Ashcroft Homes will go back to the drawing board after learning its construction plans for a major redevelopment project on Sparks Street would threaten preservation of the building’s original 19th-century facade.
Ashcroft withdrew its application to demolish the building at 106-116 Sparks Street and construct a six-storey building in its place at the built-heritage subcommittee meeting in November. Construction of a brand new 18-storey building facing Queen Street was also part of the plan.
City officials say a number of unanticipated structural problems were found during analysis of the building on Sparks Street and the company made the decision to withdraw their application and establish a new time frame for redevelopment.
Coun. Jan Harder, chair of the heritage committee, says the company found the facade would be at risk if it remained in place during construction. She added that the city is working with the NCC to make sure the building is properly sealed for the winter to ensure the crumbling structure doesn’t deteriorate further.
But few details were provided about the nature of the problems with the aging facade, or what proposed solutions might be.
“We won’t know the exact nature of the [new] proposal until we receive the application,” Harder says. “When another application is received we will analyze it and judge it on its merits.”
The NCC initiated the project – deemed Canlands A – to redevelop the land in 2006, eventually signing a 66-year lease with the developer in 2008.
One of the requirements outlined by the NCC under the terms of the agreement includes the development of "mixed-use" land at the site, with space available for both retail and residential units.
But the property lies within the Sparks Street Heritage Conservation District, making it more difficult for land developers to gain approval for major development projects in the area. The agreement requires Ashcroft to retain the building’s existing facade in its current position during construction of the new six-storey building, and eventually restore it.
Responsibility for redevelopment remains in Ashcroft’s hands despite the problems found at the site according to Cédric Pelletier, who works in real estate and asset management with the NCC. But he pointed out that any proposed plan would require both city and NCC approval before the project could move forward.
“This asset is federal property, so with any project or application on federal properties in the capital region, this one will need to go through the usual NCC federal approval process on land use and design,” Pelletier says.
He says he expected the heritage facade would be reinstated in accordance to the history and character of the area, as “outright demolition of the building is not an option in the redevelopment of the site.” Any new project must include “important architectural details and materials worthy of Sparks Street and Parliament Hill,” Pelletier says.
A number of delays have plagued the project since the application was first submitted in June. Ashcroft failed to deliver necessary development documents to the city in September and the project never made it back onto the agenda earlier this month.
Niki Choo, vice-president of Ashcroft Homes, says that although the company is making all efforts to preserve the facade, “it is in worse condition than we previously thought.”
Choo provided few details about Ashcroft’s plans, but said the project will continue – despite the withdrawal of the application. No time line was given.
“We are actively working on resubmitting, working closely with our partners to ensure a successful restoration of the facade,” Choo says.
Harder says an application is expected in the new year and that the 90 day timeline will be established upon the city’s receipt of a complete package.
The building was built between 1870 and 1875 as a commercial and retail space.