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1 Report to/Rapport au : Built Heritage Sub-Committee Sous-comité du patrimoine bâti and/et Planning Committee Comité de l'urbanisme and Council / et au Conseil May 24, 2013 24 mai 2013 Submitted by/Soumis par : Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice municipale adjointe,Planning and Infrastructure/Urbanisme et Infrastructure Contact Person / Personne ressource: John Smit, Manager/Gestionnaire, Development Review-Urban Services / Examen des projets d'aménagement- Services urbains Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance (613) 580-2424, 13866 [email protected] RIDEAU-VANIER (12) Ref N°: ACS2013-PAI-PGM-0108 SUBJECT: APPLICATION TO MOVE TWO PROPERTIES, 273 AND 275-279 SUSSEX DRIVE, DESIGNATED UNDER PART V OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT AND LOCATED IN THE LOWERTOWN WEST HERITAGE CONSERVATION DISTRICT OBJET : DEMANDE DE DÉMÉNAGEMENT DE DEUX IMMEUBLES SITUÉS AU 273 ET AUX 275-279, PROMENADE SUSSEX, DÉSIGNÉS AUX TERMES DE LA PARTIE V DE LA LOI SUR LE PATRIMOINE DE L’ONTARIO ET SE TROUVANT DANS LE DISTRICT DE CONSERVATION DU PATRIMOINE DE LA BASSE-VILLE OUEST REPORT RECOMMENDATION That the Built Heritage Sub-Committee recommend Planning Committee recommend that Council approve the application received on May 13, 2013 to relocate 273 and 275-279 Sussex Drive east on their respective properties, 2 conditional upon the approval by the General Manager, Planning and Growth Management Department of a Conservation Plan. (Note: The statutory 90-day timeline for consideration of this application under the Ontario Heritage Act will expire on August 11, 2013.) (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 Sous-comité du patrimoine bâti recommande au Comité de l’urbanisme de recommander à son tour au Conseil d’approuver la demande, reçue le 13 mai 2013, visant à déplacer les immeubles situés aux 273 et aux 275-279, promenade Sussex, à l’est de leur emplacement actuel, sous réserve de l’approbation par le directeur général du Service de l’urbanisme et de la gestion de la croissance d’un plan de conservation. (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 11 août 2013.) (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 The City’s Infrastructure Services Department has submitted an application on behalf of the National Capital Commission (NCC) to relocate two buildings at 273 and 275-279 Sussex Drive. These two NCC-owned buildings located within the Lowertown West Heritage Conservation District were designated in 1993 under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. The two buildings form part of the western edge of the Lowertown West Heritage Conservation District (see Location Map, Document 1 and Street and Bird’s Eye Views, Document 2). The district was designated not only because it is Ottawa’s oldest residential area, but also as a neighbourhood that evolved as the city grew around it. The “Statement of Significance” for the district emphasizes that “This evolution through time is a crucial characteristic of the area, and it requires recognition of the heritage importance of both the earliest buildings and later buildings.” The relocation of the buildings is necessitated by a roadway improvement project for the section of Sussex Drive that runs between St. Patrick Street and King Edward Avenue. These buildings were expropriated by the NCC in 1962 for site redevelopment as part of the initial development of the Mile of History, which eventually became a section of Confederation Boulevard. 273 Sussex Drive, constructed in 1946, is a yellow brick single family dwelling, asymmetrical in plan, with stone trim (see Document 3). It was evaluated and given a Category 3 score as part of the Lowertown West Heritage Conservation District Study in the 1990s. Category 3 is defined as “heritage components of an area; outside heritage 3 districts these buildings would have less importance and may not warrant individual designation.” 275-279 Sussex Drive, constructed between 1903 and 1905, is a brick veneer row house with a flat roof, upper and lower porches, and a prominent cornice with finials (see Document 4). It was also categorized a Category 3 building in the Lowertown West Heritage District Study. Since the 1960s, the NCC, the City of Ottawa and the former Region of Ottawa-Carleton have acknowledged that there was a need to correct the road curvature at the north end of Sussex Drive adjacent to the subject properties as the road does not meet design and safety standards. The City has a multi-year project to bring Sussex Drive between St. Patrick Street and King Edward Avenue up to an appropriate standard with continuous designated cycling lanes in each direction. The road is part of the City's designated cycling route and this section is one part of that multi-year project. In addition to the City’s goals for the