FORWARD THINKING: a TOD Concept Plan for the Pinecrest Foster Farm Community
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FORWARD THINKING: A TOD Concept Plan for the Pinecrest Foster Farm Community 21 December 2018 FORWARD THINKING | SURP 824 This page was intentionally left blank. P A G E ii FORWARD THINKING | SURP 824 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Pinecrest Foster Farm community, located in the City of Ottawa’s west end, is anticipating the arrival of the Pinecrest light rail transit (LRT) station in 2023. Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), as a major affordable housing provider in the City, and as a major property owner in the area, has a key interest in ensuring that affordable housing is provided near the LRT station. OCH, with support from the City of Ottawa, has retained the Project Team to create a concept plan of what Ottawa’s Pinecrest Foster Farm community might look like if it were redeveloped according to transit-oriented development (TOD) principles. The Concept Plan is looking to a final build-out in 2035. The vision for Pinecrest Foster Farm is to create an inclusive, mixed-use, and transit-oriented community that is a safe and liveable environment for residents and visitors. The geographic scope for this project is differentiated by the Study Area, the site, and OCH-owned property (Figure 1). The Study Area defines a broad area of interest surrounding the future Pinecrest LRT Station, with a focus on lands north of the Highway 417 and west of Pinecrest Road. The site, which is comprised of key lands to be considered for redevelopment, is the focus of the Concept Plan. The site itself is comprised of nineteen hectares of land, which include OCH, municipal, and provincial properties, as well as a few key non-residential private properties. The OCH lands have a mixture of affordable housing units in the form of two-storey townhomes and a fourteen-storey apartment building. Figure 1: Map showing the Study Area, site, and OCH property. Pinecrest Foster Farm currently functions as an isolated bedroom community that is heavily reliant on automobiles. Based on analysis of Duany and Talen’s Urban to Rural transect, the community fell between a Rural (T2) and Suburban (T3) Zone in the 1970s; whereas, today the area falls within the category of Suburban (T3) or General Urban Zone (T4), which is comprised of many single- or semi-detached low-rise residential units (Figure 2). The introduction of the LRT station, and subsequent redevelopment, has the potential to bring Pinecrest Foster Farm into an Urban Centre (T5) or an Urban Core Zone (T6) on the transect. P A G E iii FORWARD THINKING | SURP 824 Figure 2: Duany & Talen’s Urban to Rural transect1. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Challenges (SWOC) Analysis A SWOC analysis was conducted for the Pinecrest Foster Farm community (Figure 3). The Study Area’s proximity to major transportation corridors positions the community well for a transit-oriented redevelopment. OCH and the City’s commitment to providing affordable housing near LRT stations is another strength of the site. However, the Study Area has several weaknesses, including a large brownfield, a discontinuous road network, inadequate infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, and a major physical barrier in the form of the highway and its associated sound wall. As such, while there are substantial opportunities for transit-oriented, affordable, mixed-use and mixed-density redevelopment, significant financial investment will be needed from the City, property owners, and developers to remediate the brownfield, construct new roads and connections to neighbouring communities, and support a safe and active public realm. Strengths Weaknesses • Pinecrest LRT station • Former landfill site • Located on prominent corridors • Grading • Good access to public transit • Highway sound barrier • Land owned by OCH and City • Stigmatization of the area • Existing apartment building • Non-pedestrian friendly • Site’s potential S W • Lack of amenities Opportunities Challenges • Improve connectivity • Highway acts as a barrier • Establish a community centre • Difficult to access external • Support from main stakeholders amenities • Surplus of recreational land • Rigidity of road network • Partnerships O C • Hesitation to welcome higher densities • Leverage of funding Figure 3: SWOC Analysis summary. P A G E iv FORWARD THINKING | SURP 824 Concept Plan The Concept Plan developed introduces a modified gridiron street network that supports multi-modal connections to the LRT station and throughout the community. The plan substantially increases the number of residential units onsite from 417 to over 3,800, a third of which are RGI or affordable units. It also provides equitably distributed green and open spaces for a diverse population, while setting