890-900BANK PLANNING RATIONALE JULY 2016 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 2 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................... 2 THE SITE ................................................................................................................................................... 2 SITE LOCATION ....................................................................................................................................... 3 COMMUNITY AMENITIES: ........................................................................................................................ 7 ROAD NETWORK AND TRANSIT: ......................................................................................................... 8 DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL ...................................................................................... 9 PROVINCIAL POLICY STATEMENT (2014) ......................................................................................... 14 CITY OF OTTAWA OFFICIAL PLAN 2003, AS AMENDED ............................................................... 15 OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT 150 ..................................................................................................... 24 URBAN DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPMENT ALONG TRADITIONAL MAINSTREETS .................................................................................................................................. 26 CITY OF OTTAWA ZONING BY-LAW 2008-250 (TM H(15)) ...................................................... 28 SUPPORTING PLANS/STUDIES ............................................................................. 34 CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................... 34 PLANNINGDESIGNLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE INTRODUCTION This Planning Rationale has been prepared by FOTENN Consultants Inc. on behalf of Canderel Realties Inc. in support of Zoning By-law Amendment and Part-Lot Control application. The purpose of the following document is to assess the appropriateness of the proposed mixed-use mid-rise development and the requested Zoning By-law Amendment in the context of the surrounding community and the applicable policy and regulatory framework. OVERVIEW THE SITE The site is legally described as Part of Lot 24 in Block 5 (North Holmwood Avenue), Registered Plan 26085 and Part of Lots 6 and 7, Registered Plan 47389 in the City of Ottawa (referred to herein as “the site”). The site comprises two parcels, 890 and 900 Bank Street, and forms an irregularly shaped development site with a total area of approximately 3,267 m². The site has approximately 89.8 metres of frontage on Bank Street as well as approximately 19 metres of frontage along Thornton Avenue and 57 metres of frontage along Monk Street. The site consists of two (2) existing buildings, an automobile service, (Mister Muffler), and a Beer Store. Both buildings are single-storey, with a large portion of each parcel covered by surface parking as shown in Figure 1. FIGURE 1: Subject Site PLANNING RATIONALE I 890-900 BANK STREET I CANDEREL REALTIES INC. 2 The property at 890 Bank Street has a wide sidewalk along Bank Street with landscaping, street furniture, art installations and a light standard that form part of the Bank Street re- construction that took place in 2013. Access onto the property for vehicles is provided from both Bank Street and Thornton Avenue with depressed curb entrances. Similarly, 900 Bank Street has a large surface parking lot to its south that is accessed from Bank Street with a depressed curb entrance, while a single loading bay is provided at the rear of the property with access off Monk Street. SITE LOCATION The site is located in the Glebe community of Ottawa, in the block bound by Bank Street to the east, Thornton Avenue to the north, Monk Street to the west and Holmwood Avenue to the south as shown in Figure 2. The Glebe is an evolving neighborhood which has a broad mix of uses including employment, recreation, retail, institutional, and neighbourhood services and facilities. The site is approximately 120 metres northwest of Lansdowne Park and faces the central transit route that runs along Bank Street. The area is characterized by an eclectic mix of buildings, uses, densities, heights and architectural styles. Gradual infilling has occurred on small, medium and large sized lots over the last decade. These changes have resulted in filling void gaps within the streetscape and contributed to the reestablishment of a defined street edge occupied by uses that serve the community. PLANNING RATIONALE I 890-900 BANK STREET I CANDEREL REALTIES INC. 3 FIGURE 2: Map of the site and surrounding neighbourhood The surrounding uses vary and can be described as follows: North: On the north side of Thornton Avenue there is a two (2) storey commercial development with retail at grade and office spaces above. This mixed-use building faces Bank Street, a Traditional Mainstreet that is characterized by a pedestrian-friendly environment featuring active street frontages and an eclectic mix of uses that serve the neighbourhood as shown in Figure 3. In the same block, but fronting Monk Street are two semi-detached dwellings. There is also a local bus stop to the north of the site located on the east and west side of Bank Street servicing routes that provide local transit service to the surrounding area. Further north of the site, the Ottawa Central Station provides regional transit service to surrounding cities. South: South of the subject site, beyond a one-storey commercial building that is located at the intersection of Bank Street and Holmwood Avenue, is the Lord Lansdowne, an eleven (11) storey retirement residence building as shown in Figure 4. A single-detached two (2) storey residential dwelling that faces onto Monk Street is also found directly south of the site. The neighbouring block to the south also features the Glebe Centre, which is a six (6) storey long-term care facility for seniors and the Abbotsford House Senior Centre, which is a three (3) storey facility that provides daytime activities. Both facilities have frontage on Bank Street and Monk Street. To the southeast is the Lansdowne Park redevelopment, which features a collection of commercial developments, a football stadium and several high-rise apartment buildings including an eleven (11) storey mixed-use building located at the kitty-corner of the proposed development. Due to the increased ceiling to floor heights on the first two (2) floors consisting of retail units, this building reads as comparable to a thirteen (13) storey residential apartment. There is also a multi-use pathway to the south of the site that runs east-west on Queen Elizabeth Driveway providing scenic views of the Rideau Canal and connection to several parks including Browns Inlet Park and Lansdowne Park. East: East of the subject site lies a series of one (1) and two (2) storey convenience, restaurant, and retail type uses that serve the local community that face Bank Street as shown in Figure 5. Bank Street continues to be characterized by a pedestrian-friendly environment that features an eclectic mix of uses and active street frontages. Further east, a collection of single-detached, semi-detached and townhomes face north-south onto Holmwood Avenue. These homes showcase building heights that range between two (2) to three (3) storeys. While the homes on the north side of Holmwood Avenue appear to have been built in the last 100 years, the townhomes on the south side of Holmwood Avenue are part of the recent Lansdowne redevelopment and appear to have been built in the last 2 years. West: Directly west of the subject site, lies a row of five (5) townhomes and a single detached home that are both three (3) stories in height. These homes are located on the east side of Monk Street and contain articulated front entrances with PLANNING RATIONALE I 890-900 BANK STREET I CANDEREL REALTIES INC. 4 significant landscaping that enhance the streetscape as shown in Figure 6. The west side of Monk Street continues to be characterized by a residential neighbourhood displaying a collection of single detached, semi-detached and low-rise apartment dwellings that range between two (2) to four (4) storeys in height. Further west of the site is the Glebe Community Centre and several schools. Dow’s Lake is also found to the far west of the site. FIGURE 3: View of Bank Street and mixed-use building located North of the site FIGURE 4: View of high-rise buildings directly South of the site PLANNING RATIONALE I 890-900 BANK STREET I CANDEREL REALTIES INC. 5 FIGURE 5: View of Bank Street directly East of the site FIGURE 6: Residential neighbourhood on Monk Street PLANNING RATIONALE I 890-900 BANK STREET I CANDEREL REALTIES INC. 6 COMMUNITY AMENITIES: The site is located in an established neighbourhood with a wide range of residential and commercial uses. Retail occupies the majority of the streetscape along Bank Street with uses such as boutiques, grocery stores, restaurants, convenience stores and pharmacies. As Bank Street is designated as a Traditional Mainstreet in Schedule B of the City of Ottawa Official Plan, there are a number of community amenities located within walking distance of the subject site. Some of the community amenities (Figure 7) located in close proximity to the site include: • Lansdowne Park Complex (TD Place, Aberdeen