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www.ottawaconstructionnews.com SEPTEMBER 2014 Volume 24 No. 9 OTTAWA, ONTARIO SERVING EASTERN ONTARIO $4.95 Ottawa East: 613-746-7070 West: 613-727-2666 Kanata: 613-831-6800 Gatineau: 819-770-7110 boone.ca SITE DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTORS PLUMBING HVAC HYDRONICS WATERWORKS PVF www.merkleysupply.com This month’s FEATURES Ottawa's Building Better and Editorial and Viewpoint ...............................................................................A4 Smarter Suburbs Study The OakWood Group builds on 58 years of experience to achieve Page A2 residential renovation success ................................................................... C1 Fire strikes, but ADBRO Forming thrives as company receives support from clients and community.......................................................... C6 Euro Tile & Stone creates new showroom experience ............................... D1 Caroline Castrucci achieves hands-on family business experience as she builds industry relationships.......................................... D4 ONTARIO CONSTRUCTION REPORT FEATURES All Canada Crane Rental Corp........................................................... OCR 4 Rooﬁng in Ontario............................................................................. OCR 6 GPS TO GO ........................................................................................OCR 8 NORTHERN ONTARIO FEATURE NORCAT ..........................................................................................OCR B1 Ottawa's Building The annual BBQ Better and Smarter and the OYCL golf Suburbs Study Page A2 Page A5 DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD You can read the paper online or see past issues anytime on your computer Ottawa Construction News is published by Asset Beam Publishing Ltd, Suite 202, 1 Cleopatra Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K2G 3M9 Publisher: Mark Buckshon or on your mobile device... www.ottawaconstructionnews.com Publications Mail Agreement #40035898 Teed Off By Low Interest Rates? STOP PAYING FOR OVERTIME THEFT Wish you could improve your golf swing and your investment portfolio on the same day? Kindly RSVP to Jon Beckman, Associate Investment Advisor, at [email protected] or 613 783-6877 if you would like to join us at an upcoming event with a local golf professional. For more information, please contact us. Garry W. Beckman Jon Beckman First Vice-President Associate Investment Advisor Investment Advisor www.beaconlite.ca www.gpstogo.com www.garrybeckman.ca SEE OUR AD ON PAGE D3 613 695 0444 PAGE A2 – September 2014 – The Ottawa Construction News Ottawa's Building Better and Smarter Suburbs Study Affordability challenge as suburban tree planing initiative morphs into big picture urban planning project STAFF WRITER – The Ottawa Construction News cise, nothwithstanding that the professionals brought into manage this exercise believe it is excessive in its reach, An Ottawa municipal initiative to solve a tree locating Kardish said. problem in new suburbs has morphed into a much more The city planning department decided to turn the orig- challenging study that could be failing to consider costs and inal request for a review of tree planting policies and reg- affordability, says Greater Ottawa Home Builders Associa- ulations “into this completely different policy exercise, tion (GOHBA) Builder/Developer Council (BDC) chair into redesigning how our suburbs are built.” Josh Kardish. “What we've got now is a high-level policy question City planners commissioned the Building Better and about intensification,” Kardish said. “It's an interesting Smarter Suburbs Study by Toronto-based The Planning question, as we've increased intensification levels from Partnership and Delcan after councillors Jan Harder (Bar- 28 to 34 units per hectare and never had a discussion rhaven) and Shad Qadri (Stittsville) saw increasing con- about the overall design,” but this question has so far flicts between parking, trees, snow storage, sidewalks and been addressed without considering either affordability utility placements in their wards, Kardish said. or consulting with development engineers. It would also “They (the suburban councillors) were trying to chal- seem prudent that if the city wants to address subdivision lenge staff to bring in the utilities with the standards, the general public (the end right-of-ways group and deal in a rational users) should have a say in what the way with the issues the city has with its stan- stated goals should be.” dard 16.5 and 18 m. right-of-ways,” he said. Kardish says proposed solutions, in- The narrower areas, compared to the 20 m. cluding private rear lanes and under- plus right-of-ways, create situations where, ground parking, may be sensible in because of soil conditions and utility access some