Report
to/Rapport au :
Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee
Comité consultatif sur la
conservation de l'architecture locale
and /
et
Planning
and Environment Committee
Comité de l'urbanisme et de
l'environnement
and Council / et au Conseil
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City
Manager /
Directrice municipale adjointe,
Infrastructure Services
and Community Sustainability/Services d’infrastructure et Viabilité des
collectivités
Contact Person/Personne-ressource : John Smit,
Manager/Gestionnaire, Development Review-Urban Services/Examen des projets
d'aménagement-Services urbains, Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme et
Gestion de la croissance
(613) 580-2424, 13866
John.Smit@ottawa.ca
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee recommend
that Planning and Environment Committee recommend that Council:
1.
Approve the
application for new construction at 464-474 Bank Street according to plans by
Randall Romanin, architect, J.L. Richards and Associates, received on May 25,
2009.
2.
Delegate
approval of minor design changes to the General Manager, Planning and Growth
Management Branch.
(Note: Approval to Alter this property under the Ontario Heritage Act must not be construed to meet the requirements
for the issuance of a building permit.)
RECOMMANDATIONS
DU RAPPORT
Que le Comité
consultatif sur la conservation de l’architecture locale recommande au Comité
de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement de recommander à son tour au Conseil :
1.
d’approuver la demande d’un nouvel
aménagement au 464-474, rue Bank, conformément aux plans de Randall Romanin,
architecte, J.L. Richards et Associates, reçus le 25 mai 2009;
2.
de déléguer la prise de décision
concernant l’approbation des modifications techniques mineures au directeur
général, Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance.
Nota : L’approbation
de la demande de modification aux termes de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario ne signifie pas pour autant
qu’elle satisfait aux conditions de délivrance d’un permis de construire)
BACKGROUND
The subject property, 464-474 Bank Street, which until March 31, 2009, housed a Tommy and Lefebvre, sports shop, is located within the Centretown Heritage Conservation District (see Document 1). The shop was a large, one storey structure comprised of a number of smaller buildings that had been joined together. It was a Category 4 building within the district, meaning that it had little or no significance. On March 31, 2009 the building was destroyed by fire (for photos of fire-damaged building, see Document 4). City Council approved the demolition of the burnt-out remains of the structure on April 22, 2009 and a demolition permit under the Ontario Heritage Act was issued on April 23, 2009.
This report has been prepared because an application has been submitted for new construction on the site and, according to the Ontario Heritage Act, the permission of City Council is required before the project can proceed. Minor variances, site plan approval and Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy (DOUDS) review are also required prior to the issuance of a building permit. Tommy and Lefebvre hope to move into the proposed new structure in time for the Christmas season, 2009.
DISCUSSION
Recommendation 1
The Centretown Heritage Conservation District was designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act in 1997. The study that lead to the designation identifies the Bank Street corridor as a “commercial route and as the major transportation corridor between Parliament Hill and outlying areas to the south.”
As part of the designation, City Council approved a set of “Guidelines” to be used in managing change in the District. The study guidelines include Section VII.5.5, “Commercial and Mixed Use Infill” that address new commercial development along the existing commercial corridors. There are two defining principles that inform the “Guidelines;” first that infill “must respect the existing heritage character by providing sympathetic contemporary design,” and second, “All infill should be of contemporary design, distinguishable as being of its own time.”
The “Guidelines” for infill in the District also contain specific direction that addresses the Bank Street commercial corridor (Section VII.5.5 1.2.1- 1.2.4, see Document 5). This section emphasizes that; the form of new buildings should reflect the character of the existing streetscape; that new buildings should be tight to the sidewalk, from two to four storeys with ground floor retail; that ground floor facades should be transparent and upper floors more opaque; that cornices or sign bands should divide the first and second storeys; that cornices or parapets should emphasize the roofline and that consideration be given to specialized treatment of the corner for buildings on corner lots, to acknowledge the corner presence. With regard to materials, the Guidelines say that glass is appropriate for the ground floor with brick or wood for the upper floors.
The building proposed for the property at 464-474 Bank Street is a large, irregularly shaped structure, on roughly the same footprint as its predecessor. It will read as a two- storey building from the street, but will have one storey and a mezzanine on the inside. The ground floor will feature extensive display windows, set into red brick walls. Black brick panels will serve to further break up the long horizontal appearance of the Bank Street façade. A wide horizontal sign band dividing the first and second storeys will feature metal panels with images of sports equipment etched upon them. The second storey will feature evenly spaced, rectangular windows and a decorative cornice. The main entrance will be located at the corner of Bank and McLeod Streets and will be at a 45-degree angle to the building. To emphasize the corner entrance, there will be a curved brushed-aluminium screen. The sales windows will add animation to this section of Bank Street and the store itself will feature down-facing lights. Loading and service areas will continue to be accessed from McLeod Street.
The Planning and Growth Management Department supports the application for new construction in the Centretown Heritage Conservation District because the building is clearly contemporary in design. Its low profile, imaginative design featuring themed signs, sympathetic building materials, and façade treatment are compatible with the character of Bank Street in the Centretown Heritage Conservation District and are consistent with the City Council-approved Guidelines for the District.
DOUDS review for the building will be undertaken prior to the consideration of this report by the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC) and will be available to assist LACAC when it makes its recommendation to Planning and Environment Committee and City Council.
Recommendation 2
Some minor aspects of the proposed design, such as window detailing, the character of the cornice, lighting and treatment of the front entrance may evolve in consultation with staff prior to the issuance of a construction permit. Delegation of approval to the General Manager would allow potential changes to be approved without returning to Committee and Council.
CONSULTATION
The Ward Councillor was consulted during the design process.
LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS:
There are no legal/risk
management implications associated with this report.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
N/A
APPLICATION PROCESS TIMELINE STATUS
This application was completed
within the 90-day time period prescribed by the Ontario Heritage Act.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 Location Map
Document 2 Site Plan
Document 3 Building before fire
Document 4 Fire-damaged building
Document 5 Commercial Infill Guidelines
Document 6 Elevations
DISPOSITION
City Clerk and Legal Services Branch, Legislative Services Division, to notify the applicant (Marc Rivet, J.L. Richards and Associates, 864 Lady Ellen Place, Ontario, K1Z 5M2) and the Ontario Heritage Trust (10 Adelaide Street East, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1J3) of City Council’s consent for new construction at 464-474 Bank Street.
