Glebe Community Centre Landscape Project.
GNAG is tackling a landscaping project (on the Lyon Street side of the Glebe Community Centre) which will address accessibility to the building, pedestrian safety and increased parking for community centre staff and patrons.
As a result of our fundraising efforts, GNAG is funding the entire first part of this two phase project. Phase 1 will consist of the relocation of the Lyon Street sidewalk closer to the building allowing for 90° street parking. We have also created more room at the corner of the lot for increased bicycle parking and a safety buffer near the crosswalk. Phase 1 is scheduled to commence spring 2013.
Phase 2 ("not shown/in development") will include extensive gardens and green space, outdoor programming space, and a public art component. We will likely commence fall 2013 or Spring 2014.
If you have questions or feedback regarding this project, you can email your comments to tsaidavies@gnag.ca.
Current landscaping and parking at the Glebe CC
New landscaping and parking at the Glebe Community Centre.
Parking and sidewalk is now approved by the City of Ottawa. The detailed design of the landscaping area is subject to revision.
SAFE ACCESSIBLE WELCOMING
FAQs
Q1: Who decided to do this project and who is paying for it?
Q2: Why did GNAG undertake to re-landscape the Lyon Street parking and entrance areas?
Q3: Are we going to lose greenspace around the GCC?
Q4: Isn't it going to look like a parking garage from Lyon Street?
Q5: Why have any parking aside from slots for the disabled and access for deliveries?
Q6: Why should Staff get parking?
Q7: Won’t perpendicular parking spots create traffic problems along Lyon street?
Q8: Will there be time limits or pay meters on the parking?
Q9: Can I suggest changes to the landscaping plan?
Q10: When will the landscaping project begin construction?
Q11: How long has this plan been in development?
Q12: Why haven’t I heard about it before?
Q13: What are your plans for the greenscape areas?
FAQs and answers
Q1: Who decided to do this project and who is paying for it?
A1: This project was selected by the the Board of Directors of the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group. This Board is made up entirely of elected volunteer members of the community. Since this particular project has been in the works for many years, it has been approved by more than twenty official board members and numerous non-voting subcommittee members. The project is being financed entirely by the Glebe Community Development Fund. The CDF is a special fundraising entity originally created by GNAG to raise money for the 2004 Glebe Community Centre renovations. The CDF has been subsequently used to invest in capital expenditure projects in our community to improve the safety, accessibility and programming capabilities of our community centre and park spaces. All funds in the CDF are raised for this specific purpose, by many volunteer and community partners through such fundraising events as Taste of the Glebe. Any investments made by the CDF do not in any way impact on programming offerings at the Centre.
Q2: Why did GNAG undertake to re-landscape the Lyon Street parking and entrance areas?
A2: There are two reasons why the re-landscaping was deemed necessary: safety and accessibility.
Safety:
The current parking spaces are too close to the school crosswalk area at the corner of Third Avenue and Lyon and do not abide by approved crosswalk set back regulations. Cars are backing out of the parking area directly overtop of the crosswalk waiting area.
The current parking arrangement requires that cars back out over the sidewalk area, which is a busy thoroughfare for small children who are difficult to see in the rear view.
The current parking arrangement obscure visibility of the top of the main entrance stairs to the community centre. As a result, small children are walking between tightly packed cars where they are unexpected and difficult to see.
It is only a matter of time before someone is hurt, we want to fix the problem before this happens by moving the sidewalk to inside, and on an elevated level from, the parking area.
Accessibility:
More often than not, parking anywhere in the near vicinity of the community centre is difficult to find. As such, equal access to the community centre is not currently available to patrons who are mobility disadvantaged or requiring equipment for the courses they are taking.
The parking arrangement as it currently exists obstructs access to the main stairwell that GNAG constructed in 2004, and creates confusion because it blocks the view of the main entrance from the Lyon street side.
Q3: Are we going to lose greenspace around the GCC?
A3: No. In fact we are gaining 400 square feet of garden area. Some key points on the green space:
If you look closely at the design sketch, you can very faintly see a ghost line along the new sidewalk – this line represents the edge of the original side walk. The encroachment on the grass area will be approximately one metre. This extra area can be avoided altogether, however given pedestrian congestion along Lyon, a slightly wider sidewalk, designed to accommodate strollers and two way traffic, was recommended.
The current parking area will become a greenspace with picnic tables, new trees and a flower garden. This space will be open to the community as a lunch spot, or to meet with friends. It is intentionally placed so absolutely no trees will be lost or moved. In fact, a number of trees will be added.
Q4: Isnt it going to look like a parking garage from Lyon Street?
A4: Less so than it does now. Of course, we would much prefer to have our parking tucked away behind any line of sight, but that is unfortunately not an option. However some things to note about the new plan:
The total number of parking spaces is only increasing by 5 spots. Some earlier reporting referenced a much higher increase in parking slots – this is because they did not take into account the 6-7 parallel parking spots that are currently in use along Lyon Street.
The entire length of the West side of Lyon currently has cars parked on it. The visual of looking at the back of a car and the side of the car is not significantly different. It will also be at street level, and will therefore not obscure the greenspace as much as it currently does.
