Neighbours up in arms over parking garage design for Ottawa’s new Civic Hospital
The president of the Civic Hospital Neighbourhood Association is voicing her concerns about some aspects of the new hospital campus' design.
One concern is that the new site, which is set to be built on the land between Maple Drive, Price of Wales Drive and Carling Avenue, will swallow up Queen Juliana Park. But the main gripe is with the plan to build a four-storey parking garage as part of the facility.
“It's 2,500 spots. It's about the size of the parkade at the airport,” explains Karen Wright, of the neighbourhood association. “And this will be in full view [from] the Rideau Canal, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.”
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Wright thinks an underground parking garage would suit the area better. The province won't cover the cost of that, according to the City of Ottawa, but Wright says she's requested federal assistance from Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna.
Over the weekend, a protest was held on the land where the new Civic Hospital is set to be built.
Listen to Wright's full interview from CityNews' The Rob Snow Show:
Meanwhile, Rideau-Goulbourn Ward City Councillor Scott Moffatt also talked to Rob Snow about the future of the City's planning committee and the protest against the new Civic Hospital plans:
