a first look at the tewin development, proposing around 15,000 new ottawa homes
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an artistic impression of the "community spine" in the tewin development in southeast ottawa.
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it will be years before there are shovels in the ground, but the public is now receiving its first look at what the controversial tewin development in southeast ottawa might be.
artist renderings of the project, a three-way partnership between the algonquins of ontario and developers taggart and caivan, show views of a sleek mix of high-density housing, commercial buildings, with abundant trees, trails and parkland and a striking “tewin community centre” serving as a hub.
when complete, the community will have approximately 15,000 homes built around a central “main street” with easy access to public transit, says craig lametti, an urban planner with toronto-based urban strategies inc.
“tewin really is an opportunity — a bold and exciting opportunity, in my opinion — to build homes for around 35,000 people. in a place like ottawa, that will play a significant role in solving the housing-supply problem,” lametti said.
the project is large enough that planners will be able to co-ordinate the delivery of transit, infrastructure and services in a “walkable, sustainable community,” he said.
“we don’t get that opportunity very often. we work on projects across canada and globally. it’s not every day you get to work on projects this scale, that can bring all of those things together.”
the tewin development (tewin means “home” in algonquin”) was first proposed in 2020 and approved in 2021 by a previous city council under former mayor jim watson. it is to be built near the intersection of boundary road and highway 417 on an 450-hectare, inverted l-shaped parcel of land.
purple indicates boundaries of proposed tewin development.
city of ottawa
but the project has been controversial. the land scored poorly in the city’s rating system for development, supplying services will be costly and the involvement of the algonquins of ontario has been criticized as more of a lucrative land deal than a real act of reconciliation.
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then, in 2023, there was outrage at a massive clearcutting of trees on the site, something the developers said was needed because of damage from the may 2022 derecho.
lametti pointed out the tree-cutting didn’t occur within the tewin study area and, regardless, the tewin plans had been profoundly shaped through indigenous input.
“we did a walking tour of the site with indigenous knowledge-keepers and elders and we talked about, ‘what are the significant pieces of the study area?'” he said. “and one of the pieces that came up was the importance of water to the algonquin community and about how we could find ways to showcase it.
“you know how we are in cities: we tend to throw it (water) in a pipe and put it underground and be done with it. one of the things we’re focusing on is bringing it up and highlighting the water systems in the community so they’re ever-present.”
every street in tewin will connect to parkland or pathways, lametti said.
“we’re very excited about those characteristics that have been focused on making it possible for people, through their day to day living, to experience their natural systems. we’re really trying to make that a part of the community itself.”
the developers are also committed to creating a natural land trust adjacent to the community that will protect hundreds of hectares of ecologically significant land and incorporate trails and low-impact recreation opportunities, he said.
the community will be transit-friendly, with 90 per cent of residents living within a five-minute walk of the central “transit spine,” the main street with “fast, frequent and reliable” bus transit. the developers are working with the city on how to connect the community with transit to other areas and the newly opened trillium line lrt, lametti said.
an open house on the development was scheduled for thursday, jan. 9, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the carlsbad springs community centre at 6020 piperville rd.
an artistic impression of the mixed-use neighbourhood in the tewin development in southeast ottawa.
urban strategies
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the headwaters and mixed use centre of the tewin development near ottawa.
urban strategies
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