Report to/Rapport
au:
Local
Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee/
Comité Consultative local sur la conservation
de l’architecture
Planning and
Development Committee/
Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’aménagement
and Council/et au Conseil
April 11, 2002 / le 11 avril 2002
Submitted by/Soumis par: Ned Lathrop, General Manager/Directeur général
Development Services Department
/ Services d’aménagement
Contact/Personne-ressource: Grant Lindsay, Manager, Development
Approvals/
Gestionnaire, Approbation des demandes
d’aménagement
580-2424 ext.
13242, grant.lindsay@city.ottawa.on.ca
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Ref N°:
ACS2002-DEV-APR-0074 |
SUBJECT: APPLICATION TO DEMOLISH 455 MINTO PLACE, A
PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE ROCKLIFFE PARK HERITAGE CONSERVATION DISTRICT AND
APPLICATION FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION AT 455 MINTO PLACE
OBJET: DEMANDE
DE DÉMOLITION DU 455, PLACE MINTO, PROPRIÉTÉ SITUÉE DANS LE DISTRICT DE
CONSERVATION DU PATRIMOINE DE ROCKCLIFFE PARK ET DEMANDE DE CONSTRUCTION
NOUVELLE AU 455, PLACE MINTO
REPORT
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. That the Planning and Development Committee recommend Council approve the application for the demolition of the house at 455 Minto Place in the Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District.
2. That the Planning and Development Committee recommend Council approve the application for the construction of a new house at 455 Minto Place, Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District in accordance with the plans received on April 9, 2002.
(Note: Approval to Alter this
property under the Ontario Heritage Act must not be construed to meet
the requirements for the issuance of a building permit.)
RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT
2.
Que le
Comité de l’urbanisme et de l’aménagement recommande au Conseil municipal
d’approuver la demande de démolition de la maison située au 455, place Minto,
dans le district de conservation du patrimoine de Rockcliffe Park;
2. Que le Comité de l’urbanisme et de
l’aménagement recommande au Conseil municipal d’approuver la demande de
construction d’une nouvelle maison au 455, place Minto, dans le district de
conservation du patrimoine de Rockcliffe Park, conformément aux plans reçus le
9 avril 2002.
(Nota : l’approbation de
modification de cette propriété en vertu de la Loi sur le patrimoine de
l’Ontario n’a pas pour effet de satisfaire aux exigences d’émission d’un
permis de construction.)
Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee Recommendation –
7 May 2002
LACAC supports the staff recommendation.
BACKGROUND
The entire former Village of Rockcliffe Park was designated as a Heritage Conservation District under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1997. This report has been prepared because the status of the former Village as a heritage conservation district requires the consent of City Council before a property may be demolished and new construction can proceed.
DISCUSSION
The proposed house at 455 Minto Place will replace the existing dwelling, a two-and-a-half storey wood frame structure with a cross gambrel roof. The present structure is included on the Village of Rockcliffe Park’s “List of significant buildings.” It was constructed in 1898 and was one of the first houses in this section of the former Village. According to files compiled by members of the former Village of Rockcliffe Park, the property originally stretched west and featured a tennis court and a stable. The land associated with the property was gradually sold off.
Initially, members of the Heritage Sub-committee of the Rockcliffe Park Residents’ Association were concerned about the loss of this building because of its age and status as one of the few remaining wood frame houses in the Village. A tour of the building revealed that there was little remaining historic fabric on the interior and that the exterior had been unsympathetically altered through the removal of verandahs and the realignment of the front door. The sub-committee therefore decided that its potential to be reused was small and so it could not recommend refusal to demolish the building. City staff concurred with this decision as there are other, extremely well-preserved wood frame houses that remain in the Village that better illustrate this phase in the history of the Village.
The proposed new house will not be located on the site of the former building, as it enjoyed non-conforming rights to its location. It will be shifted to the west in order to comply with the side yard setback prescribed by the Rockcliffe Park Zoning By-law, 2000-8, which remains in force. It will also comply with the front and rear yard setbacks, lot coverage and floor space index prescribed by the above zoning by-law. The new project is subject to Site Plan Control.
The proposed house is a one storey structure, roughly rectangular in plan with its front door facing MacKinnon Road. It has a low pitched hipped roof, broken into different volumes to diminish its size and impact. The front façade features a symmetrically placed front door set in a recessed porch with an arched entrance. Two small pavilions with classical details flank the front entrance. The east section of the building, facing Minto Place, has a lower roof than the main section of the house and has one round arched window, inset between two columns that support a pediment. The south elevation overlooks the garden and is punctuated by a series of rectangular windows. The west elevation is dominated by a three-car garage set below the grade of the front entrance.
