The Connaught Park Racecourse site: a major issue for Aylmer and Gatineau

April 30, 2010

Honourable  Marc Bureau, Mayor of Gatineau

Members of Gatineau Municipal Council

City of Gatineau

25 Laurier Street

Gatineau, QC

J8X 3Y9

The Connaught Park Racecourse site:  a major issue for Aylmer and Gatineau

Dear Mayor Bureau and Councillors:

The issue of the development of the Connaught Park Racecourse, a major site in the history and geography of Aylmer, has been under discussion for some time.  We are particularly concerned at this time as certain unfortunate changes have already occurred on Aylmer Road and it is important that we ensure not only that this type of problem is not repeated, but that the historic and rural character of this road remains and is even enhanced.

Considering the lack of specific documentation and information on the objective of the consultation on Connaught Park initially announced for May 12, 2010 by the City of Gatineau and now postponed to a later undetermined date, we wish to inform you of our position with respect to the use of the Connaught Park site and the protection of the heritage and rural character of Aylmer Road.

We believe that Aylmer Road, as the main street, is the heart of the charm and attraction of Aylmer.  Old Aylmer and its access road are part of the unique heritage not only of Aylmer, but of Gatineau and the Outaouais as a whole.  It is therefore essential not only that we be consulted, but that we be fully involved in the determination of what will happen to Connaught Park and to Aylmer Road.  This has not been the case so far.

We are hereby informing you of the basic premises that seem essential to any project, enterprise, or activity on this site.

1.       The recreational zoning designation already assigned to part of the Connaught site must be maintained. The first role of this site must be recreation and tourism. The activities held there must contribute to the revitalization of Old Aylmer without competing with it commercially and economically.

2.      The issue of residential construction on part of the site must be reassessed.  There are already more building lots than necessary for residential construction in Gatineau. This type of project contributes to urban sprawl, one of the problems we wanted to resolve with municipal fusion in 2002.  It also leads to the congestion of a road which, although it has been widened to four lanes, is already more overloaded than it was before it was widened in the 1990’s.

3.      The present zoning of land along the Aylmer Road as well as the implementation and architectural integration plan that applies to the greater part of Aylmer Road between Fraser Street and the Champlain Bridge must be both maintained and enhanced. The green buffer zone between Aylmer Road and any construction must be guaranteed, parking lots (including those of the STO) must be invisible from the road, and any new construction must respect and be perfectly integrated with the heritage style of the architecture that predominates along Aylmer Road.

4.      The “urban village” concept has been widely touted in the past few years, but we should not confuse “urban village” and “housing project”.  In fact, in Aylmer, the real urban village is in the Old Aylmer area around rue Principale.  We should ensure that we do not destroy this sector whose economy we have been trying to revitalize for years.

5.      It is essential that we have a global view of development for all of the territory of Gatineau and that we stop acting on a case by case basis.  It is imperative that in a city the size of Gatineau we take into account the global commercial, heritage and environmental impacts of construction projects, as well as considering the construction and maintenance costs of services and infrastructure and how these impact on the quality of life of citizens.

To conclude, the population of Aylmer must play a direct role in the determination of the future of Connaught Park and Aylmer Road, and we count on our municipal councillors not only to ‘listen’ to us, but to represent us and to support us in our endeavour. We are asking you, Mayor Bureau, and you, City of Gatineau councillors, to respect our values and take our priorities into account.  This issue is very important and the fate of Connaught Park should not be in the hands of developers and bureaucrats, but rather in those of citizens and their representatives.

We hope, Mayor Bureau and Councillors, that you will take note of our position on this issue and that you will respond to our expectations.

Sincerely yours,

Champlain Park and Area Residents’ Association

Lakeview Terrace Residents’ Association

Friends of Wychwood Residents’ Association

Residents’ Association of Cook, Aylmer-North

Deschênes Residents’ Association

APICA
Aylmer Heritage Association

Interclubs

c.c.         Robert F. Weemaes, Marie-Claude Martel, Eric Boutet, Gilles Sabourin