Update: Summary of CPCA submission on 132 Cowley and plans

Re: 132 (130, 134, 136) Cowley Avenue Development Proposal

Applications for Consent and Minor Variances,

City of Ottawa, Committee of Adjustment, July 17, 2013

The owner of 132 Cowley Avenue, Marc Cléroux, has applied to the City’s Committee of Adjustment for minor variances for lot width and consents to subdivide the property into three separate parcels of land to allow the building of 3 detached dwellings. Approval of the consents and minor variance applications would allow a reduced lot width of 10.16m (30ft 4ins) and building balcony projections for each of the three new parcels.

The Committee of Adjustment, Committee Panel 1, will hear the application at its meeting of Wednesday July 17th starting at 1:00pm and will likely render its decision at that time.

The Champlain Park Community Association (CPCA) has sent a letter to the Committee of Adjustment in support of the applications.

The CPCA met with the owner and his project designer, Jacques Hamel, on May 2^nd and at a community meeting of May 13^th, before the submission of these applications, to discuss the CPCA’s goals and objectives for this community and had the opportunity to review the proposal and plans. Based on these meetings and a review of the plans, the CPCA believes that this proposal represents development compatible with the goals and objectives of the Association and is in accordance with the City’s Official Plan and Infill Zoning By-law. We believe building 3 detached dwellings on this deeper lot (45.72m/150ft) is a good and better use of the land and more compatible with the existing street scape and neighbourhood character than introducing semi-detached development on this site.

Three detached units also offer design opportunities to reduce the bulk massing impact that has occurred with some of the semi-detached development that has recently taken place in the neighbourhood. The staggered setbacks of the detached dwellings (13.0m, 9.81m and 6.61m) meets the setback averaging provisions related to the adjoining properties to the north and south and provides for more room for soft landscaping.

A large mature oak occupies the northeast corner of the property and the CPCA has successfully negotiated and signed an agreement with the owner to protect the tree during construction and to ensure its long term health. The agreement is similar to one signed with the owner of 179 Carleton.

Assessed owners of adjoining properties are entitled to attend and speak to the Committee of Adjustment. If you would like to see a full set of plans showing the site, the unit floor plans and the building elevations or would like any further information:

Please contact Duncan Bury (613) 729-0499; la.db@sympatico.ca) or CoChair1 champlainpark@gmail.com

Copy of the plans which were filed with the City.

Copy of signed letter.

Scott St CDP Community Meeting June 26th

While only one small corner of Champlain Park (i.e.: the lands around the mosque) is within the CDP boundary, all of us will be affected by the redevelopment of Scott St. I recommend that Champlain Park residents attend the community consultation, to hear what is being proposed and provide feedback.

Heather

From: Melanie.Knight@ottawa.ca
Sent: 19/06/2013 10:47:32 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Community Meeting June 26th

Good morning PAC members,

As most of you know, the community meeting is scheduled for next week. We’ve done advertisement in the newspaper and we will also be sending out an e-bulletin in the next day or so.

Could you kindly add the Community Meeting information to your group’s website? Feel free to use the information below to do your own email distribution of the Community Meeting. Thanks.

Wednesday June 26, 2013
Hintonburg Community Centre, 1064 Wellington Street West
6 to 9 p.m. with a presentation at 6:30 p.m.
Interactive sessions will begin after the presentation

Come out to hear about the ongoing development of the Scott Street CDP. The meeting will be lead by Urban Strategies Inc., the urban design consultant hired by the City of Ottawa to undertake the Scott Street CDP.

Interactive Sessions

There are keys areas of the CDP that we need more community feedback on such as:

Scott Street – the design of Scott Street after the Light Rail Transit (LRT) construction is completed
Tall Buildings – the location of future tall buildings within the CDP study area
Neighbourhood focus – key issues for each neighbourhood in the study area

Your ideas and suggestions will make a difference

The purpose of the meeting is to provide Urban Strategies with information to further develop the vision for the Scott Street CDP. Your participation and feedback are integral components in the development of the CDP.