The Rockcliffe Park Residents Association, Heritage sub-committee reviewed the project in March. Because of the size of the project, members of the Site Plan sub-committee were also invited to attend the meeting. The sub-committee made the following recommendations on the proposed building:
1. that real, not artificial, stone be used,
2. that real stucco, not stucco panels, be used
3. that the soffitts not be stucco
4. that alternate roofing materials be used
5. that the building be less symmetrical to reflect the eclectic character of the Village.
The final plans, as submitted, comply with some of these requests - real stone will now be used, and the soffits will be wood. Because the difficulty in finding contractors and craftsmen able to stucco a house of this size, the applicant decided not to use real stucco. As this is a brand new house, not a restoration, staff concurred with this decision. The applicant decided to use the roofing material originally specified, a composite slate, and again, because this is a new house, staff did not object to this decision.
The sub-committee was concerned with the Site Plan and made the following recommendations:
1. that the driveway be narrowed and be surfaced in a loose material,
2. that the fence and gate be deleted from the plan facing Minto Place and MacKinnon,
3. that every effort be made to preserve and enhance the thickets of trees not affected by the construction
The applicant agreed to respond to these concerns and the length of the fence has now been reduced so that the corner of Minto Place and MacKinnon Road remains open, and the driveway has been narrowed substantially, although it will not be surfaced in stone dust. Furthermore, the applicant is very concerned about the trees and will move some existing full-size specimens and bring others onto the lot.
The Guidelines which apply to this project are found in Part IV, Management Guidelines, Section iv) Building Guidelines of the Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District Study, approved by the former Village of Rockcliffe Park in 1997. The introduction to Part IV states that “These Guidelines are not prescriptive; rather, they outline the principles to be applied to any future development, based on past experience. The qualities of the Village as it exists today are the result of a consistent application of ideals rather than a consistent application of rules. This distinction needs to be maintained.”
The Introduction, Section IV) Buildings, addresses the general residential character of Rockcliffe Park, emphasizing that its buildings “do not reflect one dominant phase of development; rather they have emerged in significant numbers at every phase of Village history.” The Introduction also says “They [the buildings] often exhibit irregular massing and eclectic revival styles which are part of a picturesque tradition. There is a rich palette of material, with a preponderance of stone, stucco and wood over brick …”
The Recommendations for new construction that apply to this project are:
4 Any application to construct a new building or addition should be reviewed, with consideration of its potential to enhance the heritage character of the Village. New construction should be recommended for approval only when the siting, form, materials and detailing are sympathetic to the surrounding natural and cultural environment.
5 New buildings and additions should be of their own time, but should also harmonize with the existing cultural landscape. They should be sited so as to retain the existing topography. The use of natural materials should be encouraged.
Section V) Soft and hard landscape, addresses issues related to the cultural landscape of Rockcliffe Park which are particularly relevant to this application because of the heavily treed character of the lot. This section states that “With a pattern of generous front and side yard setbacks, the plantings become equally important streetscape elements as the individual building facades.” The recommendations encourage the retention of trees and shrubs, and the continuation of the emphasis on soft landscaping over hard.
Throughout its history, first as a house located on a huge lot, then as a house located on a smaller lot, trees and shrubs have dominated this lot. The current application shows a continuation of the lot’s wooded character. Even though the new property will be significantly larger than the previous building, the mature trees along the along the property lines and in front of the building and the proposed plantings will continue the noteworthy green character of 455 Minto Place.
CONSULTATION
Adjacent property owners and residential tenants were notified by letter of the date of the LACAC and Planning and Development Committee meetings and were provided with comment sheets to be returned to LACAC. This is in accordance with the municipal public participation policies of the former City of Ottawa.
The Rockcliffe Park Residents’ Association was informed of the project and the Heritage Sub-committee of the Association commented on the proposal.
Councillor Jacques Legendre is aware of this project.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
N/A
APPLICATION PROCESS TIMELINE STATUS
The application was received on April 2002 and was processed within the 90 day timeline established for the processing of heritage applications.
ATTACHMENTS
Document 1 Location
Map
Document 2 Photo of existing building
Document 3 Landscape
Plan
Document 4 Elevations
DISPOSITION
The Department of Corporate Services, Statutory Services Branch, to notify the agent, (Robert E. McElligott, Director, 585 Manor Avenue, Rockcliffe Park, Ontario K1M 0J1) and the Ontario Heritage Foundation (10 Adelaide Street East, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1J3) of City Council’s decision.
Location Map Document
1
Photo of existing building Document 2
Site Plan Document
3
Elevations Document
4
