Parking given prominence in Ottawa Hospital's Civic expansion plan

The Ottawa Hospital insists it needs 24hectares for a new Civic campus, but it appears the hospital wantsa thirdof thatspacefor parking.

According to an April 2016 report obtained by CBC News, the"hypothetical" layout for a new Civic campus for the Central Experimental Farm orTunney'sPasture appears to includeparking structures that take up at least as much land as actual medical buildings, and possibly more.

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The report, prepared for the hospital by engineering consultants HDR,lays out the hospital's requirements for a new 24-hectare Civic, and reviews the fourshortlistedlocations.

Thirty-three per cent is dedicated to parking, which means 20 acres of Canada's mostimportantagriculturalland is literally going to be paved over ...Cue Joni Mitchell.- Leslie Maitland, Coalition to Protect the Central Experimental Farm

All but one of those sites are on the Central Experimental Farm. The fourth site isTunney'sPasture.

The report calls for eight hectares for buildings, four hectares for "health and wellness" features, another "[eight hectares]of land for overall circulation, access, roadway and parking requirements" and another fourto sixhectares for future expansion.

'Test fit' drawings

Howevereven at a quick glance, the "hypothetical test fit" drawings in the reportappear to show parking structures that take up far more land than the medical buildings.

The "test fit" is meant to give an idea of how 24hectares would be divvied up fora hospital campus, and a version is provided for all four locations. It isnot an architectural design. But they do provide a stark visual of how much parking the hospital will require.

The proposal shows six substantial "green roof parking" structures,with a few smaller surface parking areas.

Renowned local architect BarryPadolskyhasanalyzedthe layout. He estimates19 per cent of the land will be used for medical and supportbuildings, while 33 per cent will go to parking. Roads will account for another nineper cent, while the remainder would becomegreenspaceor be leftuncommitted.

'Scary prospect'

"That's a scary prospect," said LeslieMaitland, chairof theCoalition to Protect the Central Experimental Farm.

She said the "hypothetical design" has two fundamental issues.

"One, it is a sprawling suburban design, more appropriate to the suburban areas of a large city. Secondly, 33 per cent is dedicated to parking, which means [eight hectares] of Canada's most important agricultural land is literally going to be paved over," she said.

"Cue Joni Mitchell."

The behind-closed-doors decision to hand over 24 hectares of the Experimental Farm to the hospital has been controversial ever since former MP John Baird announced it in 2014.

The land sitson a key research field atthe Experimental Farm a National Historic Site and the location of the second-oldest research agricultural land in the world, which contributed to work that wonaNobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Earlier this year, a recently elected Liberal government told the hospitalto re-evaluate the options for relocating the Civicand to consider theimpact on research at the farm. The April report was a response to that request.

Then last monthHeritage Minister Mlanie Jolyasked the National Capital Commission to review all local federal lands for a possible location for a new Civic.Officials from the hospital are deferring questions on the report due to the NCC review.

Report details 'strengths, challenges'

Although the hospital report does not explicitly rank the four locations, the Experimental Farmlocation directly across from the existing Civiccomes out ahead in the evaluation. There are 10 "strengths" identified for the site, and six "challenges."

By comparison, the Experimental Farm-Central site (across the street andjust south of the existing Civic)has 13 challenges, while theExperimentalFarm-Sir JohnCarling site has a whopping 20 challenges. Many of the issues with these two sites concern the expense of moving existing buildings, which the report says could cost in the "hundreds of millions of dollars."

Only nine strengths are attributed to theTunney'soption, with 11 challenges. One of them is thatTunney'shas "no line of sight" to theexistingCivic. It's not clear why that would be important, as theCarlingAvenue land would revert to the city once the hospital is decommissioned.

And while the report acknowledgesthe Experimental Farm has national heritage designation, there is little new by way of thehospital's thinking on the four sites.

Proximity to Queensway, public transit

The criteria set by the siteselection committee include proximity to theQueenswayand public transit,althoughof the fourshortlistedlocations, onlyTunney'sPastureis easily accessible to rapid transit. (The city doesn't have plans for light rail onCarlinguntil after 2030.) The site also has to be in the core of the city, should take into account costs to tear down pre-existing buildings and have minimal impact on the community.

But it's the insistence that a new Civic needs 24hectares that has critics up in arms.

Hospital officials have laid out their rationalefor why a modern hospital needs to be on such an expanse of land, including a need for individual rooms the plan is for 700 to 800 beds, up from the current 600 (which includes spaces at the Heart Institute)separating out-patient services from the main hospitaland the inclusion of moregreenspace.

But, as critics point out, other cities have been able to build state-of-the-art hospitals on smaller sites.

McGill, Johns Hopkins used less space

TheMcGillUniversity Health Centre has merged three hospitals and a research centre onto a 17-hectare campus, which encompasses 500 single-patient rooms. But it's planning to expand the number of beds on the same site. It also provides 1,500 public parking spaces underground, and another 1,200 for staff in aneight-storeyparking tower.

The recently opened Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimoreis erected on a mere twohectares and includes two12-storeypatient towers, 560 private patient rooms,33 operating theatres, and large adult and pediatric emergency departments.

Maitland said her group has had good discussions with the hospital, but she still can't understand the rationale for 24 hectares when other hospitals can do with less.

"Why is it other hospitals seem to be able to do this on less than [24 hectares], but [the Civic]cannot?"