WHEREAS one of the key areas of community concern identified in the plan is the limited greenspace; and
WHEREAS the Ottawa Community Housing project at 930 Gladstone was not required to pay Cash in Lieu of Parkland, or provide a dedication of 10% of the site towards park space; and
WHEREAS West Centretown has one of the lowest percentage tree canopies in the City of Ottawa, per the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study, at 13.1% coverage; and
WHEREAS West Centretown has one of the lowest percentages of private greenspace in the city, with only 4.6% of land covered by residential parkland; and
WHEREAS the Official Plan and the West Downtown Core secondary plan project the addition of roughly 10,000 new housing units in the neighbourhood, and many of these will not have private greenspace; and
WHEREAS the high cost of land and existing high density make parkland acquisitions uniquely challenging in Somerset Ward; and
WHEREAS finding ways to maximize greenspace in the new development is an ongoing concern that will continue to be relevant as the project progresses through the detailed design phase; and
WHEREAS this concept plan includes provision for 1 hectare of new parkspace, and any changes to the concept plan proposed through the detailed design phase must maintain that provision.
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any land occupied by an aboveground District Energy System aboveground installation not be considered parkland for the purposes of the net parkland gain; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that tree retention be considered and addressed as part of the planning review process, with the goal of preserving as many mature trees as possible.