Community taking proactive approach, giving input on Lincoln Fields

Six community groups are coming together to discuss with the city, what they would like to see happen at the site of the Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre.

According to former city councillor Alex Cullen, RioCan has been contemplating redeveloping the property since last year, and planning to put up residential towers on the site.

He told The Rick Gibbons Show, as President of the Belltown Neighbours Association, he has been working with Britania Village, Lincoln Fields Parkway, Whitehaven, Woodpark and Queensway Terrace North community groups to gather ideas on what they would like to see happen on the site, instead of later reacting to designs proposed by a developer.

Cullen said the idea of towers does fit with Ottawa's transit-oriented development guidelines, as the property is close to Lincoln Fields Station.

“But let's design it so that people will actually want to live there — [let's make sure] that there is green space, that there is a public meeting area, that you can walk and bike through there,” he explained, adding that he would like to see something similar to what has been done with new builds along Richmond Road in Westboro.

Cullen said one of the main issues facing a new build on that site is that property values in the area are going to go up with the construction of the LRT. Cullen knows that affordable housing will have to be part of the mix if the project is going to be successful.

The city is now working to set up future meetings with the community groups, where they can map out the area, look at issues at hand, and come up with possible next steps.

Cullen is hoping see a meeting held in June, which would to lay out ideas of what the community and the city would like to see from a developer at Lincoln Fields.

Listen to the full conversation with President of the Belltown Neighbours Association Alex Cullen: