City, NCC reach deal allowing embassy row to go ahead

The National Capital Commission can build its row of embassies in Ottawa's Mechanicsville neighbourhood after all, albeit with roughly a quarter of the site reserved for public parkland.

City council approved a negotiated settlement Wednesday, one that will keep the fight over the commission's embassy project from winding its way through the Ontario Land Tribunal.

While the settlement between the commission, the city and the Mechanicsville Community Association (MCA) might not make everyone happy, it was the "most prudent way forward," said Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper.

"There was obviously widespread opposition to putting embassies at all in that parcel of land. The desire on the part of the community was to keep it entirely open space," said Leiper, whose ward includes the 3.7-hectare site along the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway.

"But the odds of fully prevailing at the Ontario Land Tribunal were not great. So the decision has been made to settle this on terms that were agreeable [to all three parties]."

No more than 5 buildings

For several years, the National Capital Commission (NCC) has hoped to build embassy buildings on the swath of greenspace in the west-of-downtown neighbourhood, despite loud opposition from Mechanicsville residents.

The NCC had even secured the green light from the city's planning committee, before that decision was unexpectedly overturned by full city council in February 2022.

Some councillors who gave their approval at committee switched their vote, apparently in anger over an unrelated NCC decision to reject a transit corridor on Greenbelt lands in the city's east end.

One month after the embassy project was nixed, the NCC filed an appeal with the land tribunal, arguing council didn't follow provincial planning rules.

The motion approved Wednesday clearly lays out the elements of the future embassy site:

• No more than five "principal buildings" will go up.
• Parking will be encouraged to go underground, though it will be allowed on the surface if concealed by or within buildings.
• There will be new pedestrian infrastructure, including a sidewalk on Burnside Avenue and a pedestrian corridor between Forward and Hinchey avenues.

It also means a May 1 tribunal hearing is no longer needed.

"There's a number of things here that are positive for the community overall," Leiper said.

Embassy fight 'galvanized' neighbourhood

In a news release Wednesday, the MCA said the "cash-strapped" community is relieved it won't have to raise tens of thousands of dollars to pay lawyers and experts to keep up the fight.

The out-of-court settlement will preserve 24 per cent of the site — dubbed "Lazy Bay Commons" by residents, a reference to a small bay on the Ottawa River — as parkland, the community association said.

"It's no exaggeration to say that the fight over Lazy Bay Commons galvanized this community," said board member Roy Atkinson in the statement.

"We fought together for a place we love."

As for the NCC, a spokesperson said in a statement the commission was "pleased" to have reached the agreement on a project that would "balance required functions of a national capital with local interests."

CBC asked when construction would begin, but the NCC did not answer the question.