Findlay Creek
City Land Visioning
Over the past few months, I have been leading a visioning exercise to see what would be the best use of City surplus lands in Findlay Creek.
There are several City properties in the northern part of Findlay Creek that are going to be no longer used by the City, including the Old Gloucester City Hall, police station, and public works yard.
The survey asked about the need for more recreation and public services in the area and what types of services would best suit the needs of the community. The vision included a community centre and library, additional recreation, and a health hub on the site of the old City Hall that will be demolished in 2027.
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90 residents filled out the survey, here is what they said:
99% said the City should continue to develop this vision, overwhelming evidence that Findlay Creek needs additional recreation and services and the City should be investing into the future of this community.
80% of respondents said additional recreation was important to them. 70% said a library branch was important and slightly more, 72% said they would benefit from a health hub in Findlay Creek. I have also heard from residents outside of the survey who have shared the need for additional recreation and services for the community.
Fred Barrett Arena serves the community well, but it lacks the space for community programming and court sports like basketball, volleyball and indoor pickleball. Around half of respondants say they use Fred Barrett Arena, on a daily, weekly, monthly, or seasonal basis.
As for what sports residents want to play at these City facilities, 44% said Pickleball. Pickleball is a growing sport that I know a lot of residents are interested in. I am excited that the new Southeast Ottawa Recreation Complex will have 4 outdoor lit pickleball courts, as well as indoor capacity for pickleball in the gymnasium. The second highest response was tennis, at 37%, and there will also be 4 lit tennis courts at the rec complex.
In the meantime, there are courts at Diamond Jubilee Park and Bert Dowler Park for tennis and pickleball. There is also indoor pickleball at the Rideauview Community Centre.
Other sports receiving support were soccer/football (32%), volleyball (23%) and basketball (23%).
Thank you to the residents who took the time to share their feedback on this idea.The next step for this vision involves the City sites such as the old City Hall building and police station becoming surplus so they City can plan the use of that land. This can happen when the new South District Police Station opens in early 2027 and the Ottawa Police Service move out of the station in Findlay Creek to go to the new, larger facility.
The survey is still open for those who still wish to share your feedback about this vision. Residents can also share your comments with me by emailing steve.desroches@ottawa.ca or call (613) 580-2751.
