Riverside hospital’s neighbours ‘blindsided’ by potential pitch to turn green space into parking

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People who live near Riverside Hospital say they were blindsided to learn the hospital is considering turning green space in their neighbourhood into a staff parking lot.

Word of the proposed parking lot — a plan for which has not been finalized, according to the hospital — was discovered after a nearby resident asked a surveyor what they were doing on the land.

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“How would you like to learn from a surveyor that the green park across from your house was to be developed as a parking lot?” wrote neighbour John Martins in a letter to this newspaper.

The land in question, on Sarah Billings Place across the bus transitway from Riverside Hospital, is owned by The Ottawa Hospital. It is part of the property that was sold to the hospital by the city for $1 on the condition that it continue to be used for non-profit healthcare. Under the deal, the city could claim the surplus land back if it was not to be used for its intended purpose.

Some of that land is green space that has long been used by residents for picnics and play, among other activities, say neighbours. It also serves as a buffer between a quiet residential neighbourhood and Riverside Hospital, they say.

Riverside is now the site of a soon-to-be-built long-term care and retirement home development. The development is aimed at increasing access to long-term care, helping to reduce wait times and improving access to care throughout the health system, said the hospital in a statement.

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Construction of the development by the privately owned Schlegel Villages does not meet the original intended use of the land, for non-profit health care. Last year, the city asked TOH to pay nearly $13 million in compensation for the land because of that.

But under a half-billion dollar deal between the province and the City of Ottawa, the city no longer has the right to claim compensation based on land use. That right transferred to the province under the deal, which has essentially cleared the way for the development — which will include a 256-bed long-term care home and an adjoining 15-storey retirement residence — to begin.

In a statement, hospital spokesperson Michaela Schreiter said some existing staff parking is no longer available due to the construction of that long-term care facility.

“To provide more parking for our staff, we are exploring ways to increase parking options at the Riverside campus.”

In recent months, the City of Ottawa has been working on the lot to upgrade the watermain as part of a development project down the road at Bank and Riverside, say neighbours. That involved digging and disturbing the green space, but neighbours said they were assured by the city that the property would be restored to greenspace after the work.

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Earlier this year, a resident noticed surveyors on the property and asked what they were doing, to then be told that it was being considered for a 140-vehicle parking lot.

“We are saddened,” said neighbour Anna Chiappa. “It was a beautiful park used by the community.”

It is also the last untouched remnant of what was once land belonging to the historic Billings Estate, said neighbour Patricia Prud’homme, who lives nearby.

Alta Vista Councillor Marty Carr said she was unaware of any plans to consider building a parking lot there until she was contacted by residents.

She said she is meeting with hospital officials, “who were extremely apologetic that they had not informed me.” Carr said she is working to help the hospital look for other solutions.

“My strong preference is we find another location for additional parking,” said Carr. She noted that the Riverside Hospital has a transit stop at its front door.

The hospital has been doing preliminary work, including taking soil samples from the site, but has not made a decision. Doing so would require a site plan application.

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“Aside from soil sampling, the hospital has not done any work on the lot at this point,” said Schreiter in a statement, “but we are working with the city to explore the best use of this lot.”

Carr said a potentially complicating factor is Ontario’s Bill 185, The Cutting Red Tape to Build More Homes Act, which appears to exempt hospitals and long-term care institutions from some planning obligations. She said the implications of the bill — which has not passed into law – are not entirely clear at this point.

As of now, the city says, building a parking lot on the land requires an application to the city’s planning department.

“The City of Ottawa can confirm that, to date, no application has been received for the construction of a parking lot at this site. As per current regulations, the submission of a site plan would be required prior to the construction of such a facility,” said director of planning services Derrick Moodie.

Neighbours say they fear noise, light pollution and a significant increase in traffic if the proposal goes ahead.

John Martins noted residents were assured by the city that the for-profit development was to be near Smyth Road and there would be no development near Sarah Billings Place in Alta Vista.

“Our neighbourhood has always thought of the Riverside campus as a very valuable part of our community. We are dismayed and disheartened by the hospital’s and the city’s blindsiding us and only learning of this proposed parking lot by accident,” wrote Martins.

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