situations, but these can dramati- requirements, there is no room to plant trees cally increase costs, shutting first-time and little room for second cars. buyers out of the market. “Where we've The original idea: Perhaps the city could built homes that have rear lanes and pri- review and co-ordinate with utilities to allow vate roads, there are costs of $95 to more tree plantings and additional room for $175 additional per month to maintain cars. the private lanes,” he said. The marine clay policy was designed to Josh Kardish However, “we're getting off base avert problems with cracking and damaged from where we started, with a very tan- foundations from drying and de-watered soils and it has had gible goal – to address the issues of 16.5 and 18 m. right- serious impacts on the ability to plant trees on narrower of-ways,” he said. “That was the original goal. This right-of-ways. Staff have informed the development indus- project takes a much broader look at things.” try that this policy will not be amended through this exer- While developers have been invited to participate in round-table discussions as the city defines its strategy, “nowhere in any documentation have we seen anything about affordability – about the increasing cost of development and affordability for the home buyer.” “If the ultimate goal is to bring this to where you are talking about implementation, the engineering industry from the private sector doesn't seem to be represented at the table,” Kardish says. Nancy Schepers, deputy city manager – planning and infrastructure, wrote in a report to Ottawa's planning committee and city council on April 30, that “consultants are now preparing recommendations for moving forward” with 10 topics including: residential parking; visitor parking; road right-of-way; rear lanes; trees; utility placement; street network; parks and open space; stormwater management ponds; and school sites.” “A follow-up report will be brought to the planning committee in late 2014,” Schepers wrote. “It will include recommendations to implement solutions to address certain conflicts in new suburban communities. This report is also expected to recommend larger city-wide initiatives such as a potential re-examination of road right-of-way cross sec- tions, which determine the allocation of space on city- owned streets and result in approved street types. “This is an incremental and collaborative approach that will focus on updates and revisions to existing standards or practices, as opposed to introducing a comprehensive doc- ument on new subdivision design guidelines,” she wrote. Kardish says there is nothing wrong with these big-pic- Aerialphotographs.ca ture objective, as long as they avoid preconceptions and bring the affordability and development engineering per- Specializing in regular construction progress photography spective into consideration. Custom and stock aerial photographs However, he says the original problem – finding a way to improve tree plantings and make suburban roads more Find us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/aerialphotographs attractive, could have been solved with a much simpler con- (613) 700-1201 [email protected] sultative process, with a flexible and engineering-focused understanding of the development environment. Aerialphotographs.ca is the exclusive Aerial Photographer to the Ottawa Construction News The Ottawa Construction News – September 2014 – PAGE A3 City approves $100 million Arts Court/OAG redevelopment by Quebec-based consortium Now one call protects it all. at 60-70 Waller St., with condos above a STAFF WRITER – The Ottawa Construction News boutique hotel on the first 12 floors. The staff report says the project includes The City of Ottawa has selected a con- a $41.7 UofO and city investment. The pri- sortium of three Quebec-based firms to vate sector will invest $60 million, bringing complete the $100 million Arts Court and the overall project to more than $100 mil- Ottawa Art Gallery redevelopment. lion. City staff have supported the proposal, The space will include a 100-seat theatre which will also accommodate University of and four university classrooms, as well as a Ottawa (UofO) programs, from EBC Inc., 250-seat multi-purpose and film screening DevMcGill and Groupe Germaine, beating room. The Arts Court space vacated by the out two other finalists. gallery will be repurposed, and connected At OCN's press time, the city's finance to the new building on four floors. committee still needed to sign off on the EBC Inc. is a construction company proposal, followed by city council's ap- based near Quebec City, DevMcGill has de- proval. veloped condos in Montreal, and Groupe Construction should start in late Decem- Germaine is a Quebec City hotel operator. ber, with completion of the Ottawa Art The Group Germaine website

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