A proposed six-storey condo to be built on a vacant site at the intersection of Bank and Lisgar streets has survived a major planning hurdle without changes to the blueprint.
The design for Joyce House, part of a planning application submitted by local firm Farrow Dreessen Architects on behalf of Ottawa developer Ambassador Realty, was unanimously approved by the city’s built heritage committee on March 26,despite a request for architectural changes from city staff.
The minor design amendments were recommended in a report written by planning staff from the city’s heritage services section. According to the author of the report, heritage planner Lesley Collins, the existing design is “too exuberant” and “doesn’t necessarily fit in terms of its detail” within the existing streetscape.
She said that while the materials used are compatible with the character of the area, no other heritage building uses so many at the same time. She also remarked on the complexity of the design, which is in contrast to the relatively modest late 19th century and early 20th-century buildings in the immediate vicinity.
Collins advised the architect to simplify the detailing and make it less dominant in relation to surrounding properties.
However, Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney suggested the wording of the report to be amended so that the recommendations made by city staff are “to be considered” instead of “to be addressed.” This means that the architect and developer are not bound by the propositions.
Arthur Loeb, vice-president of Ambassador Realty, voiced his approval of the committee’s decision but highlighted the challenges of complying with standards and guidelines governing the Centretown Heritage Conservation District.
“The policy guidelines in this district are essentially flawed,” says Loeb.
“Save for Somerset House (a much-debated building at Bank and Somerset streets), there are no remarkable structures of serious heritage quality (in the district). For staff to argue architectural restraint with respect to new designs relegates Ottawa back to the dark ages between the 1960s and 1980s.”
Collins defended the recommendations in the report. She says that the “Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada,” which was adopted by the city in 2008, provides for a high level of guidance on heritage projects.
“Given the general nature of the guidelines, they do not necessarily address every type of project and this can be a challenge,” says Collins.
But she says each application is ultimately assessed on its own merits. “Staff in the heritage services section are professional planners who interpret the guidelines in the same manner for each application.”
Committee member and Sandy Hill architect Barry Padolsky voiced his concerns with the city staff’s interpretation of the guidelines.
“How much is a building designed by committee or by various staff and how much by the architect?” he said at the meeting.
In response to Padolsky’s comments and similar points made by members of the committee, Collins said city planners are bound to follow the guidelines and standards and in the report they “didn’t want to dictate specifics.”
Toon Dreessen, a partner at Farrow Dreessen, says he appreciates the value that the heritage guidelines provide and recognizes that in some cases they do need to be applied with a “rigidity of interpretation.”
But he says that when a developer wants to create a landmark building “that embraces design excellence,” there must be flexibility in how the guidelines are interpreted.
“I am especially grateful to Barry Padolsky for his statements,” says Dreessen. “Fundamentally, for good or for bad, it is the architect who is responsible for the design of the building. In order to maintain the integrity of the design, it’s important that this fact always be remembered.”
The location was home to a shabby collection of one-storey buildings that housed fast foods stores, a diner and a smoke shop. These were demolished in December 2014. Immediately behind them at 320 Lisgar St, was the former location of Venus Envy, a sex shop that moved before the building was knocked down in July 2014.
The “Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada” are used with the guidelines already in place for the Centretown Heritage Conservation District to assess planning applications under the Ontario Heritage Act.
A heritage conservation district is a designated area that is protected to create a special sense of time and place. It is intended to preserve outstanding examples of architecture that reflect the history of a community, as well as ensuring that new developments fit in with the character of their surroundings.
This places restrictions on what architects and developers can build. The committee acknowledged that the proposed development would result in a “noticeable” change, but argued that it was not “significant” or “comprehensive.” McKenney says she thinks the proposed design for Joyce House will enhance the Bank Street commercial corridor.
“This is an example of good development in Centretown,” says McKenney.
The application will now go to the city’s planning committee for review on April 14 and then to city council on April 29 for final approval.