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Application for new construction at 110 juliana road, a property designated under part v of the ontario heritage act and located in the rockcliffe park heritage conservation district
demande de nouvelle construction au 110, chemin juliana, propriété désignée en vertu de la partie v de la loi sur le patrimoine de l’ontario et située dans le district de conservation du patrimoine de rockcliffe park
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OBHAC RECOMMENDATIONS, AS AMENDED
The Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee recommends that Planning Committee recommend that Council:
1. Approve the application for new construction at 110 Juliana Road, in accordance with either of the plans submitted by Rheal Labelle, Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects Incorporated as received on October 18, 2010 and November 18, 2010;
2. Delegate authority for minor design changes to the General Manager of the Planning and Growth Management Department; and
3. Issue the heritage permit with a two-year expiry date from the date of issuance.
(Note: The statutory 90-day timeline for consideration of this application under the Ontario Heritage Act will expire on January 17, 2011)
(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 MODIFIÉES DU CCPBO
Le Comité consultatif sur le patrimoine bâti d’Ottawa recommande au Comité de l’urbanisme de recommander à son tour au Conseil :
1. d’approuver la demande de nouvelle construction au 110, chemin Juliana conformément à l’une ou l’autre des plans soumises par Rheal Labelle, Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects Incorporated et reçues le 18 octobre 2010 et le 18 novembre 2010;
2. de déléguer le pouvoir en ce qui a trait aux modifications mineures au design au directeur général du Service de l’urbanisme et de la gestion de la croissance;
3. de délivrer le permis en matière de patrimoine dont la date d'expiration est fixée à deux ans après la date d'émission.
(Nota : Le délai réglementaire de 90 jours d’examen de cette demande, exigé en vertu de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario, prendra fin le 17 janvier 2011.)
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.)
Documentation
1. Deputy City Manager's report, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability, dated 29 October 2010 (ACS2010-ICS-PGM-0196).
2. Attachment 1 - Alternate elevations submitted by Rheal Labelle, Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects Incorporated on November 18, 2010.
3. Attachment 2 - Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee (OBHAC) Extract of Draft Minutes of 18 November 2010.
Report to/Rapport au :
Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee
Comité consultatif sur le patrimoine bâti d’Ottawa
and / et
Planning and Environment Committee
Comité de l'urbanisme et de l'environnement
and Council / et au Conseil
29 October 2010 / le 29 octobre 2010
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 : Richard Kilstrom, Acting Manager/Gestionnaire intérimaire, Development Review-Urban Services/Examen des projets d'aménagement-Services urbains, Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance
(613) 580-2424, 22379 Richard.Kilstrom@ottawa.ca
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee recommend that Planning and Environment Committee recommend that Council:
1. Approve the application for new construction at 110 Juliana Road, in accordance with plans submitted by Rheal Labelle, Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects Incorporated as received on October 18, 2010;
2. Delegate authority for minor design changes to the General Manager of the Planning and Growth Management Department; and
3. Issue the heritage permit with a two-year expiry date from the date of issuance.
(Note: The statutory 90-day timeline for consideration of this application under the Ontario Heritage Act will expire on January 17, 2011)
(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 le patrimoine bâti d’Ottawa recommande au Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’environnement de recommander à son tour au Conseil :
1. d’approuver la demande de nouvelle construction au 110, chemin Juliana conformément aux plans soumis par Rheal Labelle, Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects Incorporated et reçus le 18 octobre 2010;
2. de déléguer le pouvoir en ce qui a trait aux modifications mineures au design au directeur général du Service de l’urbanisme et de la gestion de la croissance;
3. de délivrer le permis en matière de patrimoine dont la date d'expiration est fixée à deux ans après la date d'émission.
(Nota : Le délai réglementaire de 90 jours d’examen de cette demande, exigé en vertu de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario, prendra fin le 17 janvier 2011.)
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
110 Juliana Road is a vacant lot in Rockcliffe Park at the corner of Juliana Road and Maple Lane. The Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District was designated in 1997 under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act by the former Village of Rockcliffe Park. This section of Juliana Road has an eclectic mix of housing styles as is typical throughout Rockcliffe Park (Documents 1, 2 and 3).
This report has been prepared because new construction in heritage conservation districts requires City Council approval.
