Reporters, they say, love numbers. Which means, I suppose, people like to read about numbers. If you’re one of those people, this might interest you. The city handed out some background information to the media during today’s Lansdowne presentation and since I don’t see it posted online, I share a brief version with you here. You might wonder how on earth the number of bike spaces will mysteriously quadruple on major event days. A note in the backgrounder says two “bicycle corrals” would be brought in.
Before |
After |
|
| Asphalt | 26.8 acres | 1.8 acres |
| Park space | 6 acres | 18.5 acres |
| Trees | 230 | 880 |
| Event spaces | 4 | 20 |
| Bike parking | 32 | 450 (up to 1,970 for big events) |
| Sidewalks and paths | 35 metres | 7.2 kilometres |
| Bench seating | 20 benches | 1 kilometre of benches and “seating walls” |
| Public art | 3 pieces | 5 pieces (2 new) |
Today’s presentation was interesting enough — hey, who doesn’t like snazzy pictures, right? — but I think the real meat of the redevelopment update will be in the committee reports scheduled to be published by the end of the week. For example, Heritage Ottawa past president David Flemming made a good point after the presentation about there being no information about what will happen inside Aberdeen Pavilion. We also saw no information about the renovations to the Civic Centre.
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Follow City Hall reporter Jon Willing on Twitter at @JonathanWilling
I’m sure the city planners will make good use of the heritage buildings at Lansdowne.
What I like about this is the increase in park size. From 6 to 18.5 acres! Now that will be a main attraction to people who go to Lansdowne.
My only concern is the upkeep of the refrigerated rink. Another $200K/yr in expense? I’d rather have a shallow pond with a centered water fountain. It’s less expensive and peaceful to look at.