ManorPark Community

Just talk to some of the longstanding residents and business owners in Manor Park and they will tell you the face of our community is changing - and it is changing quickly. Many buildings within the park have been converted from rental to owner occupied, new buildings are popping up like mushrooms on St. Laurent Blvd. and existing homes in the core of the Park are being renovated and restored.

So far no decision has been taken on Kettle Island and an east-end location for a new bridge across the Ottawa River. However, we do know that Kettle Island will be one of the options under consideration in an upcoming environmental review.

The City of Ottawa's current Official Plan endorses urban intensification as one of its core principles. With this increased emphasis on intensification, especially in the city centre and near centre communities, where is all this change leading us? Or, maybe the better question is, will we lead the change of Manor Park?

Proactive Response
The latter question is what provided the impetus for a Manor Park Community Development Committee, a sub-committee of the Manor Park Community Association (MPCA). In the May, 2004 issue of the Manor Park Chronicle we outlined some of the new development projects that were up and coming in the area. Among them were the proposed Richcraft development on St. Laurent and Karen Way and the developer's application to the City to rezone this site to an R6 rating - a classification that permits buildings of 6 storeys and higher.

Watching the group of residents from Manor Park Hill work diligently in conjunction with MPCA to react to a project underway made us realize that having something proactive and available for discussions with prospective developers and business people could be a critical tool for residents and community developers.

On the Horizon
As development continues in our area, and as the fate of the site selection for a new, east-end bridge over the Ottawa River and the future development of CFB Rockliffe Base and Manor Park Plaza remain unknown, it is a good time to begin to define some of our unique community needs and expectations. It is time to bring these together cohesively and strategically.

Community Plan
One way of doing this is to convince the City of Ottawa to develop a Community Development Plan. A proposed community development plan would include a vision for Manor Park built upon key supporting principles. These principles would articulate the character, values and needs of our community and, in turn, be a key consideration for upcoming development activities. Such principles would include social, economic and physical aspects of life in the Park, and would provide us with a proactive starting point for our community and its development partners.

Core Principles
More specifically, a proposed community development plan would include principles of conservation of the natural environment, heritage, and character of the community and would propose policies to guide the development of the community taking into account relevant social, economic and environmental matters. Essentially, we hope to jumpstart the City's process by translating the principles and policies of the City of Ottawa Official Plan to the community scale. The history of our area will inform the work of MPCA's Development Committee, as will existing studies and plans prepared in the past for Manor Park.

Action Plan
It is our goal to have a community design plan approved by City Council as a comprehensive policy plan to guide future development of our community and to guide the approval of subsequent subdivisions, zoning and site plan applications.

MPCA's Development Committee looks forward to engaging residents of Manor Park in an inclusive and transparent manner. Whether you have concerns, questions, or ideas, we are interested in hearing from you. Together we can define our vision and future growth needs of our community. Please contact Jeffrey Thiessen, Chair, at 741-8329 or committee member, Melanie Rebane at 747-1608.

MPCA Planning and Development Committee Members