Allotment Gardens downtown

Allotment gardens on Laurier Hill, corner Laurier and Bronson, as seen from the QE condos.
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double click to enlarge, although photo lacks focus. It might have been too far a zoom for my little camera, or else operator error.

Another Green Roof

Another in my occasional series on Green Roofs in Ottawa.

This roof is behind a seniors complex on Somerset St, opposite Hartman's. The roof runs through to Cooper St and is above the Centretown Community Health Centre.

I do not know if the allotments and planters are associated with the seniors building or the Health Centre. Whichever, its a bright spot of green on rooftop.

This view from the 16th floor of the Hudson condo building. There was also an excellent view of the brick paved driveways of the townhouses built on Cooper at Kent. The bricks are laid in an interesting circular pattern that apparent from high up elsewhere but not so apparent at ground level.

Somerset Street update

Zen Kitchen has finally opened up on Somerset Street between Percy and Bronson. Frequent users of the street may have noticed film crews there during the renovation, as the story of opening the restaurant were documented for a food tv show.

The owners live in the neighborhood too. I like the idea of businesses having both residential and commercial interests in the ward, as these interests are sometimes competing, sometimes complementary.

Around the corner on Percy, the vacant lot behind the former Chuck Brown golf has been turned into a large veggie garden. Jill Brown, former alderperson (but not of this ward) owned the store, and demolished the houses behind it to expand the parking lot. Fortunately, council squashed her neighborhood-busting and the lot remained vaguely grass-like for decades. I really like the garden, and its ground-hog proof fence. I do not know who set up the garden, but I suspect it is connected with the Umi Cafe workers coop at the corner.

A block further west, on Cambridge behind the Yangtze, the vacant lot, formerly a pile of debris, has been graded to flat. Years ago the Yangtze got planning permission to build some residential units along the street with commercial parking underneath accessible from the Yangtze lot. It would be good to see this plan resurrected. Housing in this neighborhood sells.