Glebe residents fear loss of park

Residents of Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood are upset that five acres of baseball fields, playgrounds and dog runs next to Lansdowne Park have been included in the re-design of the site.

A call for designs put out by the city last week shows parts of Sylvia Holden Park included in the plans.

Ottawa Coun. Clive Doucet said Tuesday the developers want part of this recreation area next to Lansdowne Park to dress up the look of the heavily commercial $250-Million makeover planned for the site.

"Baseball diamonds, and its all part of the infrastructure of this community, and now we find out when they go for proposals its right in there...we've been doubled-dealed (sic) again.  What's the fear? That we're going to lose this park, and it will become part of the shopping centre complex," Doucet said.

A spokesperson for the city told CBC News there are no definitive plans to eliminate Sylvia Holden Park, and that the city simply wants to see what designs, architects could come up with if the five-acre site was included.

But residents in the Glebe neighbourhood say they have been fending off the advances of land developers for decades, and suddenly it appears they will have to mobilize again.

"My concern is that the space we have will be lost or moved in such a way that they won't be as accessible. This is rated one of the top three walkable communities in all of North America, and it's because we fought to make it that way," said Glebe resident Elaine Martin.

Hundreds of people who bring dogs to the park each week also want the city to keep hands off:

"Ottawa is not all that dog friendly. We only have this one park that is gated so dogs are safe when they play here," said Jane Gardiner.

"I'll be very sad if it does happen. We come all the way from Alta Vista [to use the park]," said Gordon Ritchie.

Plans for the green-space competition at Lansdowne Park must be submitted to the city by May 11.