1.6 Rideau/Congress Centre

Conceptual Image: Rideau/Congress Centre

1.6.1 Vision

Tourism Focus

In the future, the Rideau/Congress Centre area will play an important role in Ottawa's Central Business District as a centre for visitor activity and special events, welcoming and accommodating area residents, tourists and convention delegates to the Capital City.

Activity in this mixed use area will continue to focus on the interconnecting Ottawa Congress Centre, Westin Hotel, and Rideau Centre, with a shared rooftop terrace and parking facilities. The area will also feature the City's vibrant regional-level arts centre, Arts Court, which will be the focal point of the block bounded by Daly Avenue, MacKenzie King Bridge, Nicholas and Waller Streets, featuring predominantly heritage buildings, with sensitive infill development. These two local venues will be supported by surrounding hotel, office and other complementary uses, including residential uses. All development will continue to benefit from a high level of transit service, which will be further improved with the addition of a below-grade transit system which will serve this area.

At street level, inviting retail outlets, such as restaurants and specialty shops will cater to visitors and passersby. Courtyard cafés and bistros will be popular après performance destinations for the patrons of Arts Court and the Congress Centre, imparting a festive atmosphere.

Heritage and Arts

Attractive development will reflect a new era of urban design in the Central Area. Buildings will follow a range of profiles while contributing to a sense of human scale, from higher profile hotels and office uses to the low profile cluster of heritage buildings in the vicinity of Daly Avenue and Nicholas. The distinct heritage ambience of this significant group of buildings will be protected and enhanced in a manner that retains its historic context and character and increases its visibility. A sense of Ottawa's civic heritage will be captured as the Carleton County buildings and the City Registry are restored and sensitively integrated with the Arts Court block redevelopment and the expansion of the Congress Centre, respectively.

Congress Centre and Rideau Centre

The expansion of the Congress Centre and the Rideau Centre, which will respect and contribute to an enhanced pedestrian environment and heritage ambience along Nicholas Street, will serve as a catalyst for economic growth and development, not only in the Rideau/ Congress Centre area, but along Rideau Street and within the entire Central Business District east of the Canal.

Linkages

The Arts Court block will feature a small, attractive open space and will play a key role in establishing an inviting, sensitively landscaped pedestrian circulation and open space system that will make the Rideau/Congress Centre area more livable. This system will connect the University of Ottawa, Arts Court, the Congress Centre, Rideau Centre, Rideau Street, and the Central Area west of the Canal.

Access to the rooftop terrace above the Rideau Centre, which was formerly under-utilized, will be improved and animated. This open space will be the focus of a variety of pedestrian-oriented activities, similar to those of the National Arts Centre terrace nearby, and will continue to offer some of Ottawa's best views of Parliament Hill, the Canal area and its events, Arts Court and the cluster of heritage buildings.

Pedestrian Environment

The pedestrian environment of the Rideau/Congress Centre area will be greatly enhanced as improvements to traffic circulation in the Central Area, east of the Canal, are effected, including: the reintroduction of mixed traffic on Rideau Street; the redesign and narrowing of Colonel By Drive between the MacKenzie King Bridge and Rideau Street; the restoration of the street grid; and the removal of through truck traffic from the area. The maintenance of pedestrian links to and through the Rideau Centre, and the promotion and enhancement of other identifiable pedestrian links will be an integral part of achieving an improved pedestrian environment within the Rideau/Congress Centre area. [Amendment #24, May 25, 2005]

Providing a variety of visitor-oriented activities and special events in an attractive environment with a heritage focus, the future Rideau/Congress Centre area will reflect well on Ottawa and encourage many return trips to the City.

1.6.2 Objectives

Centre for Visitor Activity

    1. To strengthen and promote the Rideau/Congress Centre area, as designated on Schedule B - Central Area Character Areas and Theme Streets, as a centre for visitor activity which features a vibrant mix of uses and plays a key role in Ottawa's Central Business District.

Promote Uses

    1. To promote tourist, convention, arts and cultural, shopping, and entertainment uses and activities in this area.

Enhance Heritage/Pedestrian Movement

    1. To protect and enhance the significant heritage resources of this area, and to enhance the pedestrian environment.

1.6.3 Policies

Visitor-oriented mixed uses

    1. City Council shall permit and promote a mix of uses within the Rideau/Congress Centre area, having particular regard to the following:
      1. visitor-oriented uses, such as hotel, convention, shopping, arts, cultural and entertainment uses;
      2. a regional centre for arts and culture, including venues for innovative arts and culture entrepreneurs, which will be the focal point of the Arts Court block, bounded by Daly Avenue, MacKenzie King Bridge, Waller and Nicholas Streets;
      3. appropriate retail uses at grade which complement the primary visitor-oriented uses, such as galleries, restaurants, boutiques and personal services; and
      4. residential uses as a component of mixed use development, as well as office uses.

Heritage Cluster

    1. City Council shall recognize the City Registry, the Albion Hotel, and the Carleton County Courthouse, Registry and Gaol buildings as a very significant cluster of heritage buildings east of the Canal which serves as an important source and reminder of local civic history. Accordingly, City Council shall ensure that these heritage resources are protected and enhanced in a manner which respects their heritage character, context, and collective relationship, while maximizing their public exposure.

