About the Project

In 2015 City council endorsed a long-term neighbourhood renewal plan for the central area of the Rideau Heights neighbourhood. The planning process was led by the City and the Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation (KFHC) which is the city's largest social housing provider and maintains approximately 500 units in the Rideau Heights neighbourhood. Areas targeted for improvement include: housing, park spaces, pathways, streets and community facilities.

• Background information report - November 2012
• Report to Council & recommended plan - November 2015 (Note: plan begins on page 68)

Community vision

To ensure the plan reflected the experiences and goals of the community, the following seven guiding principles for regeneration were developed based on early community input:

1. Create an affordable, safe, and healthy community
   Utility costs hurt affordability; people need to feel safe in neighbourhood parks; streets should be clean. These issues should be tackled to make a healthy community.
2. Connect the community
   Connections throughout the neighbourhood and to local services are a key part of what makes this a good neighbourhood.
3. Support the community
   Share information and promotion of programs that support residents including local and affordable programs for children and families
4. Enhance parks and public spaces
   Parks and public spaces are a big part of what makes Rideau Heights a good place to live. Parks should be enhanced to make them more usable for residents. Improvement should support spaces for residents to gather, socialize, and grow.
5. Get the little things right
   It's important to fix immediate problems such as neighbourhood cleanliness and property maintenance issues that affect residents' utility costs rather than only focusing on longer planning.
6. Build trust through visible success
   Achievable goals for neighbourhood improvement are important to help build the trust of residents in the regeneration process and should be implemented in the near future.
7. Achievable realistic planning
   Neighbourhood improvements should start small and increase over time through planned phases of work.

Regeneration plan

The recommended plan guides the revitalization of the neighbourhood and maintains the City's social housing commitments. The 20-year+ plan outlines an exciting long-term vision for the area's social housing and parkland properties, reflects input from area residents and best practices for neighbourhood renewal.

Key features include:

• the new Rideau Heights Community Centre and Kingston Frontenac Public Library branch
• enhancements to Shannon Park and other recreational spaces
• redistribution of social housing to other areas of the city
• the introduction of mixed-income housing options, including homes that can be put on the market to be owned or rented
• changes to improve access for waste handling and emergency services
• improved transportation connections across the community
• improvements that offer enhanced sightlines to support neighbourhood safety

Project Details

• April 21, 2018 - Rideau Heights Community Centre and Library opens
• April 2018 - Open house to share Phase 2 regeneration plan
• Fall 2016 - Shannon Park and Rideau Heights Community Centre (Phase 1) construction start
• November 2015 - City staff report to Council and adopted Rideau Heights Regeneration Strategy
• May 2014 - Shannon Park Redevelopment Community Consultation
• November 2012 - Rideau Heights Regeneration Background Report