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
13 November 2007/ le 13 novembre 2007
Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager
Directrice municipale adjointe,
Planning,
Transit and the Environment/
Urbanisme, Transport en commun et Environnement
Contact
Person/Personne Ressource : Grant Lindsay, Manager / Gestionnaire,
Development Approvals / Approbation des demandes d'aménagement
(613)
580-2424, 13242 Grant.Lindsay@ottawa.ca
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
That the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory
Committee recommend that Planning and Environment Committee recommend that
Council approve the application to alter 41 George Street in the ByWard
Market Heritage Conservation District according to the plans by Leonard
Koffman, Architect received on October 23, 2007.
(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.)
RECOMMANDATION 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 d’approuver une demande de modification de la propriété située au 41, rue George, dans le district de conservation du patrimoine du marché By, conformément aux plans de Leonard Kaufman, architecte, reçus le 23 octobre 2007.
BACKGROUND
The ByWard Parkade, 41 George Street, is located in the ByWard Market Heritage Conservation District. It is a four-storey, five level, parking garage, constructed in the late 1950s that occupies a through lot between George and York Streets (see Location Map, Document 1). The current proposal is to alter the structure through the addition of one storey of office space and three two‑storey residential units on its roof that will bring the building up to the same height in its centre as the centre of the adjacent Clarendon Lanes development completed in the late 1990s. In order to construct the addition, the fifth level of parking, currently open to the sky, will be enclosed and the addition will be built on top of it. This intervention will mean that the current view from the east of the cars lining the side of the open deck and the chain link fence that surrounds the open roof will be replaced. As the structure is designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act and located within the boundaries of the ByWard Market Heritage Conservation District, an application to alter under the Ontario Heritage Act is required.
DISCUSSION
The ByWard Parkade, 41 George Street, is an anomaly within the ByWard Market Heritage Conservation District. Inserted between the Ottawa Wine Vault, now the Ottawa School of Art, constructed 1907 and a commercial building, constructed 1911, it is utilitarian in design, featuring a curved front façade to accommodate the access ramp with a flat façade facing York Street. It is of concrete construction painted white and blue. The building was described in the ByWard Market Heritage Conservation District study as an "intrusive element that shows no deference to its environment" (see Context Photographs, Document 2).
The proposed
project will involve the re-cladding of the Parkade in contemporary materials
(aluminium siding, stone and stucco) that are more compatible in colour with
the surrounding historic buildings. The
building will be renewed at grade; a new retail outlet will be added to the
George Street façade and the existing retail outlet facing York Street will be
renovated. In addition, the entrance lobby will be improved and will offer
separate entrances to the Parkade and new uses located in the rooftop addition.
The office addition will cover most of the existing upper level of the Parkade
but will be setback from George and York Streets. It is entirely clad in glass
at the streets to reduce its impact on the views in the area, while the portion
beneath the apartments is stone and stucco.
The apartments are set back much further from the George and York Street
facades to further reduce the impact of the new construction (see Elevations, Document 3 and Perspectives,
Document 4).
The ByWard Market Heritage Conservation District was the first commercial heritage conservation district in the province. The Heritage Conservation District Study acknowledges the rich variety of building types and styles within the District and stresses that the goal of the Study is "Rather than trying to freeze this area in time, development should reflect continuing evolution and innovation." The Study also contains specific Guidelines relating to the management of the area. These Guidelines address all aspects of heritage conservation and note that "The evolution, diversity, and layering that characterize the landscape are also the most important qualities of the building stock." Specific guidelines governing infill add "The Market area has been undergoing a continuous process of infill for a hundred and fifty years" and that "new work should be of its own time, but subservient to the heritage character of the existing property." The guidelines did not specifically anticipate a rooftop addition to a recent, Category 4 building and assume that infill is located on vacant land and additions are undertaken to the rear of existing buildings, however, 3.4.1 states that "Infill in commercial areas must respect the scale and character of existing heritage buildings and areas." The proposed addition to the rooftop respects the scale of this part of the Market, which is characterized by buildings that, like it, range from four to seven storeys in height (see Rooftop View, Document 5). A minor variance to all for relief from the provisions of the heritage overlay is required for the project.
