Ottawa's Bayview Garage Adaptive Re-Use Phase II ESA and Risk Assessment

The City of Ottawa will conduct a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) and a risk assessment for its Bayview Garage site, located adjacent to a light rail and rapid bus transit hub, in a mature neighbourhood approximately three kilometres west of downtown Ottawa. The site has been identified as a high priority for redevelopment in the city’s Brownfield Redevelopment Community Improvement Plan. The city intends to remediate the site to allow a mixed-use development and intensification project to support the Bayview transit node, a nearby federal government hub, and a growing local arts and cultural community. Preliminary studies indicate a high level of contamination — including hydrocarbon spills, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds — from past use by the lumber industry during the late 19th and early 20th century; as a municipal works, vehicle repair and storage yard from the 1930s to the 1990s; and from a closed landfill site beneath the north end of the site. The Phase II ESA will determine the type and extent of site contamination and is expected to result in a supplemental Phase II ESA. The findings from these reports will be used to develop a risk assessment, which will include a remediation and risk management plan for the site. This project should serve as a case study for the remediation and redevelopment of a municipally owned brownfield site while accomplishing a number of municipal policy objectives including brownfield development, smart growth, transit-oriented development, heritage conservation and adaptive reuse. (Project description from original funding application)