Save Our Pitch!

Springhurst Park is one of the few pitches the city has in the downtown area.  Walkable from the core, near the transitway, and easily accesible by car, Springhurst Park has served the Wolves well.

However, the Park is under two threats from the city: the first came as part of the LRT project, in which Springhurst was going to be used as a parking lot for uOttawa, as uOttawa was losing part of their parking lot for an LRT staging area. The second comes from the city's master plan, in which the Alta Vista Transit Corridor is supposed to go right through Springhurst.

Thankfully, the parking lot that was going to be put at Springhurst park for uOttawa is expected to be voted down tomorrow at the uOttawa board meeting, and an alternate plan proposed by the city, where the parking lots at 200 Lees will be expanded northward and uOttawa will have increased parking access at the Sandy Hill arena, is likely to be passed.

However, the city's planned Alta Vista Transit Corridor is still a threat to Springhurst. It is a long-planned four-lane highway that is supposed to go through much of Ottawa's greenspace, and connect Walkley and Conroy to the 417/Nicholas through Springhurst park. Phase one of the Corridor has already been constructed, but the important part for the Wolves is phase two, which is supposed to link Riverside to the 417/Nicholas, right through Springhurst. If you look at the city's master transportation plan, phase 2, it is the only red line near downtown, marked ATVC.

According to the city's information session the Wolves attended on February 13, phase 2 of the city's transportation master plan would be constructed sometime in the next 5-10 years. However, this year the city is re-evaluating all its plans, and is specifically focusing on increasing livability——meaning reduced car dependence, increased density, transit-oriented development, and walkability. This is our opportunity to tell the city how important central, walkable, transit-oriented fields are, and Springhurst in particular. As Springhurst is one of the only fields near a transitway station and walkable from the core, it is ideal for both the Wolves and the city's purposes, as fields downtown are already scarce.

All members and supporters of the Wolves should email planning@ottawa.ca, jim.watson@ottawa.ca, and david.chernushenko@ottawa.ca and express how important Springhurst is to them and to the city's new goals.

If you have any questions about the city's transportation plan, I encourage you to visit the City of Ottawa's planning review page or email colin.simpson@ottawa.ca, the head planner of transportation for Ottawa.