In the absence of Guidelines dealing with unusual additions to structures, heritage staff referred to Parks Canada's "Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada" as the issue of rooftop additions is addressed in this publication: "When required for a new use of a building, designing a rooftop addition that is setback from the wall plane such that it is as inconspicuous as possible when viewed from the public realm."
In January 2006, the applicant took a version of the project to LACAC for pre-consultation. At that meeting, there was a lengthy discussion of the project after which “Chair Baltz reiterated members’ support for the renewal of the existing building and the addition of one floor of office space above it. He noted some concerns related to the height, design and materials of the residential component, which would need to be addressed in the formal application.”
A site plan for the proposed project is currently being processed by the Department. As the project is located in the "Downtown Design Review Pilot Project Area" it was reviewed by the Design Review Panel established as part of the pilot project. The Panel noted:
East Wall
The east elevation indicates a playful series of openings into the garage structure. This approach will draw a lot more visual attention to this wall than is currently the case. It will become visual competition for the heritage facades in the foreground of the street view and should be reconsidered.
The final quality of the completed project (as experienced from the surrounding neighbourhood) may rely on the material, colour and architectural detailing of the project. Further detail design development of proposal would be needed for a more focused urban design review.
After review of the above comments, the architect decided to change the openings of the top storey of the east façade to a regular pattern to reflect the orderly fenestration of the building facing ByWard Market. A complete copy of the panel's comments is included as Document 6.
The Provincial Policy Statement, 2005, addresses heritage conservation issues in Section 2.6.3 stating that site alteration may be permitted on lands adjacent to cultural heritage resources where "it has been demonstrated that the heritage attributes of the protected heritage property will be conserved." To conserve a protected heritage property, a municipality may require that a "Cultural Heritage Impact Statement" be prepared. This is consistent with the Official Plan policy 4.6.3 that requires that Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment be undertaken for developments in heritage conservation districts (distributed separately and on file with City Clerk). Accordingly, a Cultural Heritage Impact Statement (CHIS) was completed for the project. The CHIS looked at the development in terms of the existing heritage character of the ByWard Market, the District Guidelines and the existing planning framework, concluding that
7. Conclusion & Recommendations
a. The proposed development provides an opportunity to alter the exterior appearance of a building to make it fit better with the adjacent heritage resources.
b. The scale and massing of the additions and the material selected for the recladding of the garage and new construction have been chosen to fit within the context of the heritage character of the area.
c. The proposed addition/ renovation to 41 George Street incorporates additional storeys which respect the massing, profile and character of adjacent buildings and house complementary office and residential uses.
d. The design of the proposal mitigates any potential adverse impact on the cultural heritage value of the Byward Market Heritage Conservation District.
The ByWard Market is a densely developed urban area with a long tradition of utilizing every square foot available for commercial enterprise. Traditionally the courtyard system behind existing buildings housed small industrial uses and the existing buildings were fully occupied. Retail uses spilled onto the streets as merchants set up to sell locally-produced goods. The proposed development is consistent with these earlier patterns of intense land uses as it cleverly adds commercial and residential space to a very successful business, the ByWard Parkade. This pattern of development displays the same ingenuity that earlier landowners employed when adding storeys to existing buildings or developing their courtyards (see Document 6, Rooftop details).
The addition to the ByWard Parkade demonstrates an imaginative use of existing space. A mixed use building, it will continue to provide much-needed parking for the area and will add retail, office and residential uses to the site. The proposed design will make the building more compatible with its surroundings without making any attempt to deny that it is an example of that much-maligned but useful mid-20th century building type, the open deck concrete parking garage. The proposed building is similar in scale at the street front to the neighbouring buildings on George and York Streets. The central area of the building, where it will rise three storeys above the parking garage, are recessed from the street and occupy a limited part of the entire roof-top, however, the vibrant heritage commercial character of the ByWard Market Heritage Conservation District is so dominant in this location that the new views towards the building will not have a negative effect on the heritage character of the designated place. For these reasons, the Department supports the proposed project.