The new parking is significantly set back from each corner, whereas parking currently extends to the very edges of the block. As such, the view from up the blocks will be to greenspace, not parking space.
The new parking will be neatly ordered and will make the haphazard, double parking that currently occurs impossible. As such, even the view of parked cars will be more pleasing.
Q5: Why have any parking aside from slots for the disabled and access for deliveries?
A5: More than 1000 users go in and out of the community centre every day. The parking being recommended accommodates less than 1% of these users. Moreover:
We do feel it is important for the community centre to set the example of using more environmentally friendly modes of transportation, for this reason with the assistance of Councillor Cherenshenko, we are increasing our bike rack capability by 200%, we are also expanding the area available for stroller parking.
It is our belief that the community centre should be equally accessible to all potential patrons.
The Glebe Community Centre, like all community centres, service patrons from across the city, not just those within walking and biking distance.
The Glebe catchment includes patrons from Dows Lake and over by Pretoria bridge. For many, this is not a walkable or bikable distance, particularly if carrying equipment, have multiple children in tow or are mobility challenged.
Many GCC patrons visit the community centre as they travel to and from work.
The main hall is rented to large parties, such as weddings, almost every weekend. This rental income is critical to our ability to keep the community centre in good repair and the doors open. These functions require parking for caterers, organizers, deliveries etc.
Q6: Why should Staff get parking?
A6: A valid question. It would certainly be counter productive from an accessibility standpoint if staff monopolize all the parking spots. But a limited number of staff parking spots are required for a number of reasons:
Firstly, there are over 100 staff and instructors who work at the community centre. Only a very few of these staff are permitted to park in the centre parking area.
Many of these parking spaces have been allocated to city staff and tenants at the centre due to contractual obligations. GNAG is not in a position to affect this allocation in anyway.
Speaking for GNAG, we want to ensure that we provide the best possible programming we can, to do this we need to hire our instructors based on their abilities, not on their choice of transport. As a not-for-profit organization, GNAG is unable to pay our key staff sufficiently high salaries that they can afford to live in our neighborhood.
As part of their jobs, the key GNAG staff that have parking spots use their cars continually in their job (a personal expense for which they are not reimbursed).
Q7: Won’t perpendicular parking spots create traffic problems along Lyon street?
A7: No more so than we currently have with drivers parallel parking:
The parking spots are not angled, making them easy to get in and out of in any direction.
If any slowing of traffic does occur, this would only happen at key pick up times, when it is best for safety reasons that drivers are moving more carefully or become conditioned to take a route that does not bypass the schools and community centre at busy drop off and pick up times.
Q8: Will there be time limits or pay meters on the parking?
A8: We have been promised by the City that the parking will be 100% GCC parking, and GCC users cannot be ticketed or towed. Patrons who will be parking for an extended period of time will be given a dash ticket. This is to ensure that the GCC parking is not being monopolized by individuals visiting Bank street or the adjacent schools or houses.
Q9: Can I suggest changes to the landscaping plan?
A9: Yes to the soft-scaping plan
Most of the landscaping plan deals with the garden spaces, entrance area, picnic area and the set back areas on the corners. The particulars of these areas are still in development and we would love to get hear your ideas.
The hardscaping, since it is part of the City of Ottawa road works cannot be changed without significant loss in time and money. This is because almost all aspects of the street level parking, sidewalk and curbing were dictated by the location of hydro, trees, drainage basins, and various city street regulations. (With respect to the hardscaping, please note that we did respond to earlier calls for limitations on parking, removing three additional slots and worked with Councillor Cherenshenko’s office to buy additional bike racks.)
Q10: When will the landscaping project begin construction?
A10: The construction of both the hardscaping and, subsequently, the greenscaping will take place in the spring of 2013.
Q11: How long has this plan been in development?
A11: A long time!
The renovation of the Lyon Street parking was originally supposed to be included in the overall renovation of the Centre in 2004. Due to budget constraints, the landscaping could not be addressed at that time. As such, the original temporary parking pad was left in place.
In 2007, with monies raised by GNAG fundraisers, we were able to complete the renovation of the entrance ramp, main stairs and retaining walls, but again did not have sufficient funds to address the whole need.
This final stage of the landscaping renovations began three years ago.
Q12: Why haven’t I heard about it before?
A12: If the project comes as a surprise to you, we are sorry to hear that. Over the past three years, we have been openly discussing the project:
We have spoken about it at the GNAG Annual General Meetings, at the Glebe Community Association Meetings, at the many fundraisers that helped raise the money in support of the project.
We have written about the project numerous times in the Glebe Report, and provided information about it on our website.
Because the project is a City street development, and abides by all City regulations and restrictions, no by law exemptions and associated pubic consultation was required.
The plan was developed by a large group of board members, subcommittee members and community centre users.
Q13: What are your plans for the greenscape areas?
A13: You tell us! There are a lot of really exciting ideas in the works. These include:
Picnic tables in the new garden area at the corner of Lyon and Third
A public art component
An interactive childrens garden along Lyon street
A memorial reflection garden along second avenue
Additional bicycle parking
New trees and garden planters at each corner
