I know our community is deeply committed to protecting Kanata North’s greenspace and I share your commitment in doing so. As you may know, the plans for the development north of the Beaver Pond, referred to as the KNL Development, was approved in 2016. Shortly after approval, the trees were razed, and it has seemingly sat vacant ever since.
This past year, the developer has been working on the servicing required to begin new home construction in Phase 9 of this development, which is the area directly north of the Beaver Pond. In order to complete this, they need to install drainage infrastructure to connect to the Beaver Pond as it is the approved outlet for drainage for this new development.
Approximately 100 trees on the north side of the Beaver Pond will be removed to accommodate this new servicing infrastructure to service the KNL Phase 9 development. While this work is unavoidable, I have been assured by the city’s forestry staff that everything possible has been done to minimize the impact. Further, the developer was required to have a re-planting plan in place to offset this loss. That plan can be viewed here.
The tree removal will be carried out by Urbandale Construction. Urbandale has obtained the required tree cutting permits, and I have worked with city staff and the developer to ensure that the minimum amount of space and trees are cut down. I have been assured by city staff that every possible mitigation strategy and alternatives have been considered.
Once the tree removal is complete, there will be some blasting required due to the prevalence of rock in the area. Residents within the direct area should have received a letter informing them of the blasting that will be taking place, as well as who to contact with any questions or concerns. This includes portions of Kimmins Court, Hansen Avenue and Cecil Walden Ridge. The blasting is closely monitored by an engineering firm under strict Provincial Regulations.
The below aerial photo highlights (in yellow) the two areas where the required tree removal and blasting is to take place in order to install the services for KNL’s Phase 9 development (outlined in red). The impacted area is a path on the north side of the Beaver Pond and an additional area running behind the far end of Kimmins Court. To ensure public safety, the paths in this area will be closed for the duration of the cutting and blasting. This includes the path on the north side of the Beaver Pond.
The image below shows what to expect at the end of Kimmins Court in order to connect to the Kizell drain:
The image below shows the path that will be cleared on the north side of the Beaver Pond to install the required drainage infrastructure:
Any loss of trees is too many, and I know this update will upset many in our community.
Please know, protecting our greenspace is a priority for me. I will continue to work with city staff to identify opportunities for planting new trees throughout Kanata North.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out directly with any questions or concerns you may have: Jenna.Sudds@ottawa.ca.