A city council decision on the bid by a developer to demolish a vacant, century-old Centretown building has been postponed until April by the city’s planning committee.
Ottawa-based developer Gemstone Corporation’s proposal to demolish the structure at 234 O’Connor St. for future development was referred to the scheduled Apr. 11 planning committee meeting for further discussion.
The Nov. 8 motion to delay a decision came from committee vice chair Tim Tierney, and was passed unanimously.
Heritage sub-committee chair Tobi Nussbaum said the referral to April’s meeting gives Gemstone time to alter its proposal to include the current structure and not call for its demolition.
The building has been at the centre of controversy. It is located within the Centretown Heritage Conservation District, which requires the sub-committee to look over any attempts at demolition before the proposal moves to the planning committee.
The house has stood vacant and unheated for approximately 15 years, following a serious fire, according a report from independent contracting engineer John G. Cooke and Associates Ltd.
An additional report developed from the sub-committee meeting recommended refusal of demolition.
Cooke’s report stated the building is still “reasonably reparable,” despite parts of the building being in “very poor condition.”
“Since we got those details, it is the sub-committee’s obligation to find a way to keep the building intact,” he explained.
Nussbaum said conversations are underway between the applicant and the city to see if alternative forms of development are viable for the property.
“We’re giving the applicant the time and opportunity to come up with a new proposal,” he continued.
In a Nov. 4 Ottawa Citizen article, Gemstone officials said they were were hoping the committee would allow them to tear the building down.
They said the building is not salvagable in its current condition.
Gemstone said it planned to appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board if the company doesn’t get approval to demolish the building and go ahead a temporary park plan pending future development.
Linda Hoad of Heritage Ottawa, which advocates for preservation of historical buildings, was due to speak as a public delegate at the Nov. 8 planning meeting, but withdrew upon hearing of the referral. She said her organization is happy with the postponement.
Hoad said Heritage Ottawa is hoping the current building can be incorporated into the development.
“We still haven’t seen a development plan — we only know that the plan is to develop it into something,” said Hoad.
She is glad that the city has decided to refer, as opposed to defer, the decision, she said.
“Defer usually means they are postponing debate for a short amount of time. Refer means people get to talk about it for a while,” Hoad explained.
The developer will have to make sure the building stays structurally sound over winter until the April meeting, planning committee ruled as part of the referral.
Heritage advocates have long complained that some property developers seeking to replace historic structures skirt rules though “demolition by neglect” – allowing a building to decay so much that city officials have no choice but to permit wreckers to knock it down.
Gemstone owns the parking lot next door to the property, located near the corner of O’Connor and Somerset streets.