December 7, 2020 City of Ottawa Planning and Growth Management Department 110 Laurier Ave. W., 4Th Floor, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1
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December 7, 2020 City of Ottawa Planning and Growth Management Department 110 Laurier Ave. W., 4th Floor, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1J1 Attention: Ms. Josiane Gervais Project Manager, Infrastructure Approvals Dear Ms. Gervais: Reference: 331 Cooper Street Building Conversion Parking Review Our File No. 120180 1.0 INTRODUCTION This parking review letter has been prepared in support of Rezoning and Site Plan Control applications for 331 Cooper Street. The subject property is currently occupied by a seven-storey office building with covered ground floor parking which will be converted into an eight-storey residential apartment building. The subject site is surrounded by the following: • An apartment building and Lisgar Street to the north; • Cooper Street and residential properties to the south; • A mix of residential and office buildings to the east; and • An apartment building and O’Connor Street to the west. An aerial view of the subject site is provided in Figure 1. 2.0 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT The proposed development will convert the existing seven-storey building into an eight-storey residential apartment building with 45 units. The existing parking area is to remain, with four surface parking spaces. The surface parking is accessed from Cooper Street. A copy of the proposed site plan is included in Appendix A. NOVATECH Page 1 of 10 Figure 1: Aerial View of the Subject Site (Source: GeoOttawa) 3.0 PARKING REQUIREMENTS The subject site is located in Area X on Schedule 1A of the City of Ottawa’s Zoning By-Law (ZBL). Vehicular and bicycle parking rates for the existing and proposed uses are identified in the ZBL and are summarized in Table 1. Table 1: Parking Requirements Existing or Land Use Minimum Rate Units/GFA Required Proposed Vehicle Parking 1 per 100 m2 of gross Approximately Office 26 9 floor area 2,600 m2 0.5 per dwelling unit1 Dwelling, Mid-Rise 17 resident 0.1 visitor space per 45 units 4 visitor Apartment 3 visitor dwelling unit2 1: within Area X, for a residential building, no off-street motor vehicle parking is required to be provided for the first twelve residential units 2: within Area X, no visitor parking spaces are required for the first twelve dwelling units on a lot NOVATECH Page 2 of 10 Existing or Land Use Minimum Rate Units/GFA Required Proposed Bicycle Parking 1 per 250 m2 of gross Approximately Office 11 12 floor area 2,600 m2 Apartment Building 0.5 per dwelling unit 45 units 23 23 Based on the foregoing, the proposed development will not meet the minimum parking requirement of the ZBL. The current parking shortfall on site based on the existing office use is 17 spaces. A parking shortfall of 17 vehicular spaces for residents is proposed. A clause specifying that on-site parking is not provided will be included in lease agreements at 331 Cooper Street. Visitor parking will be accommodated on-site with four parking stalls (including one Type A accessible space, in accordance with AODA requirements) A total of 23 bicycle parking spaces will be accommodated on site and will meet the requirements of the ZBL. 4.0 AREA PARKING SUPPLY The Parking Services branch at the City have provided a summary of the public parking inventory within a 350m radius of the site. The map showing the parking supply, obtained from Parking Services, is included as Figure 2. Based on the information provided by Parking Services, a total of 716 paid on-street parking spaces and 2,710 spaces in parking lots/garages can be found within 350m of 331 Cooper Street. The 2019 on-street occupancy rates suggest that on weekday evenings and weekends, on-street parking in the area reaches or exceeds practical capacity. No occupancy data was available for off- street parking and collecting new occupancy data at this time would not be reflective of typical conditions due to COVID-19 restrictions. The site is located within a residential parking permit zone. Residential parking permit zones allow eligible residents and their out-of-town visitors to park for periods in excess of the otherwise stipulated parking period for their street(s) and exempts them from overnight parking bans during the winter months, subject to some limitations and conditions. The decision to issue on-street residential parking permits ultimately rests with the City. The nearest car share (VRTUCAR) locations can be found at 260 MacLaren Street and 356 MacLaren Street. These locations are within a 300-350m walk from the subject site. NOVATECH Page 3 of 10 Figure 2: Public Parking within 350 meters of 331 Cooper Street (Source: City of Ottawa Parking Services Branch, August 2020) NOVATECH Page 4 of 10 5.0 PROVISIONS FOR NON-AUTO MODES 5.2 Pedestrian and Cycling Facilities The