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Phone: 613.829.1919E-mail: dennisv@brandvelope.comTwitter: @denvanBlog: www.begtodiffer.com

WWW.BRANDVELOPE.COM

Dennis Van Staalduinen

Brand strategy for humans.

Title goes here: and a longer title looks like this when it wraps.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

IS FOR GROWN-UPS

Dennis Van Staalduinen

Sept 28, 2010: Presentation to City of Ottawa

Planning and Environment Committee

Opposing Ashcroft Richmond Rd. Convent proposal

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• I live in Champlain Park with my wife and 3 kids

• I have run Brandvelope – my business strategy consulting firm – out of a home office for 10 years.

• The Visitation Convent is 600 m from my front door.

• And of course I'm concerned about cut-through traffic, the failure of Island Park Drive, and the concrete canyon effect on Richmond.

Why I'm not here today

But that's not why I'm here!

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Why I AM here today

• I helped found the Wellington West Business Improvement Area in 2008, and serve the BIA Marketing Committee.

• From 2006-2010 I actively participated in the Hintonburg and Wellington St. West Neighbourhood Planning Initiative and Community Design Plan.

• I became very passionate about urban planning issues, and in particular the powerful role of CPDs and other secondary plans as instruments of local decision making.

• The best decisions are made when local leaders are empowered with information, city resources, and legislation with teeth – the whole idea of a CPD.

Complex planning decisions should be made by adults.

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So when I heard about the Sisters of Visitation…

I thought: great!

There's a Community Design Plan for that.

The grown-ups are in charge!

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But then in March,I saw this…

And it reminded meof something…

Ashcroft's proposalFrom March of 2010

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It reminded me of this…

Designed by….

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Awesome kid. Loads of fun. Super smart.But I don't want him planning my neighbourhood!

My son: 3 years oldAspiring urban planner

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Richmond Rd.

Byron Linear Park

HilsonAve. PublicSchool

Leig

hton

Terrac

e

Byron Avenue

N

Convent

The property in Lego:

So what if grown-upswere in charge?

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With adult supervision:You get 300 "blocks"

6 Stories Front4 Stories Back

Very dense. But human-scaled.

The grown-ups on the CDP decided this was appropriate.

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No adult supervision:600 "blocks"

9 Stories Front6-9 Stories Back

Any 3 year old can see: this is just

plain silly!

This is what Ashcroft wants – and city staff are recommending!

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The view from Richmond Rd.

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Behold: your future Ottawa.

My son would be so proud.

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So grown-ups of council

• It should never have come to this.

• If the grown-ups in Planning were doing their job, Ashcroft would never have been allowed to come to the table with this proposal.

• So now we the grown-ups of Ottawa are forced to ask you the grown-ups on council to intervene….

We need your help!

EVERYBODY NEEDS A TIME OUT!!!!

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Send Ashcroft to their room without supper!

We need you to make a clear statement:

1. Deny this application: Community Design Plans are critically important to the future of our city and MUST be respected by planning and developers.

2. Deny access to Byron: Public land MUST not be sacrificed to reward developers who game the system.

3. Reaffirm your own rules: 300 units. 6 Stories on Richmond. 4 Stories in the back.

4. Don't make us fight you: that's not a threat, it's a request.

Let's work together like grown-ups to build our city.

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THANK YOU!