City of Ottawa staff have selected two sites for the sprung structures that are to be built to house and support asylum seekers. Clara Freire, general manager of Community and Social Services, said in a memo Thursday that the first such structure will be built on lands at 1645 Woodroffe Ave., near the Nepean Sportsplex.
The second, if necessary, would be at 40 Hearst Way in Kanata, part of the Eagleson Park & Ride. The city looked at several sites for the structures, billed as "Newcomer Reception Centres." The sites were assessed on criteria including availability of transit, walkability to neighbourhood amenities such as social services and grocery stores, and the level of compatibility between the proposed development and the surrounding neighbourhood.
Stantec Consulting was hired to undertake an independent technical review of the top five sites the city was considering, eventually settling on the properties on Woodroffe Avenue and Hearst Way. The portion of the 1645 Woodroffe Ave. site to be developed is bounded by the Ottawa Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) Confederation Education Centre to the west, West Hunt Club Road to the north, a wooded area to the east, and the Nepean Sportsplex to the south.
The parcel is currently owned by the NCC. The city says although the site has a somewhat low level of walkability, it has access to bus rapid transit along Woodroffe Avenue and is less than 5 kilometres from future Stage 2 LRT station. "From an operational perspective, .