CONSULTATION
Adjacent property owners as well as the ByWard Market Business Improvement Area, Heritage Ottawa and local community associations were notified by letter of the date of the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee and Planning and Environment Committee meetings and were provided with comment sheets to be returned to LACAC. This is in accordance with the municipal public participation policy regarding heritage alterations, demolitions and infill in a heritage district.
Councillor Bédard is aware of this application.
The ByWard Market Business Improvement Area is aware of this application.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
APPLICATION PROCESS TIMELINE STATUS
This report was
completed within the 90 days prescribed by the Ontario Heritage Act.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 Location Map
Document 2 Context Photographs
Document 3 Elevations
Document 4 Perspectives
Document 5 Adjacent Heights
Document 6 Design Review Panel
Document 7 Rooftops
DISPOSITION
The Department of Corporate Services, Council and Committee Services Branch, to notify the applicant/ agent (Leonard Koffman, Architect, 1300 Carling Avenue, Suite 301, Ottawa, Ontario, K1Z 7L2) and the Ontario Heritage Foundation (10 Adelaide Street, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1J3) of City Council’s consent to construct an addition on the roof of the property located at 41 George Street in the ByWard Market Heritage Conservation District.
ADJACENT HEIGHTS DOCUMENT
5
DESIGN REVIEW
PANEL COMMENTS FOR
41 GEORGE STREET
PROJECT, AMBASSADOR REALTY INC. DOCUMENT 6
Date: Sept. 21, 2007
Urban Design Review
Panel Member Members:
George Dark
Maurizio Martignago
Robert Webster
Review Framework and General Comments
1.0 Key aspects of the project design that respond
well to the City’s Design Objectives
This proposal continues an important and long-standing district facility
supporting the primary functions of the area (public parking to support the
public market and other commercial activities).
Proposed new café (or similar use) space on George Street is a
complimentary use of the Market area.
Proposed addition of residential and office uses enhance the eclectic
mix of area facilities/functions.
Proposal maintains and enhances the unique spiral form of the existing
garage ramp on the George Street side of the building, thereby, reinforcing the
existing eclectic nature of the built forms within the neighborhood.
2.0 Key areas where opportunity exists to refine
the project design to be more responsive to key design
objectives/directives/specific recommendations.
The City of Ottawa needs to place a priority on developing a streetscape
concept plan for this area (and this location). The applicant’s design team
(Architect and Landscape Architect) should be provided some guidance from the
City in regards to the private and public realm design requirements for this
site.
Both street frontages could benefit from some more definition of the
ground elements. The entrance ways to the garages are undefined. Residual
spaces such as the triangular zone formed by the connection of the spiral ramp
to the adjacent building wall (east wall) are opportunities for art/hard and/or
soft landscape development.
The curved façade exposes the adjacent building
walls in a unique way. It would be helpful for this proposal to have a public
art component defined by the City that would consider the following:
treat the unique shape, form and position of
the curved façade as a public art project.
involve the adjacent Ottawa School of
Art in this initiative.
consider the use of LED nighttime lighting as part of (or the) art
component.
The large “P” parking sign is not adding to the overall effect of the
architecture of the rejuvenated curved wall and should be removed in favor of
something more subtle.
Review and redevelop the design of the tops/walls of the following facades:
for all facades, a careful reconsideration of the new or changes facades
materials should be undertaken: the material palette is not quite in the spirit
of the precinct.
George Street
the addition to the building form at the roof should not be designed
around the proposed large spruce tree which is unlikely to grow and/or survive
in such a location.
York Street
review the use and design of the top level (offices) curtain wall (re:
previous comment on material palette).
East Wall
the east elevation indicates a playful series of openings into the garage structure. This
approach will draw a lot more visual attention to this wall than is currently
the case. It will become visual competition for the heritage facades in the
foreground of the street view and should be reconsidered.
The final quality of the completed project (as experienced from the
surrounding neighborhood) may rely on the material, color and architectural
detailing of the project. Further detail design development of proposal would be needed for a more focused urban
design review.
