Tunney’s Pasture in Ottawa heading for a transformation

The federal government has launched community consultations to develop plans for a 49-hectare federal site in Ottawa known as Tunney’s Pasture.

Located four kilometres west of downtown along the Ottawa River, the site is far from the quaint rural landscape that its name suggests. Instead it is a rationalized span of blocks and grids reminiscent of the Cold War.

The land was developed in the 1950s exclusively for federal government buildings and is home to towering blocks such as the Jeanne Mance Building and R.H. Coates Building, as well as buildings like the Finance Building, Standards Building, Laboratory Centre for Disease Control and Sir Frederick G. Banting Research Centre. The Atomic Energy of Canada Building and Eldorado Nuclear Building were once on the site but have been demolished.

Along its northern edge, the site borders the Ottawa River and Ottawa River Parkway. Public Works and Government Services Canada has hired HOK Canada as the main consultant to develop the 25-year master plan. The plan is intended to provide “the direction needed for major investment in existing buildings and future development.”

A website enables stakeholders and the public to view options for the site and provide feedback.

To the south are the communities of West Wellington and Hintonburg. Parkdale Avenue and the community of Laroche Park lie to the east, and the community of Champlain Park is on the west.

The government’s goals are to develop the site as a mixed-use community, with sustainable design, and oriented to public transit. The plans also have to complement the National Capital Commission’s plans for the National Capital Region.