Rideau Centre/Congress Centre Expansion

    1. In considering any expansion of the Ottawa Congress Centre, and the Rideau Centre, City Council shall ensure the fulfillment of all relevant policies of this section and Plan, particularly, but not limited to:
      1. the creation of an appropriate building profile transition to the cluster of heritage buildings in the vicinity of Daly and Nicholas and the protection and enhancement of these heritage resources in accordance with Policy b) above;
      2. the provision of a human scale and the fulfillment of the urban design criteria in Policy f) below, especially the avoidance/minimizing of blank walls;
      3. the restoration of the relationship to the adjacent streets and the Rideau Canal by opening large sections of these facilities to the street and reversing the internal orientation of retail and other uses as per the Targeted Strategy for Colonel By Redesign below;
      4. the provision of improved pedestrian access across Colonel By Drive as per the Targeted Strategy for Colonel By Redesign below;
      5. the optimization of the use of the roof of the Rideau Centre, in accordance with Policy e) below; and
      6. the minimizing of potential vehicular impacts on the pedestrian environment in accordance with Policy h) below. [Amendment #24, May 25, 2005]

Building Profile

    1. City Council shall permit a range of building profiles, while ensuring an appropriate transition to the adjoining Sandy Hill West, Rideau Street and Canal areas. In particular, City Council shall ensure that new development respects, and creates a sensitive transition to the cluster of heritage buildings addressed in Policy b), above.

Pedestrian Environment

    1. City Council shall encourage the enhancement of the pedestrian environment in the Rideau/Congress Centre area through such measures as:
      1. the removal of through truck traffic as appropriate alternative routes become available, which will provide new opportunities for open spaces;;
      2. the maintenance of pedestrian links between the Rideau Centre and the By Ward Market and the promotion and enhancement of identifiable pedestrian corridors and links, particularly pedestrian links to Rideau Street, the University of Ottawa and the Central Area west of the Canal, while ensuring appropriate streetscape treatment which complements the architectural context of adjoining development and particularly respects the character of the cluster of heritage buildings addressed in Policy b) above;
      3. the provision of small pedestrian amenity areas, such as green pocket parks and courtyards, especially along pedestrian corridors and within the Arts Court block addressed in Policy a) ii) above; and
      4. the optimization of the use of the Rideau Centre rooftop terrace, through such measures as animation of external access points to ensure identifiability, and the programming of such space with appropriate pedestrian-oriented activities.

Urban Design

    1. City Council shall, when reviewing plans for development, ensure a high quality of design in keeping with the character of the area and its high profile image as a centre for arts, culture and other visitor-oriented activity. City Council shall, therefore, have regard to the Urban Design policies outlined in Ottawa Official Plan Sections 2.5.1 and 3.6.6, and shall particularly ensure that new development:
      1. provide an interesting roof treatment or other appropriate design feature at the upper levels, within the height limits, that adds visual interest to the building;
      2. is sensitive to, and respects the character of nearby heritage buildings in accordance with Policy b) above;
      3. is of a human scale and especially avoids overpowering effects;
      4. maximizes opportunities for sunlight;
      5. minimizes undue impacts of wind; and
      6. minimizes or avoids blank walls and creates visual interest through such measures as appropriate architectural detail, articulation of facades, the use of texture/materials, and landscape treatment.

Views

    1. City Council shall protect, and/or maximize and enhance significant public views, particularly those of Parliament Hill, the Canal, and the cluster of heritage buildings and the Arts Court block identified in Policy a) ii) and b) above, as seen from the Rideau Centre rooftop terrace and/or the MacKenzie King Bridge.

Transportation Requirements

    1. City Council shall ensure that the transportation requirements of this area are appropriately addressed through such measures as:
      1. providing a high level of transit service which provides convenient access to the Arts Court block; and
      2. ensuring that parking, loading and other vehicular requirements are recognized in the development of buildings and associated uses in the area while minimizing their potential impacts on the pedestrian environment wherever possible.
      3. undertaking a targeted road reconstruction program to normalize the street pattern once through truck traffic can be removed as per Policy e) above; [Amendment #24, May 25, 2005]

Targeted Strategies

    1. City Council shall consider undertaking the following targeted strategies (see Annex 11) to implement the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy:
      1. Rideau Centre/Congress Centre Façade Improvement Program - requiring a program of façade improvements as part of the Rideau Centre and Congress Centre expansion as per Policy c) above;
      2. Colonel By Redesign - as part of a downtown transportation study and in collaboration with the National Capital Commission, a redesign and narrowing of Colonel By Drive between MacKenzie King Bridge and Rideau Street to facilitate widening of sidewalks, introduction of new street furniture and the planting of street trees;
      3. Heritage Asset Protection and Street Theming - support for the important cluster of heritage buildings in accordance with the Policy h) above by providing incentives and funding for a maintenance plan and by a program of heritage theming on Nicholas and Daly Streets, including public art installations.
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