When Mechanicsville stood up against the NCC to save Lazy Bay Commons, we were motivated by the amazing community support that we received from you all! Besides our wins, we achieved what no other small, volunteer-run, community association has in this city, a voice!!!
The fight is not over yet. We still have a financial hurdle to overcome for us to hold both the NCC and the City accountable to the negotiated terms in the Minutes of Settlement (see link below) as the plans for Lazy Bay Commons move forward. We need your financial support to clear the final legal costs incurred in the Trees Not Embassies campaign.
Although we didn’t win everything we wanted in this fight, with your help we stood up for what we felt was right. Taking on the NCC was not a fair fight but this is what we got:
A federal park/environmental preserve of .9 Ha of land at the east end of Lazy Bay Commons. This larger park equals 24% of the total area, well-above the City requirements of 2-5%. This federal greenspace is to be reflected in all NCC planning documents within 2 years;
Enhanced connection between Laroche Park and the Ottawa River as provided in the Scott Street Community Design Plan;
The NCC, the City and the MCA will work cooperatively to “implement the Agreement in a manner that protects and promotes the public interest and the health and safety of the community” and to respond to all reasonable written requests;
Consultation with the MCA on the design of a pathway connecting Forward to Hinchey Avenue and best efforts to retain or replace existing trees adjacent to 89 Forward Avenue;
Mature trees should be retained except where removal is unavoidable, best efforts shall be made to replace removed trees on the Lazy Bay Commons;
The NCC shall not make any alterations to the Lazy Bay Commons prior to redevelopment that would render it inaccessible or contrary to its current informal use, other than for reasons relating to public health or safety or if preliminary work or studies are required for the purpose of redevelopment or site investigation;
Construction of a sidewalk along Burnside to Slidell with an “active transportation connection” along Slidell to the Parkway to be built upon construction of the first embassy; and
Lands not set aside as a federal park, will be developed for up to 5 embassy buildings limited to 3 stories tall with either underground or screened parking and no parking, driveways, or waste bins facing the community and limits on security fencing.
Established the Ontario Land Tribunal precedent that Community Associations should have standing to represent their community
This precedent-setting campaign and its outcomes would not have happened without your support and the legal ingenuity of our legal counsel, Kristi Ross. MCA is 100% run by volunteers and this campaign was not an exception. Many passionate association members spent tireless hours making this campaign happen and they would do it again to support our community. We will not stop until the park is fully accessible and the last tree is planted in Lazy Bay Commons!
Please consider donating to our GoFundMe: Trees Not Embassies Legal Defence Fund at https://gofund.me/076db3ee or you can donate directly to the Mechanicsville Community Association by cheque or by an electronic transfer sent to mechanicsvilleca@gmail.com. Note that donations need to be marked as “Trees Not Embassies Legal Defense Fund.”
If you would like to read the full text of the Minutes of Settlement Agreement, please visit the MCA website www.mechanicsville.ca/ncc-embassy. Also, please feel free to reach out to our members with any questions you have about this effort at mechanicsvilleca@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Lorrie Marlow, President
Mechanicsville Community Association
