Construction of the new Canadian War Museum, one of the largest projects in town for man

After decades sitting largely unused, signs of life are finally emerging at LeBreton Flats, prime real estate west of the downtown core.

Construction of the new Canadian War Museum, one of the largest projects in town for many years, has re-energized the land once occupied by lumber and mill workers.

The new war museum is on schedule and will open to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and celebrate Mother's Day May 8, 2005.

The $100-million project broke ground late in 2002. Three hundred workers are on site every day to keep the project on schedule, according to Dave Stroz, superintendent of PCL Constructors Canada Inc.

Hard hats and boots are still required gear as completion of the main structure nears. In June, heavy equipment such as a Voodoo plane and tanks will move into their new home. In November, the museum's staff will take over from PCL and begin setting up the numerous exhibits. Minor construction will continue until the opening, Stroz says.

The structure is an impressive 440,000 square feet of concrete and soon-to-be-completed copper roof designed to complement Parliament Hill. Its highest peak, at 80 feet and facing north, points directly to the Peace Tower.

Small windows punched through the south-facing wall have been specifically placed to represent Morse code and spell "Lest We Forget" in French and English, as well as the acronym of the war museum "CWM" in both languages.

Walking through the vaults that will contain 62,000 square feet of permanent exhibitions depicting Canada's military history in chronological order, visitors will come upon a memorial room designed for war veterans to have a place for peaceful reflection. The sole window in the room is specifically situated to access the solar azimuth at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11.

The war museum is expected to attract more than 300,000 visitors each year, according to the museum's web site.

"I think it's going to add a heightened element of educational tourism," says Jacques Burelle, president of the Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority. "It will give us another element to attract people in our shoulder seasons (of spring and fall)."

The opening of the war museum will be the signature event of the tourism authority's spring and summer campaign next year, Burelle says.

But while construction of the new museum continues apace, development of the rest of the land comprising the Flats has been a tricky issue since the site was cleared of low-income housing in 1965.

While many real estate agents would agree Lebreton Flats is highly valuable land because of its proximity to downtown and the Ottawa River, it does not mean the industry is jumping into development with both feet.

In fact, the downtown core and Kanata still hold promise when it comes to Class A office space, says one local agent.

"There is close to two million square feet that could be built in the core today," says David Lees, senior vice-president and managing director of J.J. Barnicke Limited, referring to possible future projects tabled such as O & amp;Y Properties Inc.'s Place de Ville office tower.

Although there is no commercial office space being built in the first phase of development of the Flats, according to plans by the National Capital Commission, which owns the land, Lees is not concerned.

Infrastructure needs to be built first, he says, as prospective tenants would want to offer employees easy access to buildings with good transit and roadways and established retail.

In the meantime, Kanata has a lot of supply to meet the market's demand, taking the pressure off Lebreton Flats, Lees says.

But down the road, Lees sees the area's commercial space as an ideal spot to relocate government workers, opening up more room in the central business district for the private sector. The NCC's target for the Flats is 1.7 million square feet of office space and 130,000 square feet of retail space.

"Lebreton Flats is the prime piece of real estate in the national capital region. In 15 years, it's going to be a very vibrant and sought-after location," says Lees.

Last week, the NCC released the names of six companies vying to acquire the land and begin development of the first phase of Lebreton Flats.

NCC spokesperson Eva Schacherl says the winning bidder will construct 800 residential units on a 4.4-hectare site along the eastern portion of the Flats.

There will be mixed-use development combining residential and retail, with a total of 27,000 square feet of retail space. Residents could move in by 2007, with development of the first phase complete by 2011.

The winning bid will be announced later this year or early next year, says Schacherl.

One bidder is homebuilder Minto Inc.

"I think it's a very exciting piece of land and Minto is a significant player in the new home business," says Bob Ridley, vice-president of Minto's suburban communities.

While some industry players might be deterred by the NCC's stringent regulations, Ridley says he found the design guidelines to be very prescriptive and appreciated the "rigorous fashion" in which the NCC dictated the process, adding his company is up for the challenge.

"It wasn't a difficult requirement to meet the regulations of phase one."

One design requirement of the new residential development is affordable housing, as dictated by the City of Ottawa's Official Plan, requiring 25 per cent of new residences to be classified as affordable.

But Ottawa-Carleton Home Builders' Association executive director John Herbert does not support plans for building affordable housing in the first phase of development.

"Personally, I don't think it's the most appropriate location for affordable housing because it occupies prime real estate land," says Herbert, who feels upscale projects should take priority.

However, with the definition of affordable housing changing constantly in Ottawa's booming housing market, the actual price of the designated housing units is difficult to guess, he adds.

According to plans, the NCC will landscape and develop a pathway along the riverfront park this year.

Next year, the Common park, situated in front of the war museum and a future site for festivals, will be landscaped and developed to be ready in 2006, says Schacherl.

Cleaning up existing soil contamination is proceeding on the land for sale in the first phase.

"(Lebreton Flats comprises) 65 hectares, so it's a long process," says Schacherl. "It's a very extensive program and is being done to the highest of standards in terms of the cleanup."

With the expectation that it will take 15 years to fully develop Lebreton Flats, Schacherl says residents of Ottawa can expect to begin enjoying the area in 2006.

The NCC has been working with advisers and seeking public consultation since 1989 to decide how to redevelop the land it expropriated from working-class citizens as part of the Greber plan in 1965.

WAR MUSEUM FACTS

Construction of the new Canadian War Museum will require:

Source: WarMuseum.ca