Council approves LeBreton site for $168M central library
Only downtown Coun. Catherine McKenney votes against site
After three years of studies, reports, public consultations and board meetings, Ottawa city council has approved a location for a new $168-million central library at the city-owned land at 557 Wellington St., on the eastern edge of LeBreton Flats.
Only Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney voted against the site Wednesday, arguing that moving the main downtown branch to LeBreton "will be the loss of a branch library in the densest part of the city... It will be a hole in the community."
Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Tobi Nussbaum abstained from the vote.
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Council approved a plan for a 216,000-square-foot complex that the Ottawa Public Library would share with the federal Library and Archives Canada, with 133,000 square feet going to the city library branch.
The super-library would cost $168 million to build — a very rough estimate — with the city paying $99 million and the federal government contributing the rest. That preliminary price tag doesn't include the costs of parking.
The federal government has not approved the partnership yet. If the deal is green lighted, the schedule calls for groundbreaking in mid-2018, construction in 2020 and an opening date in 2022.
Staff expect 5,000 visitors per day at the new library, compared to 2,000 at the current main branch.
Site too far from city core: critics
Many residents have voiced their opposition to 557 Wellington as a library location, which is bounded by Albert Street, Commissioner Street and the Confederation Line. It's about 250 metres away from the Pimisi LRT station, currently under construction.
Critics have argued the site is too far from the traditional centre of the city, and that its location on the escarpment makes it more difficult to get to for people with mobility issues.
As well, many residents of Centretown fear they will be left without a local branch.
At its Jan. 31 meeting, the library board directed staff to consider what could be done to serve those users once the main branch is moved, with a particular focus on the area's most vulnerable residents could be served.
Some have also criticized the process that led to Wednesday's decision.
Although she voted for the library location, Coun. Diane Deans said she was "disappointed with the process," calling it "wonky."
'Let's not be the dither and dance council'
While the library board had a chance to hear from public delegations on the site selection issue, councillors not on the board weren't invited to sit at the table. So council, which has final authority on approving the site, was never able to question public delegates.
As well, Deans and council colleagues Jean Cloutier and Riley Brockington asked for a public meeting in the community, but were told that library staff would not be available.
Coun. Rick Chiarelli, a former library board chair, acknowledged that the site might not be perfect, but said it's still a suitable location for a new central branch.
"We're in the position to accept something that looks pretty good," he said. "You've got a great opportunity in front of you that hits about every goal you have."
Cloutier echoed those comments, acknowledging "it's a less convenient location for certain users of the library, but more convenient for other users … Let's not wait another 10 years, let's not be the dither and dance council."
Next steps
Council also directed Mayor Jim Watson and city manager Steve Kanellakos to start lobbying the provincial and federal governments. There is still no official plan to pay for the library, but it will include some long-term debt. A detailed financing plan is expected in June, which will include how much money the city can raise by eventually selling the site of the current main branch at Metcalfe Street and Laurier Avenue.
And next month, the library board will deal with parking at the new library site. The library's master plan for a new central branch calls for the possibility of an underground garage of up to two levels that holds a minimum of 170 parking spots.
There will also be more public consultation on the design of a new library. Previously, Watson said he was "not opposed" to an international design competition for a central branch.