DISCUSSION
Recommendation 1
110 Juliana Road is located in the Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District (HCD). The Rockcliffe Park HCD was designated for its cultural heritage value as an early planned residential community first laid out by Thomas Keefer in 1864. The district is also important for its historical associations with Keefer and his father-in-law, Thomas MacKay, the founder of New Edinburgh and the original owner of Rideau Hall. The picturesque nature of the village also contributes significantly to the cultural heritage value. The Statement of Heritage Character (Document 7) notes that today the “Village of Rockcliffe Park is a distinctive community of private homes and related institutional properties within a park setting.”
The Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District Study contains guidelines for the management of development in the district. The guidelines related to buildings and landscape applicable to this proposal are as follows:
Section iv) Buildings
4. Any application to construct a new building or addition should be reviewed with consideration of its potential to enhance the heritage character of the Village. New construction should be recommended for approval only where the siting, form, materials and detailing are sympathetic to the surrounding natural and cultural environment.
5. New buildings and additions should be of their own time, but should also harmonize with the existing cultural landscape. They should be sited and designed so as to retain the existing topography. The use of natural materials should be encouraged.
Section v) Soft and Hard Landscape
1. The dominance of soft landscape over hard landscape should be recognized as an essential feature of the past history and present character of the Village.
2. New buildings, fences and other landscape features or alterations and additions to existing buildings and features, should be designed and sited so as to protect and enhance significant qualities of the existing landscape.
The complete Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District Study was previously distributed to all OBHAC members and is on file with the OBHAC Co-ordinator (Document 8).
The lot at 110 Juliana Road is currently vacant and the proposed house will be a bungalow fronting onto Juliana Road. The house has been designed in three distinct volumes all focused around a central courtyard. The varying shapes and volumes of the house serve to break up the mass of the building on the lot. At the front, the north section of the west façade has a sloped roof and the southern part has a flat roof sloping back towards the courtyard, these volumes are connected in the centre by a lower, flat roofed glazed corridor that runs the length of the house from front to back. The rear of the house reverses the rooflines of the front façade with the northern portion (the garage) having a flat roof and the southern portion with a sloped roofline. While the overall design is very contemporary, the use of natural materials including stone and copper links the house to the overall Rockcliffe landscape. The new house will be set back to be in line with the neighbouring houses along Juliana Road. The new design is of its own time and sympathetic in size and massing to the neighbourhood.
The lot is currently vacant and heavily treed so the construction of a house on the lot will result in the loss of some trees on the site. The applicant has submitted a Tree Preservation report which provides for the retention of a number of larger trees around the perimeter of the property. Trees to be retained include one Red Oak and two Basswoods in the southeast corner of the property, and a number of Manitoba Maples, Norway Maples and Tamarack on the property. The Landscape Plan (Document 4) shows the replacement trees for those lost due to construction and the shrubs, hedges, and other plantings to be added. The overall design concept is meant to reflect the typical large lots in Rockcliffe which are generally more landscaping than house.
This proposal will require minor variances from the Zoning By-law to permit reduced lot width and decreased rear yard setback.
The Department supports this application because the building is sensitively designed, existing mature trees on the site will be retained and the Landscape Plan is consistent with the richly landscaped sites typical of Rockcliffe Park.
Recommendation 2:
Occasionally, minor changes to a building emerge during the working drawing phase. This recommendation is included to allow the Planning and Growth Management Department to approve these changes.
Recommendation 3:
The Ontario Heritage Act does not provide any timelines for the expiry of heritage permits. A two-year expiry date is recommended to ensure that projects are completed in a timely fashion and according to the approved heritage permit.
RURAL IMPLICATIONS
N/A
CONSULTATION
Neighbours within 30 metres of the property were notified and offered the opportunity to make written or oral submissions
The Rockcliffe Park Resident’s Association was consulted and had the following comments:
We reviewed preliminary drawings for this project with the Architects on October 6th. We support the design with the understanding that we will review more detailed drawings as they become more refined. We are opposed, however, to the circular driveway off Juliana Road, which is entirely on City property.
We understand that the only variances required for this project relate to required lot frontage (27m required, 25m provided) and the redistribution of setbacks (front yard plus rear yard: 16.5m required, 16.5 provided). We remain confused about the calculation of FSI as it relates to the Basement/Cellar.
