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4. APPLICATION TO ALTER 211 NORTHCOTE
PLACE, A PROPERTY DESIGNATED UNDER PART V OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT AND LOCATED IN THE ROCKCLIFFE PARK HERITAGE
CONSERVATION DISTRICT. DEMANDE EN VUE DE MODIFIER LE 211, PLACE NORTHCOTE,
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 |
Committee
recommendationS
That Council:
1.
Approve the
application to alter 211 Northcote Place, in accordance with plans submitted by
Lagois Drafting and Construction as received on October 17, 2011.
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 15, 2012.)
(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 Comité
Que le Conseil :
1.
approuve la demande de modification du
211, place Northcote, conformément aux plans soumis par Lagois Drafting and Construction et reçus le 17 octobre 2011;
2.
délègue au directeur général d’urbanisme
et Gestion de la croissance le pouvoir d’apporter des modifications mineures de
conception;
3.
délivre le permis en matière de
patrimoine, assorti d’une durée de validité de deux années à partir de 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 15 janvier 2012.)
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 2 November 2011 (ACS2011-ICS-PGM-0225).
2.
Extract of draft minutes, Ottawa Built Heritage
Advisory Committee meeting of 6 October 2011
Report
to/Rapport au :
Ottawa Built Heritage
Advisory Committee
Comité consultatif sur le patrimoine bâti
d’Ottawa
and / et
Planning
Committee
Comité
de l'urbanisme
and / et
Council / au Conseil
2 November 2011 / le 2 novembre 2011
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 Committee recommend that Council:
1.
Approve the
application to alter 211 Northcote Place, in accordance with plans submitted by
Lagois Drafting and Construction as received on October 17, 2011.
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 15, 2012.)
(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 de recommander à son tour au Conseil :
1.
d’approuver la demande de modification du
211, place Northcote, conformément aux plans soumis par Lagois Drafting and Construction et reçus le 17 octobre 2011;
2.
de déléguer au directeur général
d’Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance le pouvoir d’apporter des modifications
mineures de conception;
3.
de délivrer le permis en matière de
patrimoine, assorti d’une durée de validité de deux années à partir de 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 15 janvier 2012.)
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
211 Northcote Place is a one and
one-half storey house built in 1962 and altered in 2004 (Documents 1 and 2). The
Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District (HCD) was designated in 1997
under Part V of the Ontario Heritage
Act. Northcote Place is a small cul-de-sac extending west from Cloverdale
Road with only three properties. The
houses vary in architectural style. While all three houses on Northcote Place were
built in the early 1960s, 211 Northcote Place has been considerably modified to
include a high-peaked roof and stucco cladding. This house is not
identified as a building of heritage significance on the list of significant
buildings in Rockcliffe Park.
This report has been prepared because new construction in heritage conservation districts requires City Council approval.
DISCUSSION
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 Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee (OBHAC)
members and is on file with the OBHAC Co-ordinator.
The proposed alterations to this building include expansion of the
house to allow a full second storey, new cladding, and new windows (Documents 3
and 4). The footprint of the existing one and a half storey house will remain
largely the same with the exception of the conversion of a small, three season
porch to year-round living space. The roof will be removed and raised to allow
a full second storey. The new roof will be smaller and have a more gradual
slope than the existing roof. The existing garage and ground floor will remain
the same.
The stucco cladding will be replaced with a red brick veneer with buff
coloured quoins. Existing window openings will be retained but the windows will
be replaced with new aluminum clad wood windows with simulated divided lights. All
soffits and fascia will be wood.
All of the houses on Northcote Place take advantage of the natural
slope, with garages at street level and the houses above. The existing landscape at 211 Northcote Place
also takes advantage of the sloping terrain to display terraced gardens. The property is extensively landscaped with
a stone retaining wall and mature trees and shrubs. The existing landscape will
be retained (Document 5).
Staff supports this application to alter because the proposed alterations meet the guidelines within the Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District Study and the existing mature landscape will be retained.
RURAL IMPLICATIONS
N/A
CONSULTATION
The Rockcliffe Park Residents’ Association reviewed the proposal and had the following comments:
- To minimize the expanse of roof, we recommend reducing its slope further.
- The soffits will be very prominent and should be of a natural material – not perforated aluminum.
- The roofs over the projecting bay windows would be more successful in a material other than asphalt shingles, such as metal.
- We are very concerned about the colour of the brick. A softer/paler colour would be more appropriate for the streetscape, cul-de-sac and neighbourhood than the proposed strong red.
