The Ottawa Hospital Master Plan
https://devapps.ottawa.ca/en/applications/D07-12-22-0168/detailsThe Ottawa Hospital’s new Civic campus development, which will be located on Carling Avenue adjacent to Dow’s Lake, will be the major referral centre for Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec and parts of Nunavut, and the Eastern Ontario Trauma Centre. As one of Canada’s largest acute care learning and research hospitals, the new campus will provide a full range of specialized services, research and education for those with the most complex injuries and illness.
Background of the hospital project
- 2007 - the Ottawa Hospital convened a Steering Committee to develop a Master Plan which concluded the current Civic Campus is too old and would be too difficult and costly to rebuild.
- 2009 to 2013 - the Ottawa Hospital (TOH) was in discussions with the Government of Canada related to master planning for a new Ottawa Hospital campus and land requirements.
- 2014 - the Government of Canada commissioned the National Capital Commission to assist in the land transfer process to TOH.
- December 2015 - the federal government requested a further review of the land options for the new campus and four sites were examined
- May 2016 to November 2016 – NCC Public Consultation and Site Selection
- December 2016 - Canadian Heritage requested that the Federal government make the Sir John Carling site available as the future location of the new campus of TOH.
- May 2017 - the City’s Planning Committee recommended that staff initiate Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendment applications for this federal land use decision.
- September 2017 to January 2018 – public engagement strategy with nine open houses
- December 2017 and March 2018 – design sessions with the Urban Design Review Panel
- February 2018 - PSPC announced a 99-year lease between the Federal Government and TOH for the development of a new campus.
- May to June 2018 – Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments approved by Planning Committee and City Council through By-law 2018-198 to a new Institutional I2 Zone
Proposal Master Site Plan
The proposed Hospital Site is located at 930 and 850 Carling Avenue and 520 Preston Street. The site is approximately 21 hectares in size within Ward 16 and adjacent to Wards 14, 15, and 17 (see Figure 1).
The site is irregularly shaped and bound by Carling Avenue to the north, Prince of Wales Drive and Preston Street to the east and is loosely bound by the National Capital Commission Scenic Driveway to the south and Maple Drive to the east. The Trillium line (O-Train line) bisects the eastern part of the site.
The primary access for staff and visitors is off both Carling Avenue (across from Champagne Ave) and Prince of Wales Drive, accessing the new 4 storey parking structure.
The main hospital, which is located on the top of the escarpment, will be constructed after the parking structure and once services and utilities are established. The New Hospital Building includes a Central Podium, which will be two storeys, supporting the 2.5 million square feet of hospital space. The Central Podium has two entrance points. Visitors and patients will primarily access the hospital from the parking garage, rapid transit along Carling Avenue and the Carling LRT Station, with access via a pedestrian bridge from the parking facility to the main hospital building. A covered Emergency Department ambulatory drop-off will also be available on the east side of the building for visitor and patient access. First responders and ambulance transfer services, including the ambulance garage, will access the hospital from auxiliary entrances facing west.
Two patient care towers will flank the Central Podium, with the South Tower intended to be 12 storeys and will include a Helipad on the 12th floor, and the North Tower intended to be eight storeys. The proposed eight-storey North Tower is anticipated to be expanded vertically in future phases. The Main Plaza will connect the Central Podium to the entrance from Champage Avenue and Carling Avenue, providing vehicular, pedestrian and transit-user access to the Main Entrance.
Due to the size of the project, the new Ottawa Hospital will be completed in phases. The Master Plan currently outlines 10 phases.
2021: Master Site Plan Approvals
2022-2023: Parking Garage
2024-2026: New Hospital Central Utility Plant
2024-2028: New Hospital
TBD: Potential LRT Station Expansion
2024-2029: Research Tower
2029-2039:
- Carling Tower A
- Carling Tower B
- Carling Tower C
2024-2028: Rehabilitation Unit
2035-2038: New Hospital Expansion
2045-2048: University of Ottawa Heart Institute Expansion
Key Decision Points
- October 1, 2021 – Master Plan approval by Joint Built Heritage Sub Committee and Planning Committee
- October 5, 2021 – Master Plan approved by NCC Board
- October 27, 2021 – Master Plan approved by City Staff
- November 5, 2021 – Urban Design Review Panel review (UDRP)
- November 26, 2021 – Advisory Committee Planning Design Realty review (ACPDR)
- January 20, 2022 – Phase 2 Parking Garage schematic design approved by NCC Board
- February 10, 2022 – Phase 2 Parking Garage endorsed by Planning Committee
- March 15, 2022- Federal Land Use Design Approval granted to enable Early Works
- May 10, 2022 – Final Phase 2 Parking Garage Urban Design Review Panel review
- September 27, 2022 – Phase 2 Parking Garage approved by City Staff
Previous Approvals
- Master Site Plan Approval
- Phase 2 Site Plan Approval (Parking Garage)
- Planning Committee Master Plan Approval meeting minutes
- Planning Committee Parking Garage Approval meeting minutes
Phase 3 and 4 Site Plan Control Application
The subject application is both the third and fourth phase of the Master Site Plan consisting of a Central Utility Plant with electrical, heating and cooling equipment (Phase 3) and the main Hospital building (Phase 4). The main Hospital building will consist of approximately 230,000 square metres of gross floor area comprising a two-storey podium, two towers (Towers A and B) which will house the majority of the patient rooms, and a Pavilion flanking the Main Entrance. The Pavillion will consist of meeting and conference rooms, an auditorium, retail spaces, a cafeteria, and will connect to the weather-protected highline pathway across the top of the 4 storey parking garage.