This wooded lot is predominantly of Norway Maples, an invasive introduced species. So we support the proposed clearance of the large part of the lot for the building. There is one outstanding tree on the site, a large Red Oak near the SE corner. We are delighted to see that it is to be retained. But it is close to the proposed corner of the building and to the driveway. Therefore, we strongly recommend that the Tree Protection Guidelines of both the City and of Rockcliffe Park be strictly adhered to for that tree, to give it the best chance of surviving the construction activity.
The hedge proposed along the southern lot line will be under heavy shade from the Norway Maples along the City side of the lot line. Cedar hedges in Rockcliffe do poorly on sites of similar heavy shading, so we suggest that the owner consider using the more shade-tolerant Eastern Hemlock for the hedge. In addition, the hedge appears to be sited on the City side of the lot line. It should be on the owner’s side.
Staff Response: The circular drive off Juliana Road has been removed from the Landscape Plan. The FSI has been calculated to be 0.370; it is within the 0.375 limit so no variance will be required.
Heritage Ottawa is aware of the project.
COMMENTS BY THE WARD COUNCILLOR(S)
I am supportive of this application. The Cultural Heritage Impact Statement has correctly stated that this property is suitable for residential infill. The proposed design for a contemporary bungalow wrapping around an interior courtyard works well on this site.
The author of the Cultural Heritage Impact Statement has overstepped the mark however when it comes to the description of a proposed semi-circular “minimal stone textured looped driveway” occupying the public verge on Juliana. Such circular driveways are discouraged when possible in the Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District, in part because they require two paved access/egress points, crossing the public verge, from the roadway where one will do. In any case, if allowed, they are entirely on the subject’s private property. Such driveway features are not an acceptable use of the public verge.
It is also my understanding that the only variances required are minor in nature and are acceptable.
LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS:
There are no legal/risk management implications associated with this report
CITY STRATEGIC PLAN
Objective F 2: Respect the existing urban fabric, neighbourhood form and the limits of existing hard services, so that new growth is integrated seamlessly with established communities.
The City wants to protect the qualities and characteristics that define what is unique and special about each community while accommodating new growth.
Review applications as part of the development and infrastructure approval process for neighbourhood compatibility and the preservation of unique identities of our communities and villages
Objective E8 : Operationalize the Ottawa 20/20 Arts & Heritage Plan.
2.1.2 Identify and Protect Archaeological and Built Heritage Resources, Streetscapes, Public and Symbolic Civic Places and Cultural Landscapes
2.1.2.2 The City will preserve distinct built heritage, streetscapes and cultural heritage landscapes that serve as landmarks and symbols of local identity in both urban and rural districts, as outlined in the Official Plan.
TECHNICAL IMPLICATIONS
N/A
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no direct financial implications associated with this report.
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 Current Conditions
Document 3 Elevations
Document 4 Landscape Plan
Document 5 Renderings
Document 6 Cultural Heritage Impact Statement
Document 7 Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
Document 8 Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District Study and Plan
DISPOSITION
City Clerk and Solicitor Department, Legislative Services to notify the property owner and the Ontario Heritage Trust (10 Adelaide Street East, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1J3) of Council’s decision.
RENDERINGS DOCUMENT
5
October 4th, 2010
City of Ottawa
Department of Planning and Growth Management
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa Ontario
K1P 1J1
Attention: Lesley Collins,
Heritage Planner,
Heritage Section Development Review (Urban Services)
Re: Cultural Heritage Impact Statement
Proposed new construction for a new bungalow style single family
dwelling located at 110 Juliana Rd. Rockcliffe Park
The existing vacant lot at 110 Juliana Road is a privately owned residential property within the Village of Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District. As part of the Heritage Conservation District this property is amid an unconventional street pattern. The lot fronts onto (2) public streets, Juliana Road to the east and partially onto Maple Lane to the west. An asphalt foot path extends along Maple Lane on the south property line. This foot path is an extension of Maple Lane through a right of way and provides a pedestrian connection between its eastern and western vehicular road extensions. A chain link fence borders on the north and east property limits adjacent to one and a half (1.5) and two (2) storey residential dwellings. A row of cedar hedges borders the west property limits along Juliana Road which gradually slopes downward towards the southwest corner of the property.