Heritage Ottawa is aware of the application.
Property owners within a 30m radius were notified of the proposal and offered the opportunity to provide comments.
COMMENTS BY THE WARD COUNCILLOR
Councillor Clark is aware of the application.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no legal implications associated with this report
RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
N/A
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no direct financial implications associated with this report.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS (optional)
N/A
TECHNOLOGY IMPLICATIONS
N/A
ACCESSIBILITY IMPLICATIONS
N/A
CITY STRATEGIC PLAN
Objective F2:
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.
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 Existing Conditions
Document 3 Elevations
Document 4 Renderings
Document 5 Landscape Plan
Document 6 Cultural Heritage Impact Statement
Document 7 Statement of Heritage Character
DISPOSITION
City Clerk and Solicitor Department, Legislative Services to notify the applicant and the Ontario Heritage Trust (10 Adelaide Street East, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1J3) of Council’s decision.
CULTURAL HERITAGE IMPACT STATEMENT DOCUMENT 6
October 31, 2011
City of Ottawa
Planning & Growth Management Department
110 Laurier Ave West
Ottawa, ON
K1P 1J1
Attention: Lesley Collins, Heritage Planner
Re: Cultural Heritage Impact Statement, Alterations to 211 Northcote Place, Rockcliffe
Ms. Collins,
We are applying of behalf of Mrs. Yang, owner of 211 Northcote Place in Rockcliffe (purchased May 2011). The existing house was originally built in 1962 as a 1.5 storey wood frame/brick veneer structure. In 2004 the house was altered by changing the exterior cladding to stucco, increasing roof slopes and by adding dormers at the front.
We are proposing to expand the partial second storey into a full second storey, to allow for more usable space. The overall height of the house will not change; the roof and second storey walls will be re-proportioned into a two storey home, as opposed to the current house which has the second storey located within the front portion of the roof.
The new design also addresses exterior aesthetics. Following a Georgian Revival architectural feel, we propose to remove the existing stucco finish, to be replaced by red brick with grey/beige stone quoining and window accents. Although red brick is not a predominant exterior cladding in newer Rockcliffe homes, it is not unusual as red bricked houses can be found on the surrounding streets (Cloverdale, Buena Vista and Lansdowne to name a few). The grey/beige stone accents are incorporated to soften and complement the red brick. The roof is proposed as a hip-roof to lower the visual impact of the height of the building at the street level. The front portico and bay windows are existing and will be kept.
The current house has a footprint of 212 sq. m. Our proposal will increase the footprint to 215 sq. m. (converting the existing left/rear ground floor porch to 4 season living space). The current house GFA is 320 sq. m. The proposed renovation will increase it to 419 sq. m. which represents an FSI of 0.326, below the allowable FSI of 0.375. The renovation/addition will have minimal impact on the existing landscape and topography of the lot: which is currently fully landscaped. There are a large amount of trees and shrubs on the property that creates a buffer between the house and its surrounding neighbours. Existing trees, shrubs and plantings will be protected and maintained.
There is little historical significance to this property and we believe the proposed changes will complement the character of the neighbourhood. The use of natural materials, combined with the dense landscaping on the lot, as well as between the surrounding neighbours, reduces the overall impact of this renovation.
If you require
additional information, please contact me at 613.489.2345
Regards,
Sophie Drouin
Lagois Drafting & Construction 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 feel 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.
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Ottawa built heritage Advisory
Committee draft
extract of Minutes
13 1 december 2011 |
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Comité
consultatif sur le patrimoine bâti
d’ottawa extrait
de l’Ébauche du Procès-verbal
13 le
1 dÉcembre 2011 |
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Application to alter 211 Northcote Place, a property designated
under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act
and located in the Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District
demande en
vue de modifier le 211, place northcote, 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
ACS2011-ICS-PGM-0225 Rideau-Rockcliffe (13)
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee recommend that
Planning Committee recommend that Council:
1.
Approve the
application to alter 211 Northcote Place, in accordance with plans submitted by
Lagois Drafting and Construction as received on October 17, 2011.
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 15, 2012.)
(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.)
Lesley Collins, Heritage Planner, provided an overview of the report.
Sophie Drouin, Lagois Drafting and Construction, was present on behalf of the applicant to answer questions.
The report recommendation was moved by Virendra Sahni and CARRIED on a division of 5 YEAS and 1 NAY, as follows:
YEAS (5): A. Fyfe, P. Maheu, V. Sahni, E. Eagen and C. Mulholland
NAYS (1): E. Zdansky