Westboro Beach redevelopment adds pavilion, moves parking lot

The National Capital Commission has approved a redesign for Westboro Beach that will expand shoreline amenities and move its 60-plus space parking lot to the other side of the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway.

The design was approved at the NCC's board of directors meeting this week and next heads to the City of Ottawa's planning committee Thursday.

The Westboro Beach Community Association said the update to the beach will help make it a four-season attraction and they hope construction, slated to start this month, stays on schedule.

The beach will be closed all summer to allow for construction.

"[The beach is] central to what we do and ... COVID has made it central to a lot of other people's activities, where they're going to go in the summer. It's going to be a loss," said Len Fardella, the community association's co-president.

"There's going to be a lot of impatience and anticipation "

Fardella said the community association's winter carnival and the Kichi Sibi Winter Trail have been part of earlier efforts to get people to the beach in the winter — and now they'll be supported by renovated buildings.

A second Park Pavilion, an eco-friendly community centre with a restaurant and public washrooms, is set to complement the existing Strutt Pavilion, which will also get a heritage update.

The Strutt Pavilion, a trio of Brutalist concrete towers, was built 50 years ago and stands sentinel over sunbathers and other beachgoers.

The plan will add sunroofs, glass doors and an accessible patio to the towers to make them more inviting to the public.

The Skead Mill ruins, once a wood mill now hidden by the overgrowth of invasive species, will now be seen, according to the NCC.

The plan is to remove the overgrowth and replant with low-lying native species, while adding an interpretive panel to help people understand the role of the lumber industry in the Ottawa River's history.

Charbel Karakouzian has been operating the Westboro Beach Cafe for the past three years. He said while he welcomes the redesign, he doesn't know if he and his partners will return to the riverfront spot.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult on the industry and there could be changes in the lease that change the viability of his business, he said.

The NCC said it will review its leasing options for the pavilion spaces with the City of Ottawa in the coming months.

Parking across the parkway

As part of the landscaping plan, the NCC wants to remove the 65-car parking lot and turn most of it over to usable park space while keeping three accessible parking spots and a drop-off area for vehicles to access the beach from the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway.

The space freed up from the parking lot will be used for a children's play area, volleyball court and picnic area. Meanwhile, a new 67-car parking lot would be built on the other side of the parkway at 234 Atlantis Ave., according to the NCC.

The NCC said it will also separate pedestrian and cyclist pathways through the park to ease traffic flow to the beach, which is also near the Dominion and Westboro transit stations.

Fardella said the community association had concerns about the loss of trees but has come to accept the new parking lot as a necessary compromise.

"It's going to be a more popular beach, so there was a trade-off the city and the NCC had to make in terms of providing parking access so people could get there. The alternative, of course, is more people parking in the neighbourhood," Fardella said.

The NCC said it has committed to minimal impact on the tree canopy and will also avoid lights shining on nearby houses.