The lot area is 1, 021.6 sq.m. (10, 996 sq.ft) and contains a unique park-like setting within the confines of a generous tree canopy that borders the public streets, Maple Lane and Juliana Rd. This vacant lot is overgrown with mature trees all of which will be thoroughly reviewed by a certified arborist and the city tree conservation authorities. An arborist report including a tree inventory outside the proposed building excavation footprint will be provided to the city tree conservation department to obtain a distinctive tree permit.
This property is a suitable residential infill lot for the design and development of a single family dwelling appropriate to sustain the character and quality of the environment valued by the residence of the village of Rockcliffe Park. The proposed residential development will front onto Juliana Rd. The bungalow style is contemporary, with large areas of windows punching through or sliding past a combination of natural stone and copper volumes. These 3 individual single storey volumes are connected by an interior glass spine and wrap around a central courtyard terrace. With the use of surrounding floor to ceiling glass, the courtyard terrace is orientated to the south to allow daylight to flood into the courtyard space throughout the year while maximizing daylight within the interior rooms of the home. The house is designed with low sloped roof planes which will help minimize the impact on the existing site lines and enhance the overall scale of the house to integrate itself seamlessly within the existing streetscapes. The majority of the home's mass is pushed along the north lot line in an attempt to provide some relief along the south lot line where the private and public open spaces converge. The main vehicular access will be from Maple Lane. The east lot entrance will access an attached garage facing the neighbouring western side yard. As a result the facade on Juliana will remain free of garage doors leaving a minimal stone textured looped driveway for drop-offs surrounded by soft landscaping to service the main entrance.
The proposed u-shape design for this home is to minimize its overall mass and scale contributing to the distinctive open-space character of the community. Also, the use of a low profile natural stone garden wall that contains the courtyard terrace is intended to enhance the natural edge condition and preserve a visual connection between the private and public realms.
The architectural intent is to develop the notion of a small house(s) sitting in a large landscape as prescribed in the Official Plan of the Village of Rockcliffe Park. The use of glass, natural stone and steep metal roofs all forms part of a familiar architectural dialogue between nature and the historic architectural character of the Village.
The photograph and drawing below illustrates the low impact of the new design on views from the neighboring streets.
Yours truly,
RhEAL LABELLE
For Barry Hobin Associates Architects Inc.
i) Description
The Village of Rockcliffe Park is a planned residential community first laid out in 1864 by Thomas Keefer. It was created as a partial subdivision of the large estate belonging to his father-in-law, Thomas McKay. Development occurred slowly, but in 1908 a Police Village was created, and by 1926 the Village of Rockcliffe Park had been incorporated. The boundaries established in 1908 have remained intact, and the present Village of Rockcliffe Park is a distinctive community of private homes and related institutional properties within a park setting, still true to the spirit of Keefer’s original vision.
ii.) Reasons for Designation:
The Village of Rockcliffe Park is proposed for designation as a heritage district because of:
- The significance of its original design intentions;
- The continuity in its evolution;
- The richness of its current urban condition;
- Its relationship with its wide setting, and
- The importance of its historical associations.
iii.) Original Design Intentions
The Village of Rockcliffe Park is a rare and significant approach to estate layout and landscape design adapted in Canada from 18th Century English precedents. McKay had adopted this approach in his initial development of the estate, and the original McKay villa and grounds survive as Rideau Hall, the estate of the Governor General of Canada, on the western boundary of the village. When, in 1864, Keefer advertised his Park and Villa lots for private residences, he focused on the picturesque qualities of the scenery, and the importance of curving roads, extensive plantings, and naturalistic settings as key features in any future development. Lots were sold as components of the larger Estate, implying a cohesive landscape approach- purchasers were enjoined from erected anything that would be “inconsistent with the maintenance of the Estate as a park for private residences.” Tree planning on road fronts was an immediate requirement on purchase, and commercial and industrial uses were explicitly banned. This type of ‘suburban’ or borderland development is also a reflection of a particularly North American response to rapid industrialization and urbanization in the 19th Century, with its emphasis on healthy living in a rural or country setting.
iv.) Continuity in Evolution
The Village of Rockcliffe Park today is a remarkably consistent reflection of the ideas set out by Keefer. Although development of the residential lots has taken place very gradually, the ideas of Estate management, of smaller lots as part of a larger whole, of picturesque design, of residential focus, have survived as controlling aspects of the Village’s form and character. This has been in part somewhat fortuitous and unconscious- the cumulative effect of precedent and example. The early estates such as the MacKay villa and Rockcliffe were followed quickly by Birkenfels and Crichton Lodge, which in turn inspired smaller estates on Buena Vista, Mariposa, and Acacia and later Crescent Road. These types of properties continue to establish a Rockcliffe image, which is continually translated by architects and designers into individual variations on the theme. The strong landscape setting is able to embrace a rich diversity of lot and building sizes and configurations.