City of Ottawa’s 2013 Cycling Plan identifies O’Connor Street, Somerset Street West, Laurier Avenue West, and Metcalfe Street as Spine Cycling Routes, and Bank Street as a Local Route in the Ultimate Cycling Network. Cooper Street is not identified as a cycling route. Within the vicinity of the subject site, Cross-Town Bikeway #5 runs along O’Connor Street while Cross-Town Bikeway #2 runs along Laurier Avenue West. Currently, a bi-directional cycle track is provided along the east side of O’Connor Street, from Laurier Street West to Pretoria Avenue. Bike lanes are also provided on both sides of O’Connor Street from Pretoria Avenue to First Avenue. A cycle track is provided on Laurier Avenue West, from Bronson Avenue to Nicholas Street. Within the vicinity of the subject site, sidewalks are provided along both sides of all roadways. 5.1 Transit The nearest transit stops to the subject site are along Bank Street at an approximately 300m walk from the subject site. Additionally, Parliament LRT Station is located at the Queen Street/O’Connor Street intersection at an approximately 600m walk from the subject site. The nearest transit stops and station are described in the following table, and shown in Figure 3. Table 2: OC Transpo Transit Stops Route(s) OC Transpo Stop Location Serviced East side of Bank Street, north of Somerset Street #1902 6, 7, 11 West #2487 West side of Bank Street, north of Lisgar Street 6, 7, 11 Line 1 (LRT), Parliament Station South side of Queen Street, west of O’Connor Street 6, 7, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18 OC Transpo Route 6 travels from Greenboro Transit Station to Rockcliffe. It operates seven days a week, with all day service. OC Transpo Route 7 travels from St Laurent Transit Station to Carleton University. It operates seven days a week, with all day service. OC Transpo Route 11 travels from Bayshore Transit Station to Parliament Transit Station. It operates seven days a week, with all day service. In addition to these routes, Parliament Station also serves the Confederation Line LRT (Line 1). Stage 1 of the LRT currently travels from Blair Transit Station to Tunney’s Pasture. The eastern expansion (planned for 2024) will extend the line to Trim Transit Station, while the western expansion (planned for 2025) will extend the line to provide service to Moodie Transit Station and Baseline Transit Station. NOVATECH Page 5 of 10 Figure 3: OC Transpo Transit Stops SITE 6.0 TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT The proposed development conforms to the City’s TDM initiatives by providing easy access to area pedestrian, bicycle and transit facilities. A review of the TDM – Measures Checklist has been conducted, and is included in Appendix B. The following measures will be implemented within the building to promote the use of non-auto modes of transportation and reduce the parking demand: • Display local area maps with walking/cycling access routes and key destinations; • Display relevant transit schedules and route maps; and • Provide a multimodal travel option information package to new residents. NOVATECH Page 6 of 10 7.0 CONCLUSIONS The proposed redevelopment will not meet the minimum requirements of the Zoning By-Law. The current parking shortfall on site based on the existing office use is 17 spaces. A parking shortfall of 17 vehicular spaces for residents is proposed. A clause specifying that on-site parking is not provided will be included in lease agreements at 331 Cooper Street. Visitor parking will be accommodated on- site with four parking stalls (including one Type A accessible space, in accordance with AODA requirements). A total of 23 bicycle parking spaces will be accommodated on site and will meet the requirements of the ZBL. A total of 716 paid on-street parking spaces and 2,710 spaces in parking lots/garages can be found within 350m of 331 Cooper Street. The 2019 on-street occupancy rates suggest that on weekday evenings and weekends, on-street parking in the area reaches or exceeds practical capacity. No occupancy data was available for off-street parking and collecting new occupancy data at this time would not be reflective of typical conditions due to COVID-19 restrictions. The site is located within a residential parking permit zone. Residential parking permit zones allow eligible residents and their out-of-town visitors to park for periods in excess of the otherwise stipulated parking period for their street(s) and exempts them from overnight parking bans during the winter months, subject to some limitations and conditions. The decision to issue on-street residential parking permits ultimately rests with the City. The nearest car share (VRTUCAR) locations can be found at 260 MacLaren Street and 356 MacLaren Street. These locations are within a 300-350m walk from the subject site. The site is located approximately 600m from Parliament Transit Station and within approximately 300m of transit stops along Bank Street.