1.3 The Core

1.3.2 Objectives

Major Employment Economic Focus

a)

To strengthen, promote and secure the Core's role, as designated on Schedule B, Central Area Character Areas and Theme Streets, primarily as the major focus of employment and economic activity within the region, and as an integral part of the Central Business District.

Increased Diversity / Vitality

b)

To increase the diversity and vitality of the Core, and create a lively, vibrant environment which supports a wide variety of working, living, shopping, and leisure activities.

1.3.3 Policies

Mixed Uses

a)

City Council shall ensure that commercial uses which generate employment are predominant in the Core, while promoting a mix of uses which contribute to, and generate vitality and activity in the Core. City Council shall, therefore:

i.

Employment Uses - permit commercial uses, including those uses which primarily involve administrative, professional or clerical activities, such as head offices of major corporations, associations, financial and banking institutions, diplomatic missions, professional offices and other similar uses;

ii.

Residential and Complementary Uses - promote and permit residential uses within mixed use development or as a primary use, and other appropriate complementary uses which generate evening and year round activity, such as entertainment and cultural uses; and

iii.

Uses at Grade - require pedestrian-oriented uses at grade along pedestrian corridors, including Albert, Slater, and Metcalfe Streets, and along other streets, retail uses at grade, or similar appropriate uses which contribute to pedestrian activity or interest, such as an indoor or outdoor pedestrian amenity area.

Pedestrian-Oriented Uses

b)

City Council shall ensure the following criteria are fulfilled in the implementation of Policy a)(iii) above concerning pedestrian-oriented uses:

i.

the principal entrances to such uses shall be located along the perimeter of a building, and shall be directly accessible to pedestrians walking along public rights-of-way;

ii.

such uses shall be provided continuously along the street, shall be designed to give preference to narrow frontages, and their visibility to pedestrians shall be maximized; and

iii.

in limited instances, pedestrian-oriented uses with internal access only, may be permitted provided that the predominance of at-grade uses provide direct access to the street.

Building Profile

c)

City Council shall permit primarily high to medium profile development in the Core, particularly in the northern and western areas. Medium profile development that helps transition down from the higher profile buildings to the north to the lower profile residential uses in Centretown should be concentrated along the area’s southern edge. City Council shall also ensure that new development:

i.

respects the visual integrity and symbolic primacy of the Parliament Buildings and other national symbols as seen from the key viewpoints and view sequences depicted Ottawa Official Plan Annex 6 A- Central Area Key Views and View Sequences. In realizing this aim, City Council shall ensure that buildings constructed in the Areas of Height Control as set out on Annex 6 A:

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do not visually rise above the ridgeline of the roof of the Centre Block when viewed from key viewpoints and view sequences as shown on Annex 6 A, and thus do not visually mar the silhouette of the Parliament Buildings,

•

do not visually dominate the Parliament Buildings and other national symbols; and

•

when located within a block where there is shown an angular height plane(s) on Annex 6 B, do not project beyond the angular height limit identified

ii.

Transition - contributes to an appropriate transition to the adjacent Canal Character Area, and avoids overpowering effects on Confederation Boulevard, by setting back the upper storeys of medium to high profile buildings along Elgin Street. [Amendment 24, May 11, 2006]

Heritage Resources

d)

City Council shall protect, enhance and conserve the Core's heritage resources while ensuring that development complements and respects the character of nearby heritage buildings.

Design Criteria

e)

City Council shall, when reviewing plans for development in the Core, ensure a high quality of design that is worthy of the nation's capital, and the creation of an enjoyable pedestrian environment to ensure the Core's role as a people place. City Council shall therefore ensure the fulfilment of policies c) and d) above, as well as the fulfilment of the Urban Design policies, particularly taking into account the following design criteria:

i.

Roof Treatment - provides an interesting roof treatment or other appropriate design feature within the height limits. The purpose of such treatment will be to sculpt or shape the building at the upper levels, add to the visual interest of the building, and contribute positively to the area. City Council shall ensure the protection of the visual integrity and the symbolic primacy of the Parliament Buildings and other national symbols in the consideration of such proposals, and that such roof treatment does not compete with this aim.

ii.

Human Scale - contributes to a sense of human scale, particularly at ground level;

iii.

Sunlight - minimizes sun shadowing on public open spaces, and where possible creates opportunities for sunlight on pedestrian corridors;

iv.

Weather Protection - provides a continuity of weather protection while maximizing the visibility of storefronts;

v.

Wind - avoids potentially undesirable wind conditions through appropriate building design, including the use of podiums, and ensures wind testing of development proposals on pedestrian corridors;

vi.

Barrier-free Design - accommodates the needs of persons with disabilities and other special needs groups;

vii.

Art - incorporates, where appropriate, art in public and private places, such as water features, sculpture or other suitable elements; and

viii.

Parking - ensures safety, security and visual interest in the design of parking facilities, including bicycle parking.

ix.

Lower Floor Articulation - articulates the lower floors of buildings, with a special emphasis on the relationship of the building to the street at grade level;

x.

Entranceways - provides well-defined entranceways with large pedestrian circulation spaces;

xi.

Building Frontages - encourages buildings to front on both north-south as well as east-west streets;

xii.

Servicing/Parking Entrances - limits servicing and underground parking entrances fronting onto streets. Where possible, they should be accessed from within the building envelope and not the public right-of-way; and

xiii.