However, the continuity has also been provided by an active effort by overseers and residents. In the early years, Thomas Keefer and his associates developed special arrangements to control public and private initiatives as Trustees of the MacKay Estate. Later this effort fell to the overseers of the Police Village and then the councillors of the incorporated Village. Considerable energy has been spent by every successive generation to manage development and change, through formal and informal reviews and by a variety of by-laws, planning directives, and special designations. In most communities such initiatives have focused on economic development and minimum property standards; in Rockcliffe there is an extraordinary effort to maintain the scenic qualities, the park setting, the natural features and plantings, the careful informality of streets and services. This continuity of vision is very rare in a community where development has occurred on such a relatively large scale over such a long time period.
v) Current urban condition:
The Village of Rockcliffe Park has combined public and private initiatives to create an unusually rich urban landscape. The deliberately curved roads, without curbs or sidewalks, and the careful planting of the public spaces and corridors, together with the careful siting and strong landscaping of the individual properties, create the apparently casual and informal style so integral to the picturesque tradition. The preservation and enhancement of topographical features including the lake and pond, the dramatic Ottawa River shoreline, the internal ridges and slopes, and the various outcroppings, has reinforced the design intentions. The architectural design of the residences and associated institutional facilities is similarly deliberate and careful, but in the casual elegance and asymmetry of the various English country revival styles which predominate throughout the Village. The generosity of space around the homes, and the flowing of this space from one property to the next by continuous planting rather than hard fence lines, has maintained the estate qualities and park setting envisioned by Keefer. This informal elegance has been a consistent theme throughout the long process of development from the mid-19th Century to the present. There are relatively few examples of the strict neo-classicism that would suggest a more geometric ordering of the landscape.
There is also a set of community practices, intangible rituals that are both public and private, which continue to make sense of this environment- individual and collective outdoor activities, pedestrian and vehicular movement, areas of congregation and encounter, areas of dispersal and isolation. The urban landscape is also sustained by a variety of ongoing planning regulations, reflected most particularly in the current Official Plan and related zoning by-law.
vi.) Relationship with its wider setting:
The Village of Rockcliffe Park has an important and integral association with its larger setting, as a result of patterns of historical development. With the Rideau Hall estate there is a symbiosis that dates back to Keefer’s original vision of the village set within the larger grounds of this original villa. With Rockcliffe Park, there is a deliberate relationship again defined by Keefer, who saw the park as a natural extension and highlighting of the village’s picturesque setting. This relationship was further strengthened with the expansion of the park to the east, and with the addition of the Rockeries. Beechwood Cemetery has also served as a compatible landscape boundary to the southeast from the earliest period of settlement through to the present. These various border areas create important gateways to the village, and help establish its particular character. The views to and from the Ottawa River, the Beechwood escarpment, and the other park areas are integral to the picturesque quality of the Village. These extensions also form an integral part of the Village’s environmental ecosystem. It is unusual to have the internal character of a neighbourhood so strongly reinforced by adjacent land uses; it once again reflects the foresight of the original planners.
vii.) Historical Associations
The most important historical associations of the village as a whole are with the MacKay/Keefer family, major players in the economic, social, cultural and political development of Ottawa. The village today is a testament to the ideas and initiatives of various key members of this extended family, and their influence in shaping this key piece of Canadian landscape. Additional associations have occurred more randomly throughout the history of the village, as people of regional, national, and international significance have resided here and made this community their home base. Such associations are in some ways more private than public, and are an aspect of the village that is preserved more in the intangible continuities and oral traditions of village life than in the stones and mortar of monuments and plaques.
There are also specific associations with individuals who, whatever their prominence elsewhere, have made special contributions within the Village at a public and private level. These people have been part of an unusual form of self-governance, which has blurred the lines between formal and informal participation in the affairs of the Village.
ROCKCLIFFE PARK HERITAGE CONSERVATION DOCUMENT 8
(please click above to access)
Held on File with the City Clerk