Melanie

Melanie Knight MCIP, RPP
Planning and Growth Management
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West, 4th Floor, Mail Code 1-14
Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1
Melanie.Knight@ottawa.ca
613.580.2424 ext 28439
613.580.2459 (fax)

Infill – Staff response to OMB Interim Order

Duncan and CoChair1 of the CPCA Development Committee attended this presentation. There were a number of other community associations as well as development industry members there (including some that we have worked with). Many questions were asked. However, because this is before the OMB and the Divisional court, the presentation was for public information only and not for further input. Rather, a recommendation is being made by Council in response to an OMB order, and the OMB will make the final decisions.

Some highlights: The revised infill zoning by-law recommendation (in response to an OMB Decision based on an industry Appeal of the new by-law provisions) will be:

to extend the provisions to renovation of old dwellings, as well as to new infill,
to expand the comparison properties to five lots in all directions of the subject property,
and to refine the definition of “character” based on some defined parameters that have been identified

Further details are included in the presentation and report, so please read these.

Infill Phase II will focus on height, building envelope, rear and side yard set-backs and will not duplicate the parameters of Infill Phase I. Our Development Committee is participating in this new consultation and CoChair1 will be making a short presentation (in tandem with Carlington CA) at a workshop on June 24. Note that building height has been identified as an issue by a number of communities, and was also addressed at a talk by an urban planner at the Federation of Citizens’ Associations AGM. Height is one of the parameters that contribute to the “building envelope” which equates to building volume.

From: Alain.Miguelez@ottawa.ca
Subject: Infill – Staff response to OMB Interim Order
Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:34:48 +0000

Good afternoon,

Yesterday evening staff held a public information session to present the outline of the recommended response to the OMB’s Interim Order of March 8^th 2013. Attached for your information is a PDF of the presentation, and below is a link to e-Agendas where you will find the staff report scheduled for next week’s Planning Committee.

http://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/agendaminutes/index_en.aspx

Please feel free to distribute to members of your associations that might have an interest.

Best regards,

Alain Miguelez, mcip, rpp
Program Manager, Zoning, Intensification and Neighbourhoods | Gestionnaire de programme, Zonage, Densification et Quartiers
Planning and Growth Management Dept. | Service de l’Urbanisme et de la Gestion de la croissance
City of Ottawa | Ville d’Ottawa
613.580.2424 +27617
alain.miguelez@ottawa.ca þ www.ottawa.ca

Infill I 2013-06-17.pdf

City’s Planning Primer: Education materials

Informational

The entire content of the City’s Planning Primer Courses 1 and 2 have just been posted on the Federation of Citizens’ Associations (FCA) web-site, under the Resources tab.

Ottawa Mosque Site and Landscape Plans

We have been notified that the previously approved site plan and landscape plan for the Ottawa Mosque on 251 Northwestern, which had lapsed due to lack of funds, will now go forward.
Part B on the landscape plan pertains to the new lands, which are not currently landscaped.
the plan is to landscape them now and also to build catch basins.
Since this was previously reviewed and approved, including by Champlain Park Community Association (CPCA), the City of Ottawa does not feel another public review is required.
However, at my request, they did allow our CPCA Development Committee to view it again, as it has been dormant since 2008.
The CPCA Development Committee thinks the attached landscape plan, which includes paving, parking space markings and plantings, including a variety of trees, will greatly enhance the site.

Site and Landscape Plans

CoChair1
Co-Chair
Champlain Park Community Association
on Behalf of the Development Committee

Notes from 132 Cowley Ave meeting – May 15, 2013

At the Monday evening meeting about the re-development proposal for 132 Cowley we were shown a slightly revised set of drawings – link provided below.

These new drawings move the northern most unit and the middle unit further back from the front property line to accommodate the tree and also revise the driveways to correct an earlier drafting error. Everything else remains the same.