Front Setbacks for Major Buildings - provides deeper front setbacks for major buildings occupying much of a block, in order to accommodate wider sidewalks, street furniture and landscaping. [Amendment 24, May 11, 2006]

Views

f)

City Council shall protect and enhance significant public views as seen from public rights-of-way in the Core, and as shown on Annex 6 A - Central Area Key Views and View Sequences. City Council shall also protect and enhance selected views of the Core's skyline from gateways into, and outside the Central Area.

Pedestrian Movement

g)

City Council shall encourage a rich street life and an enjoyable, comfortable pedestrian environment in the Core in order to promote its vitality and its attraction as a people-place. To achieve this policy, City Council shall:

i.

Priority at Grade - place a priority on pedestrian movement at-grade, especially along pedestrian corridors which provide direct access to pedestrian-oriented uses and mid-block connections, particularly between Sparks and Queens Streets;

ii.

Limited Pedways - generally discourage above or below-grade pedways, and undertake to limit them to strategic locations which ensure the prominence of at-grade movement, and ensure the fulfillment of pedway and development design criteria;

iii.

Comfortable Pedestrian Environment - ensure minimum clear sidewalk widths and a continuity of weather protection;

iv.

Enhanced Pedestrian Corridors - promote and facilitate the enhancement of pedestrian corridors with appropriate co-ordinated streetscaping elements which enhance the character of the Core; and

v.

Pedestrian Links - ensure the provision of identifiable at-grade pedestrian links to the Central Area east of the Canal and surrounding Character Areas and Theme Streets, including Sparks Street, the Canal, Bank Street, and Upper Town, as well as the Centretown neighbourhood. [Amendment 24, May 25, 2005]

h)

City Council shall, together with other governmental agencies, promote and facilitate the enhancement of Elgin, Metcalfe and Kent Streets as distinctive streets and pedestrian promenades linking Centretown with the Core, Sparks Street, and Parliament Hill, and as gateways to the Central Area, and particularly by:

i.

introducing appropriate soft and hard landscaping elements, especially the provision of suitable lighting and abundant street trees along the public right-of-way; and

ii.

protecting and enhancing significant views such as those of the Centre Block and Library to the north, as well as to the Museum of Natural Science to the south. [Amendment 24, May 24, 2005]

Open Space

i)

City Council shall promote and ensure the provision of a variety of usable open spaces and pedestrian amenity areas particularly on corners, in the Core, such as, green pocket parks, plazas, rooftop terraces and/or indoor winter gardens. City Council shall also ensure that such spaces are sensitively designed. In the fulfillment of this aim, City Council shall:

i.

Dedication Requirements - maximize the amount of open space lands received under the dedication requirements of the Planning Act as outlined in the Leisure Resources chapter of this Plan;

ii.

Between Demolition and Construction - request that vacant lands be landscaped and maintained as usable open spaces for the interim period between demolition and construction; and

iii.

Temporary Surface Parking - require that, where temporary surface parking is permitted, that an appropriate amount of usable open space be provided. The visual appearance of such facilities shall also be enhanced and screened through the use of substantial vegetation. Extension of approval for existing temporary surface parking lots shall require appropriate landscaping improvements and taking back of any encroachments onto the public right-of-way; and

iv.

Linkage with Bank Street Axis Project - Link future open spaces with the National Capital Commission’s Bank Street Axis Project. [Amendment 24, May 24, 2005]

Transitway Improvements

j)

City Council shall support transitway improvements in the Core, including rapid transit along one of the east-west streets, in order to provide improved transit service, increase transit ridership and reduce auto commuting, and to improve the capacity of the transportation system. Development of rapid transit will require full streetscape restoration. In the implementation of this policy, City Council shall particularly ensure, together with other governmental agencies, the preparation of a Transportation Strategy for the Central Area. [Amendment 24, May 24, 2005]

Targeted Strategies

k)

City Council shall consider undertaking the following targeted strategies (see Annex 10) to implement the Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy:

i.

Urban Open Space Program - as part of the downtown public open space program (in addition to the policies in 1.3.3i), work closely with developers to encourage the inclusion of urban open space in new developments. Priority sites are Kent at Slater, Laurier at Bank; Queen at Kent; and, O’Connor at Gloucester;

ii.

Laurier Avenue Beautification - consider Laurier Avenue to be a prime candidate for the demonstration of City-led streetscape improvements along its entire length;

iii.

Albert and Slater Streets Beautification - in line with the Rapid Transit Expansion Study recommendations, dedicate funding for improved waiting areas, transit facilities, signage, traffic signals, pedestrian comfort and better integration with existing uses along Albert and Slater Streets. A portion of this funding should be from the Transitway Systems Improvement Program;

iv.

The Interface District - establish a civically-inspired Interface District for the area bounded by Queen, Bay, Wellington and Elgin Streets with the following elements:

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Canada’s Urban Culture: Bay/Lyon/ Kent/Bank/ O’Connor/ Metcalfe/Elgin Streets

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in collaboration with the National Capital Commission, a street design program in the north-south streets between Wellington and Queen, featuring the best of art and culture, landscape, architecture, programming, industrial design and regional characteristics from each of Canada’s provinces, territories and major cities; and

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Sparks Street (see Section 1.13.3h)

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Queen Street

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a streetscaping program for Queen Street that is similar in quality and style to the north-south streets of the Interface District. [Amendment 24, May 25, 2005]