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NEWS
Agriculture Minister Ted McMeekin visited a North Gower farm to witness the level of damage being caused by drought. – Page 6
CITY HALL COMMUNITY
The Manotick Classic Boat Club will host its 37th annual antique boat show on Aug. 11 with more than 50 boats participating. – Page 15
FEATURE COMMUNITY
On your bike! Four reporters check out commuting options on two wheels, as part of our Cycling the Capital series. – Page 21
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City makes Clapp Lane height concession Residents want secondary plan reviewed first Emma Jackson
emma.jackson@metroland.com
EMC news – City planners have changed their Clapp Lane zoning amendment proposal to include a 12 metre height limit instead of 13.5 metres, in response to public outcry. About 130 Manotick residents packed the arena’s community hall on Thursday, Aug. 2 to hear Coun. Scott Moffatt and city staff explain a zoning amendment proposal for a Dickinson Square property that would allow a mixeduse building next to Watson’s Mill. The Manotick Mill Quarter Community Development Corporation, a private corporation wholly owned by the city, bought several properties in the square in 2007, with the mandate to place strict development guidelines on them before selling or leasing them to recoup the $2.4 million investment. Now the corporation’s board chaired by Moffatt is preparing to sell 1125 Clapp Lane, which has the least historical significance and the highest revenue potential. In May, the board applied for a zoning amendment that would impose a 13.5 metre height limit, which residents argued would dwarf the mill and destroy the character of the square. The rationale for the taller limit was to make the property more marketable, so that the city can recoup more of its investment through the Clapp Lane property instead of having to touch Dickinson House and other heritage buildings in the square. Moffatt said that out of 100 emails he received on the issue, only one was in support.
In light of this, he and his team reduced the limit to 12 metres – half a metre shorter than the mill itself. “The focus was three storeys, and I think we addressed that with the 12 metres. It’s not higher than Watson’s Mill, which I know is important,” he said, adding that the community will get further input on specific designs once proposals from developers are received. “This isn’t the last time. They’re going to know what that building looks like before we even sell the property.” Manotick Village Community Association president Klaus Beltzner said he was pleased the councillor had listened to the community. “I see tonight as a turning point because the community got through to the councillor and staff. It wasn’t a ‘yes, but.’ Today it was a ‘yes,’” he said. “They did everything in their power to protect our current secondary plan.” SECONDARY PLAN FIRST
Residents remained critical that this zoning amendment proposal is even on the table, considering that Manotick’s secondary plan has never been reviewed since it was created in the late 1990s. Residents said they want to see the entire process of selling and developing the city’s mill quarter properties on hold until the village’s secondary plan is updated. Its review has been delayed several times over the past decade, most recently in early 2012 when city staff realized after several consultations that more studies were needed. See MOFFATT, page 4
Ottawa, ahoy!
Laura Mueller
The schooner Lois McClure, a replica of a 19th century commercial boat, arrived in Ottawa on Aug. 1 as part of a four-month tour celebrating 200 years of peace between Canada and the United States following the War of 1812.
Community looks for traffic fee break on Bridge Street Emma Jackson
emma.jackson@metroland.com
EMC news - Manotick community members are asking the city to waive a fee that could cause traffic havoc during Bridge Street construction. After months of developing a community-led traffic management plan that would keep both lanes open on Bridge Street while Princiotta Developments builds a new seniors’ residence, the city is now asking between $500 and $600 a day in rent from the developer to implement the plan. That could top $288,000 over the course of the 16-month project, and force the developer to resort
to closing lanes and flagging traffic, which does not require a fee. The Manotick Village Community Association is now calling on the city to waive the fee because its plan so clearly benefits the community, said association president Klaus Beltzner. The plan shifts both lanes of traffic south, keeping them narrow, but flowing. Meanwhile, the shift would create room for Princiotta’s construction vehicles along the north sidewalk. The plan is supported by residents, Rideau-Goulbourn Coun. Scott Moffatt, local emergency services representatives and Joe Princiotta, owner of the development company.
But the city would charge a fee to block the public sidewalk, a factor that Beltzner said never came up in planning meetings with city staff. Beltzner said that while Princiotta was on board with the community’s plan, he cannot be expected to pay the extra funds when a free alternative exists, even if it will negatively impact traffic for Manotick, Barrhaven and Riverside South residents who rely on the bridge to get across the Rideau River. Beltzner said the city should waive the fee or reduce it to $1 on the grounds that the community plan is more beneficial. See FEES, page 16
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