Ottawa councillor wants new role for Tunney's Pasture

Tunney's Pasture is a valuable piece of real estate for Ottawa and is beingunderused in its current role as an office complex for the federal government, say a number of observers.

The land at the corner of Scott Street and Holland Avenue is mostly fields and parking, but sits on the city's main transit line and close to downtown.

The site is home to 22 federal buildings housing thousands of public servants, including most of Statistics Canada's employees. But many of the buildings, built in the '50s and '60s, arepast their primeand in need of repairs.

Nearby resident Evan Thornton, the editor of the online urban issues magazine Spacing Ottawa, calls the government complex a waste of space.

"There's nothing for the surrounding community. There is no way for the community to get much out this space, either," Thornton said.

Ottawa councillor Peter Hume wants the Tunney's Pasture goverment complex to be turned into a new urban neighbourhood.

Hume, the councillor for Alta Vista and the head of the city's planning committee, said Tunney's Pasture needs to be revitalized. He said the city would look to the federal government to develop the land because light rail is soon coming nearby.

And he said the city would push for some change.

"We're not going to sit back and wait for the federal government to do this. We believe it is our role to be the catalyst for change with these federal properties and others across the city and we're going to do that," Hume said.

Public Works and Government Services Canada would not comment on the future of the Tunney's Pasture site.