aside spaces for institutional, retail, and office uses. A figure showing the site at full build-out with proposed building heights can be seen in Figure 4. A breakdown of key statistics for the proposed site, including dwelling units and density numbers, can be seen in Table 1. Table 1: Summary of proposed statistics in Concept Plan. Specifications Existing Site Proposed Site Number of dwelling units 417 3,821 Number of residents 1,373 9,017 Office (GFA in sq.m.) 0 61,895 Retail (GFA in sq.m.) 1,660 14,924 Number of employees 95 4,187 Number of people and jobs per hectare 77 695 Institutional (GFA in sq.m.) 8,900 61,371 Average Net Floor Space Index (FSI) 0.50 4.44 Figure 4: Concept Plan with proposed building heights in storeys. P A G E v FORWARD THINKING | SURP 824 Implementation Prior to beginning construction of new buildings in the Pinecrest Foster Farm community, many infrastructure projects and other activities will need to be undertaken. Table 2 below provides an overview of these projects. Table 2: Pre-construction infrastructure projects. Approx. Stage Project Timeline Form community engagement task force, work on master plans, secure 0-3 Research I financing, develop P3 strategies, conclude Pinecrest and Queensview Planning years Study Conduct public engagement, construct LRT station, relocate softball diamonds, 2-6 II realign highway on/off-ramp, submit OPA and ZBLA applications years Conduct public engagement, begin brownfield remediation, submit other 6-9 Implementation III planning applications, upgrade parks years 10-20 IV Construct internal road network, re-house tenants, begin redevelopment years In Stage IV, redevelopment of the site can begin. The Project Team recommends that development be carried out in a manner consistent with Figure 6. This Phasing Plan prioritizes lands closest to the future Pinecrest LRT Station as well as substantial upgrades to Ruth Wildgen Park. Figure 5: How the comm unity might look in 2035. Figure 6: Phasing plan for redevelopment. P A G E vi FORWARD THINKING | SURP 824 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report is the result of the Land Use Planning Project Course at Queen’s University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning. Retained by Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), the Project Team presented the results of their work to OCH and City of Ottawa staff on December 10, 2018. The Project Team would like to thank: Robert MacNeil, Cliff Youdale, Dan Dicaire and Joanie Mitchell from Ottawa Community Housing for their engagement and assistance throughout the duration of this project. Professor David Gordon, for his tireless dedication to this project and to our team’s professional development. The various stakeholders and experts who helped guide the project by meeting with the Project Team, attending our mid-term design charrette and final presentations, and providing invaluable feedback and assistance over the course of the semester: Ajay Agarwal, Carl Bray, Mary Dickinson, Adam Fobert, John Henderson, Paul Landry, Gavin Luymes, Marc Magierowicz, Alain Miguelez, Dhaneshwar Neermul, Christine Ono, Mike Sahidy, Mike Schmidt, Ian Semple, Robin Souchen, Patricia Streich, Chris Swail, Kyla Tanner, Miguel Tremblay, Chris Wicke, and Mark Young. Angela Balesdent and Jo-Anne Tinlin at Queen’s University for their administrative and logistical support. Finally, our friends, family, and colleagues at the School of Urban and Regional Planning, for their kind words and encouragement these past four months. The lands covered in this report are the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin people. PROJECT TEAM BR: Vincent Desforges, Gabrielle Snow, Professor David Gordon, Zoë Acton, Cameron Hodgins FR: Dmitry Kurylovich, Stephanie Magnanelli, Solé Carvajal, Leah Weiler, Colleen Ivits, Charlie Smith P A G E v i i FORWARD THINKING | SURP 824 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................................ III STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES (SWOC) ANALYSIS .................................................IV CONCEPT PLAN .................................................................................................................................................... V IMPLEMENTATION ..................................................................................................................................................VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................................................... VII PROJECT TEAM .................................................................................................................................................................. VII INTRODUTION ..................................................................................................................................................................1-1