Slightly revised drawings

Abandoned building – 248 Cowley Avenue

Letter to Mayor and Councillors from the CPCA

Dear Mayor and Councillors
Re: Abandoned building, 248 Cowley Avenue
The Champlain Park Community Association is pleased to learn that the City is undertaking a review of its policies and by-laws regarding abandoned buildings. Abandoned buildings have been an issue of broad concern across the city and the current review and consideration of new policies and action to address the associated problems are welcomed.
We would like to bring your particular attention to an abandoned house and property in our neighbourhood at 248 Cowley Avenue. The house on the property has been vacant for close to 20 years and is currently in an unsalvageable state of repair. It is an eyesore and more importantly is a real and potential hazard especially to the adjoining property owners. The roof is open to the weather at several points, soffits have collapsed and the walls are at similar risk. Materials that have fallen from the house litter the property and the yard is not maintained. The property is partially boarded up but it clearly meets neither the requirements of the Property Standards By-law 2005-207 nor the Board-Up By-law 2010-211.
In response to these concerns we would urge the following:
· That the Property Standards and Board-Up by-law requirements be immediately and fully enforced at 248 Cowley Avenue and that the owner be required to act promptly to remediate the property appropriately;

· That 248 Cowley be added to the list of properties that the City is investigating as part of the current review of policies and by-laws regarding abandoned buildings;

· That as part of the review that policies and guidelines be considered to allow demolitions before the submission of plans for a replacement building (for example demolition could be allowed without immediate plans for redevelopment if the owner landscapes the lot and maintains it) , and

· That the Champlain Park Community Association be notified and invited to participate in the planned consultations on this issue.

We look forward to prompt action by the City regarding 248 Cowley Avenue. We will be following this issue with interest and hope that a new set of policies and revised by-laws will help to prevent similar situations in the future.

We look forward to hearing from you,
Sincerely,
CoChair1, Co-chair and Duncan Bury, Member-at-large
Champlain Park Community Association

132 Cowley Avenue Development Proposal Meeting

All are weclome!

Monday, May 13

8 PM

Champlain Park Fieldhouse

The proposal is to demolish the current dwelling, and sub-divide this 100 X 150 foot lot into 3 parcels to build 3 single-detached, 2 storey buildings. The design will be modern “courtyard” style, no rooftop decks, and two-tone wooden siding.

The CPCA Development Committee has met with Jacques Hamel, and feels that the overall concept is compatible with its location across from Champlain Park and the Fieldhouse. We are in process of negotiating protection measures for the distinctive red oak tree on the northern border of the lot.

We invite you to view and discuss the plans.

Select 132 Cowley 2012-20 CofA A1-A3 to view plan and diagrams

156 and 158 Northwestern Development Proposal Comments

Attached please find information related to this proposal, which will be heard at the Committee of Adjustment on April 17.

The CPCA Development Committee has met with the owner and architect to review this proposal and our comments are in the attached letter. We support this proposal for the reasons stated in the letter.

The Architect and Owner have given us permission to post the following documentation, which is also attached:

Architectural Plans
Close-Up View of Landscape Plan
Letter from the Architect regarding a revision to the requested driveway/walkway width variance. (The drawing has not changed, but the wording of the variance has been revised to conform with the new zoning by-law for infill in mature neighbourhoods.

Attached are also:

The CPCA letter to the Committee of Adjustment.
The Committee of Adjustment Notice which lists, in addition to the lot width variance, a number of other variance requests, most of them related to the new zoning for infill in mature neighbourhoods. We regard most of these as “technical variances” but consider that overall the proposal is compatible with its location in the neighbourhood.

If you have questions, you may contact any of the following people:

Kayla Spruit Chris Simmonds Architects (kayla@csarchitect.com)
CPCA Development Committee: Duncan Bury (la.db@sympatico.ca); Heather Pearl (hpearl2012@gmail.com); CoChair1 champlainpark@gmail.com

156 – 158 Northwestern letter CPCA to COA April 12, 2013 Final.pdf
COANotice 156-58NW.pdf
158 & 156 Northwestern Plans.pdf
158 & 156 Northwestern Driveway and Walkway Width Variance Updated.pdf
158 & 156 Northwestern Driveway and Walkway Front Yard Revised Drawing.pdf

Fees for Laneway Encroachment

As mentioned in the Ottawa Citizen article, the city will charge fees for people using land that belongs to a city laneway, or require them to clear their stuff off the roadway. I don’t think there are any in our neighbourhood, though further south there are such lanes behind the houses along Island Park Drive.

For those who are interested, this item regarding Municipal Laneways will be dealt with by the Transportation Committee on Wednesday April 3.