. To learn more about the other street names that have been finalized so far, click here.
About the Sir George-Étienne Parkway
Some people have asked if the Parkway will be developed with residential units.
The answer is: no.
The Parkway will remain as-is and continue to be owned and managed by the National Capital Commission. The construction activity that you may have noticed is only related to the excavation of a stormwater management system which will incorporate a natural waterfall from the ridge above, hence ‘Wateridge’. In 2017, extensive landscaping will enhance and create natural connections, beautifying the area even more.
What’s happening with the 3 school sites?
The three identified school sites are reserved as follows:
- French Catholic Elementary in phase 1A
- French Public Elementary in phase 1B
- English Public Elementary in phase 1B
The first of the schools to be built is the French Catholic Elementary; however this could be several years away, potentially within the next 5 years or so. For the other two sites, each board may optionally express its intention to proceed with the acquisition of the land as the development progresses; school boards have to right to decline or accept the site reserved to them within seven years after that parcel is registered with the City. So far, the CECCE school site parcel in Phase 1A has been registered . Phase 1B is slated for registration in 2017. Please visit each board’s website to get more information about their respective long term plans.
Stay Connected, Keep Participating
We listened to the community throughout our planning process, as well as during the City’s own approval processes, and the results can be seen throughout the final approved plans. Although our formal consultations are complete, going forward, public input will continue to be vital in the planning of the green spaces, parks and commemorations within the site.
Stay tuned to the City of Ottawa’s website and participate in the City’s municipal park consultation processes as they occur. The first parks to be named and constructed are the parks labelled #5 and #9 on the CDP’s Parks & Open Space map in phase 1A. Additionally, Canada Lands is planning various commemorative elements for the site that will honour veterans, the site’s military legacy as well as the Algonquins of Ontario. We will be posting information about our commemoration activities as they arise.
Greening Wateridge Village
We are pleased with the progress of our greening plans. With our commitment to creating a place of pride, Canada Lands is introducing many more trees than what has been removed, and will also incorporate other innovative green features such as the aforementioned waterfall and family-friendly green spaces. Look for these starting in 2017. Three storm water ponds and myriad other low impact features utilizing specially designed soils will not only serve as an effective water management tool for the development, but also an attractive one. All of our landscaping work is in accordance with plans developed by professional landscape architects and are approved by the City of Ottawa and the National Capital Commission as phases progress.
Community Amenities
Two parks (#5 and #9) in Phase 1A will be built in 2017. The community design plan also allows for a community amenity in park #2 (South Community Park) in Phase 1B . What this amenity will be, as well as its form and function, falls within the purview of the City of Ottawa. The City will make any final decisions. More details about this will be provided during the park planning process led by the City.
How high will buildings get?
As seen in the CDP Heights plan, the permissions include heights of between 11 to 70 metres depending on the location.
How long will it take to build the whole site?
The 320-acre site is expected to take approximately 15 years to be fully constructed; however market conditions and other factors will play a role in the actual timeline.
Work on the new Aviation Parkway north bound off ramp connection to Hemlock is expected when development proceeds westerly towards Hemlock in future phases. Traffic volume will be monitored as development progresses, as Canada Lands works to mitigate interruptions to the community.
Do you anticipate any commercial activity?
Yes, the plan calls for a commercial core in Phase 1B and we hope to begin building interest in the area in the next two years or so. The employment core also has an adjacent section in Phase 3, along the eastern boundary adjacent to the NRC campus. The employment core will be implemented as the development progresses as well as being influenced by market demand.
What about public transit?
We are very pleased to announce that we’ve reached an agreement with OC Transpo to offer early transit service in the new neighbourhood by 2017 with regular bus service. Once the first 50 homes are built and occupied, residents will be able to access route 129 which will make eight trips in the morning and eight in the afternoon during peak hours during the week.
