Development could leave generations of Little Italy kids without green space, residents say

Catherine Boucher felt a rush of shock and dismay when she saw the city's plan for a long-awaited development in Little Italy.

In the draft plan released in May, a new elementary school is situated on top of Plouffe Park, a sliver of public green space in a central neighbourhood where parks are scarce.

Although the plan for the property between Preston Street and the Trillium Line includes a new park next to Plouffe's current footprint, community groups are concerned the construction could leave the neighbourhood without any green space for years.

"Every inch of green space is very important to us and this play park has served a purpose for generations," said Boucher, president of the Dalhousie Community Association.

"It's very much part of the fabric of our neigbourhood."

Park is more than a century old

According to Boucher, who welcomes many of the other elements planned for the property, Plouffe Park is a "precious resource" that's served Little Italy well for more than 100 years.

The park is one of just a few places in the area where kids can learn to play soccer or basketball, she said.

Although it isn't large enough for a regulation soccer pitch, it does house two smaller fields side-by-side. Patches of dirt beneath the goalposts mark heavy use.

In the summer, kids play on the splash pad, playground and basketball court between the Plant Recreation Centre and the field. In the winter, they skate on a pop-up rink.

The centre hosts a unique, free summer program that's only possible because its doors open directly onto Plouffe Park, said Carol Sissons, board member of the Plant Pool Recreation Association.

The association is part of a coalition of local community groups called P4X — or the Plouffe Park, Plant Pool Expansion Coalition — that attended a rally last Sunday to save the park.

City bought lands at discount

In 2017, Ottawa Community Housing purchased a large tract of federal surplus land near the site with plans to develop it into a "village" combining affordable, subsidized and market-value housing.

Four years later, council voted to buy another slice of that federal land to the south along Somerset Street at a heavily discounted rate.

The city paid just $2.87 million, a fraction of the original asking price, and drew the money nearly entirely from cash-in-lieu-of-parkland accounts. It got the discount because its plans — including a new park and expanded community centre — aligned with federal priorities.

The 2021 Corso Italia Secondary Plan promised a roughly one-hectare park stretching from the edge of Plouffe Park to the Trillium Line tracks.

In the draft plan for 1010 Somerset St., that park appears alongside a slew of new amenities, including a multipurpose community centre, multiple residential towers and the previously mentioned French public school.

Sissons said the new green space was never meant to be a "replacement" for Plouffe Park.

"We're just deficit, deficit, deficit in this kind of outdoor active green space," she said.

That deficit, according to Boucher, could get worse before it gets better.

The community worries about how long it'll have to wait for the new space after Plouffe Park is demolished. Boucher said it could take up to a decade.

"We're going to have in our neighbourhood at least two generations of kids who will grow up with nowhere to kick a soccer ball or play basketball," Boucher said. "That's just not acceptable."

'False choice' between school and park

Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster said while many "tetris pieces" have to fit into the site, she believes they could be arranged better.

Any conflict between the school and the park, she said, is a "false choice."

"The school needs to be built. It needs to be built as soon as possible. But it doesn't need to be built in the middle of a park," she said.

Troster said she's heard lots of feedback from the community, from parents who support the plan to others who want the school built elsewhere on the property.

The current plan is a first draft, she said. Community engagement will help guide the city toward a final version "that will hopefully meet as many needs as possible."

City taking 'phased approach'

The City of Ottawa declined an interview request.

Kevin Wherry, manager of parks and facilities planning, said in an email the city "recognizes the concerns" about the potential loss of the park.

The current draft concept does not yet have the endorsement of council, Wherry said. If approved, the development "could be phased in over seven to 10 years," he added.

"This phased approach would allow for continued access to some park features during the construction phase," Wherry said, adding that a report to council is expected at the start of 2024.

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