South Keys Transit Plaza
Status: In October 2023 the City received a revised application from SmartCentres which includes a single building and a reduced number of units; the proposed design for the plaza is unchanged and still includes 2-3 ground floor retail spaces. The proposal is currently going through the City’s application review and approvals process (updated April 16, 2024).
Summary: On November 9, 2021, the City received a development proposal for 2200 Bank Street which includes the transfer of land to the City to create a new park called the South Keys Transit Plaza. Once transferred to the city, construction of the transit plaza could begin. Better South Keys has taken an active role in discussing the vision for the Transit Plaza including with Councilor Diane Deans, SmartCentres REIT, OC Transpo, and the City’s Parks department. The timeline for development approval and park construction remains unknown.
In the City of Ottawa’s South Keys Secondary Plan a transit plaza has been proposed to the immediate east of the future South Keys LRT station and existing BRT station. This Transit Plaza is meant to “form an urban courtyard gateway to the station entrance, comprised of hard and soft landscape elements.” Through the development approval process this open space will be transferred to City ownership from the current land owner.
The transit plaza will ultimately form the entrance to the transit station and will be fronted by new mixed use development. This has the potential to become the heart of the redevelopment of South Keys and we feel it is important for the public to be consulted early in the design. The plaza will improve access to the transit station, could provide a more seamless cycling connection to the Sawmill Creek Pathway, and could provide a range of public amenities such as tree cover, playground equipment, or public art. Better South Keys is committed to representing the future residents of South Keys and existing residents of neighbouring communities to make sure the Transit Plaza is a place that residents of all ages can enjoy.
Our Actions:
- We attended the public consultation in December 2021 for the proposed development and submitted comments which the City and design team is reviewing.
- Organized and attended meetings with Councillor Deans, SmartCentres REIT, OC Transpo, and the City’s Parks department
- As part of our Spring Walk on April 23, 2022, we engaged with 50 community members in a walk of the future plaza from end-to-end, inviting people to imagine what the future space could become.
- We published a survey to our website on June 28, 2022 that asked people for their vision for the Transit Plaza which received over 100 responses
- On September 24, 2022, we hosted an on-site community Visioning Exercise for the transit plaza, attended by 30 people including several candidates for councillor
- In July 2023, we hosted the Mayor of Ottawa, Mark Sutcliffe, on-site outside of South Keys Transit Station to discuss with him the future of the transit plaza. He was supportive of our community vision and will hopefully become an advocate for its funding when the time comes
Additional Resources:
- City of Ottawa – South Keys Secondary Plan
- 2200 Bank Street development application
- Better South Keys Comments on the 2200 Bank Street Development
- Our blog post: “A new park is coming to South Keys Centre”
Inspiration for the South Keys Transit Plaza
Want to get involved? Contact us!