Tower ‘A’ is eight storey’s and closest to Carling Avenue and the Dominion Observatory Complex. Tower ‘B’ is twelve storeys and is located south of Tower ‘A’.
Phase 3 and 4 will also consists of landscape improvements to enhance accesses to the Hospital and will complete the construction of separated pedestrian and cycling facilities through the site on the east side of internal Roads A and B. It will also complete a multi-use pathway on the south side of the Main Entrance and a sidewalk on the north side to provide access to the Main Entrance. The relocation of existing services located within the site and offsite intersection improvements will be necessary to enable these phases.
Residents are invited to attend a virtual public information session via zoom on February 9th at 6:30 p.m. where the applicant will present their application and answer questions. Those interested in attending can register here.
Timelines
Important dates include:
- September 20, 2022 Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting held
- November 15, 2022 Pre-consultation with Local Community Associations held
- Q4 2022 Phase 3 and 4 Site Plan submission to the City
- Q1 2023 City’s Urban Design Review Panel Review;
- Q1-Q2 2023, Public Information Meeting, Review and Issue Resolution
- Q2 2023 NCC Advisory Committee on Planning, Design and Realty
National Capital Commission Involvement
- Requires an NCC Federal Land Use and Design Approval granted under the National Capital Act by the NCC
- NCC review is guided by Project Specific Performance Criteria including integration, design excellence and sustainability
- Schematic Design to be reviewed against Federal legislation and plans, including NCC’s Plan for Canada’s Capital and the Capital Urban Lands Plan
- Will be reviewed by NCC’s Advisory Committee on Planning, Design and Realty
- Application requirements include reporting on public engagement
- Subject to NCC’s review and issue resolution – Board Approval
Stay Informed and Involved
- Register for future notifications about this site plan control application by providing your comments by e-mailing Stream Shen and adding File No. D07-12-22-0168 in the subject line.
- Access submitted plans and studies regarding this application online at ottawa.ca/devapps.
It should take almost no effort to get from the LRT to the hospital. They must be quick and integrated. The current plan, which leaves hundreds of meters between them in order to favour a massive parking garage, is not sufficient. I also see no plans for close-by mass bike parking. There should be at least 3/4 as many bike spots as car spots in the final plan.
The project should be planned with the upcoming (and not past) decades in mind. Many visitors will choose to visit the hospital by car, and infrastructure should be build to accommodate this. However, the current implementation embraces path-dependency by very strongly de-prioritizing other modes of access to the site (particularly public transportation), which is extremely puzzling given the central location, and existing opportunity for connectivity with public and active transportation networks.
Monstrous car-centric vanity project with poor pedestrian and cycling access. The new hospital project is a constant disappointment and they haven’t even cut down a lifetime of heritage trees yet.
Why is there so much parking including significant surface parking lots (in addition to the parking garage)?
Why is it closer to access vehicle parking from the main entrance than it is to access LRT / public transit?
How is it acceptable to even consider removing over 600 trees in order to build this sprawling health complex, when we are in a climate emergency? Climate change is already impacting the health of canadians - our healthcare systems should be doing everything possible to build and operate sustainable health systems. This does not align with sustainability.
Will it be possible to grow large trees on top of the parking garage in the greenspace there? If not, it is unacceptable to call this a 'green-space' - it will be too hot. tree canopy is needed.
The vehicle parking should all be underground.
There should be much greater emphasis on sustainable transportation modes for the sake of the 1000's of employees who will come to the site regularly.
thank you
More than any other access mode, people visiting and working at the hospital will rely on public transit to get there. The nearby Dow's Lake station is a great opportunity to integrate with transit but there still appears to be several hundred metres between the two. How is access by public transit being made central to the site design?