road, the ongoing evolution of the Mile of History into Confederation Boulevard has meant that the NCC has an interest in bringing this section of Sussex Drive up to the standards of Confederation Boulevard. It is the last phase of the ongoing rehabilitation of Sussex Drive by the City and will result in the completion of Confederation Boulevard by the NCC (see Road Alignment, Document 5). DISCUSSION The current project has been the object of renewed interest between the City and the NCC since April 2009. On October 24, 2012, a Planning and Growth Management Department report recommending demolition of the properties to accommodate the proposed Sussex Drive reconstruction was refused by City Council. At that time, the possibility of moving the buildings back on their lots was noted as an alternative and the costs of doing so were outlined in the report. This report has been prepared to recommend on-site relocation as an alternative to demolition. When designing new roads, the City has regard for the Transportation Association of Canada’s “Geometric Design Guide for Canadian Roads” (TAC, 2007) and the City’s Arterial Road Corridor Design Guidelines (2000). The initial studies regarding the reconstruction of Sussex Drive presented a variety of options for improving the safety of the road for all users. The options included shared lanes, a cantilevered alignment, lane capacity reduction around the corner, maintaining the status quo, and the construction of separate cycling lanes, which required the removal or demolition of the two houses. The recommended option in this report will allow for improve safety of Sussex Drive at this location through the construction of four lanes, 3.25 metres wide on the outside lanes and 3 metres wide on the centre lanes, plus 1.5 metre dedicated bike lanes and sidewalks on each side of the road. This is considered to be the best option to serve the needs of cyclists, pedestrians and the existing vehicular traffic which includes tour buses, OC Transpo buses and trucks. The proposed roadway in the curve adjacent to the two designated houses has been carefully designed for safety by ensuring that larger vehicles remain in their designated lanes and not deviate into the cycling lanes as 4 they negotiate the tight curve. The proposed roadway also provides the wider sidewalks needed for Confederation Boulevard (for detailed plan, see Document 5). As the current road at the existing curve cannot adequately provide the required safety for all users at this location, the road must be re-aligned, necessitating the relocation of the buildings at 273 and 275-279 Sussex Drive, which, as detailed in the October report, is estimated to cost $1.2 million and will be included in the existing reconstruction budget. Conservation Plan Barry Padolsky and Associates, Architects Inc. have been engaged by the Infrastructure Services Department to undertake a Conservation Plan for the proposed relocation of the houses. This plan will detail actual mechanics of the building move, the precautions that will be implemented to ensure that the move is successfully accomplished and the final disposition of the buildings. The proposed Conservation Plan and its recommendations will be subject to the approval by the General Manager, Planning and Growth Management. Cultural Heritage Impact Statement In 2012, E.R.A. architects were retained to prepare a Cultural Heritage Impact Study (CHIS) to assess the impact of the road improvement project on the designated heritage buildings at 273 and 275-279 Sussex Drive. The preferred option in the CHIS was to preserve the character of the Lowertown West HCD to the fullest extent possible, given the necessity of the road re-alignment, and to move the two buildings back from their current location. This option was initially rejected by City and NCC staff because it was deemed to be too costly to move the buildings back on their lots. An application by the NCC, as approved by its Board, to demolish the structures was submitted to the City of Ottawa and it was this application that was subsequently rejected at City Council. Lowertown West Heritage Conservation District Study City Council approved guidelines to manage change in the Lowertown West Heritage Conservation District when the area was designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. While the guidelines do not specifically address moving buildings, they do discourage demolition stating in Section 7.5.4.1 “As a general principle, demolition of structures within the District will not be recommended for approval by City Council.” Furthermore, the Guidelines recognize the NCC’s role in the development of the Sussex Drive portion of Confederation Boulevard, and “supports the objectives and initiatives of the NCC streetscape improvements on Sussex Drive.” Official Plan The relocation of designated buildings is addressed in the Official Plan.