Ottawa residents petition against east-end development
Last Updated: Monday, May 25, 2009 | 3:27 PM ET
CBC News
Scott Richardson said he and some of his neighbours plan to petition a new development in Ottawa's Overbrook community at a public meeting Monday night. (Rebecca Zandbergen/CBC) A group of residents in Ottawa's Overbrook community are fighting against a housing development that could soon be coming to their east-end neighbourhood.
Groupe Lépine, a development company, recently sent a flyer out to Overbrook residents announcing it's holding a public meeting Monday night to talk about its plans for the site at Presland Road.
The site is currently home to a convent and daycare, but neighbours have heard that the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary are in talks with the developer.
Reports said Groupe Lépine's plan is to build one eight-storey and one 12-storey apartment building on the site.
"Our concern is that this is completely out of character with the neighbourhood, which is mostly single-family dwellings and town homes," said Scott Richardson, who has lived in the neighbourhood for eight years.
The invitation to the public meeting, Richardson said, comes too late in the process.
The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in Ottawa have reportedly been in talks with developers about their site on Presland Road. (Rebecca Zandbergen/CBC) "We're upset that we haven't been included. We're upset that the community council wasn't included, which to us was absolutely essential," he said.
Jacques Legendre, the councillor for Rideau-Rockliffe, however, said the developer is working to include members of the community in the process.
"There has to be a first meeting and this happens to be it," said Legendre.
"The people are upset that they didn't know about [the development] before. This is the first [meeting]."
A petition could be premature so early in the process, said Legendre.
"I haven't seen the petition," he said. "I don't know what the petition asks and I don't know if the petitioners have a good sense of what the project entails."
Richardson said he plans to attend Monday's meeting, along with his neighbours, to present the petition to Groupe Lépine and to show their commitment to their community.
"We've been scrambling, you know. I gave up Leonard Cohen tickets tonight to make the meeting," he said.
