Ottawa Public Library picks city-owned site for $168M central branch

The Ottawa Public Library is recommending a city-owned site just west of Bronson Avenue for a new $168-million central library branchthat would also house Library and Archives Canada.

The land at 557 Wellington St.runs west from the intersection ofAlbert and Commissioner streets and south of the Confederation light rail line.

The site is about 50metres west of Bronson Avenueand about 250 metres east of the forthcoming Pimisi LRT station.

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According to the proposal revealed Thursday, the city library and Library and Archives Canada would have their own spaces within the facility. However, they would share some amenities including a main entrance, a public square, an exhibition gallery, a genealogy centre, and a public meeting space.

The super-library would cover 216,000 square feet, with 133,000 square feet going to the city library branch. It would cost $168 million to build although that's a very rough estimate with the city paying$99 million and the federal government contributing$69 million.

City site scored highest

In a previous round of land evaluations back in 2015 that only looked at city-owned properties, the Wellington Street site hadbeen the library's preferred site for a new central branch.

This time around, an evaluation team studied 12 locations including privately-owned land stretching from King Edward Drive to Bayview Avenue. Thethree top-scoring sites were the city-owned site, along withtwo sites owned by the National Capital Commission and situated on either side of Booth Street by the Pimisistation.

However, the site west of Booth Street was removed from the considerations at the request of the NCC.

• See a map of the location here

Of the remaining two locations, the city-owned site scored highest based on a set of criteria approved by the library board.

"Not only was it adjacent to an existing high-density mixed-use neighbourhood, it's going to be a great city-building project for Ottawa because it's going to be next to a new high-density mixed-use neighbourhood inLeBretonFlats," saidDavidLeinster, an architect withThe Planning Partnership and a member of the evaluation team.

The property also scored high because it's onan escarpment, a naturally attractive site, and alsohas protected views of the Ottawa River, Leinster added.

No deal with federal government yet

The library'srecommendations informed by the work of a 10-member evaluation committee made up of urban design experts, city and library planning staff, and two officials from Library and Archives Canada were presented at a technical briefing on Thursday afternoon. Amassive report was released later in the day.

The option for a partnershipwith the Library and Archives Canada scored higher in the committee's evaluation than a stand-alone municipal central library.

Among other things,a combined project would save $13 million and this site in particular was the cheapest of all those evaluated, the report concluded.

However, the city still does not have a deal with the federal government to build a combined library.

Should the city have to go it alone on a central library, the preferred site would remain thecity-owned land west of Bronson, and it would cost the city $110 million.

Coun. Tim Tierney, who chairs the library board, said the city will now ask the other levels of government to contribute to the municipalportion of the funding.

As well, the city will sell itsproperty at Metcalfe Street and LaurierAvenue, where the main branch is currently located. The rest of the funds would come from debt.

Councillor furious

"It's impossible to sit through this presentation and not come to the conclusion that this was a foregone conclusion," Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenneysaid, referring to the fact that the Wellington Street site was first identified by the city in 2015.

"I don't believe that you actually listened when the public came [forward with input]," said a furious McKenney, who is also a member of the library board.

She told reporters that she doesn't want this once-in-a-lifetime project to be rushed so that the "groundbreaking can be in an election year." (The groundbreaking is being projected for June 2018, months before the next municipal election, with an opening date in the fall of 2020.)

McKenney also raised questions about how accessible the site is for people with mobility issues. The parcel of land is on a slope and would be uphill from the Pimisi station.

The councillor wants to hold her own open house on Jan. 16 at city hall to discuss how the selection criteria was evaluated. She alsocalled for library staff to attend.

Library CEO Danielle McDonald told CBC News thatMcKenney's request came as a surprise, but that staff wouldconsider it.

Group arguing for library in 'core'

Activist groupBookmark the Core has been arguing for a central library in the downtownand has the backing of 16 community associations.

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The group argues that a downtown "core" location would be a more sustainable choice and wouldbetter servethe social, economic and public health needs of the most vulnerable citizens typically big users of the central library.

They identifythe core as being bounded byBronsonAvenue on west, theRideauCanal on the east, Wellington Street on north and Somerset Street on the south an interpretation that the city considered too narrow.

Bookmark the Core's Emilie Taman said she was "not surprised [but] very disappointed nonetheless" by the proposed location.

'[The site] just has so many shortcomings," Taman said. "Number one, all central libraries in North America are located in the core of their city. It's all fine and good to say that there will be people living west of the core in the future, but the population of Centretown will also continue to grow in that time."