City revising plan that pits park against school in Little Italy

A major development proposal in Little Italy that would see a French public school built on top of a century-old park is under review while the city explores different ways to arrange the space.

Since the city released a draft plan in May for the property between Preston Street and the Trillium Line west of downtown, community groups have mobilized to protect Plouffe Park.

Those groups say the park is a precious plot of scarce green space, but some parents are worried sending the city back to the drawing board may delay construction on the desperately-needed new school.

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Coun. Ariel Troster said the city is now revising its plan for the property at 1010 Somerset St. in response to "an overwhelming" amount of community feedback.

"The idea of putting the school in the middle of the park just didn't fly with a lot of community members," Troster said. "I really hope that we can come to a plan that the majority of the community can rally around."

The city received more than 1,200 responses about the draft plan through an online survey.

A public meeting was originally scheduled for early November, but the date has since been pushed back until a "full review" of the plan is complete.

That meeting is now expected to take place sometime in December, and Troster said the city will come forward with an alternative vision for the site at that time.

"They also went back to the drawing board with their consultants and said 'pull every idea out — let's make this work,'" Troster said.

Current plans

The plan for 1010 and 930 Somerset St., located on a large chunk of city-owned land next to the Plant Recreation Centre, incorporates an ambitious range of amenities, including highrise residential towers, a multipurpose community centre and elementary school.

Those amenities, which Troster compared to "tetris pieces," must fit into a tract of land purchased at a heavy discount from the federal government. A coalition of community groups has called on the city to rearrange those pieces to allow the park and school to coexist.

Too small for a regulation soccer pitch, Plouffe Park houses two smaller fields side-by-side and backs onto a splash pad, playground and basketball court behind the recreation centre.

Under the current draft plan, those uses for the space would be lost.

"Their initial proposal was not gaining a lot of acceptance," said Catherine Boucher, president of the Dalhousie Community Association.

Boucher said the association is hopeful but not yet willing to declare the city's response a success.

"I haven't seen what they're coming up with," she said. "So I'm not counting chickens yet."

Dan Chenier, the city's general manager of recreation, cultural and facility services, said the city will put together a report about what was learned through consultations and will be "following up on the ideas and feedback that have come forward through various channels."

Parents concerned about possible delays

In addition to the park, Troster said the other main area of concern comes from parents whose children attend école élémentaire publique Louise-Arbour.

Space is short in their current building — a rented school annex owned by the Ottawa Catholic School Board.

The school lacks a library and proper playground. Individualized lessons are held in a storage closet, while the hallways and stairwells are lined with fridges, photocopiers and filing cabinets.

Some parents are worried any potential construction delays will keep their kids in the overcrowded building longer.

So far, Troster said, exploring alternatives has only slowed the process by about a month.

Boucher said the association is "modestly hopeful" the coming changes will accommodate both the park and school without sacrificing any of the other promised green space.

"It's not just about saving Plouffe Park. It's about having a 1010 Somerset site that meets the needs of the people who live here and the people who will be moving in," Boucher said.

"We're still going to be at it until we're satisfied with that."