1.             STREET NAME CHANGE – RICHMOND ROAD (PHASE 1)

 

CHANGEMENT DE NOM DE RUES – CHEMIN RICHMOND (PHASE 1)

 

 

Committee recommendationS AS AMENDED

 

That Council:

 

1.                  Enact a by-law to change the streets named Richmond Road and Robertson Road, between Baseline Road and Eagleson Road, to Lloyd Francis Boulevard, as shown in Document 1.

 

2.                  Approve the one time allocation of $49,000 from the 2011 Provision for Unforeseen and One-time Expenditures to replace the street signs associated with both phases of the Richmond Road renaming initiative.

 

3.                  Approve that the action be taken, subject to appropriate consultation with the neighbourhood, to rename the Richmond Road section that runs through Lynwood Village to “Old Richmond Road.

 

4.                  Approve that the Commemorative Naming Committee (CNC) be directed at the earliest opportunity to undertake a process to find a suitable location to recognize the significant contribution of the Robertson family to the area; and that Council waive the 10 year retirement rule for commemorative Naming policy; and

 

 

RecommandationS MODIFIÉES DU Comité

 

Que le Conseil :

 

1.                  adopte un règlement municipal afin de changer le nom des rues intitulées chemin Richmond et chemin Robertson, entre le chemin Baseline et le chemin Eagleson, à boulevard Lloyd-Francis, tel que montré au Document 1.

 

2.                  approuve une allocation ponctuelle de 49 000 $ de la Réserve pour dépenses ponctuelles et imprévues afin de pour remplacer les plaques des rues liées aux deux phases de l’initiative de changement de nom du chemin Richmond.

 

3.                  Approuve, sous réserve d’une consultation appropriée de la population du voisinage, de donner à la partie du chemin Richmond qui traverse le village de Lynwood le nom de « chemin Old Richmond ».

 

4.                  Demande au Comité chargé des noms commémoratifs d’entreprendre dès que possible une démarche visant à trouver un endroit adéquat où souligner l’importante contribution que la famille Robertson a apportée au secteur, et de surseoir à la période de 10 ans prévue par la Politique sur les noms commémoratifs.

 

 

Documentation

 

1.                   Deputy City Manager's report, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability, dated 29 March 2011 (ACS2011-ICS-PGM-0069)

 

2.                   Extract of Draft Planning Committee Minutes of 12 April 2011 Issued Separately

 


Report to/Rapport au :

 

Planning Committee

Comité de l’urbanisme

 

and Council / et au Conseil

 

29 March 2011 / le 29 mars 2011

 

Submitted by/Soumis par: Nancy Schepers, Deputy City Manager/Directrice

municipale adjointe, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability/Services

d 'infrastructure et Viabilité des collectivités

 

Contact Person/Personne ressource : Arlene Grégoire, Director/Directrice, Building Code Services and Chief Building Official/Direction des services code du bâtiment et chef du service du bâtiment, Planning and Growth Management/Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance

(613) 580-2424 x 41425, arlene.gregoire@ottawa.ca

 

College (8)

Ref N°: ACS2011-ICS-PGM-0069

 

 

SUBJECT:

Street Name Change – Richmond Road (phase 1)

 

 

OBJET :

CHangement de nom de rueS – chemin richmond (phase 1)

 

 

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

 

That the Planning Committee recommend Council:

 

1.                  Enact a by-law to change the streets named Richmond Road and Robertson Road, between Baseline Road and Eagleson Road, to Lloyd Francis Boulevard, as shown in Document 1.

 

2.                  Approve the one time allocation of $49,000 from the 2011 Provision for Unforeseen and One-time Expenditures to replace the street signs associated with both phases of the Richmond Road renaming initiative.

 

 

RECOMMANDATIONS DU RAPPORT

 

Que le Comité de l’urbanisme recommande au Conseil :

 

1.                  d’adopter un règlement municipal afin de changer le nom des rues intitulées chemin Richmond et chemin Robertson, entre le chemin Baseline et le chemin Eagleson, à boulevard Lloyd-Francis, tel que montré au Document 1.

 

2.                  d’approuver une allocation ponctuelle de 49 000 $ de la Réserve pour dépenses ponctuelles et imprévues afin de pour remplacer les plaques des rues liées aux deux phases de l’initiative de changement de nom du chemin Richmond.

 

BACKGROUND

 

On May 11, 2010 the Planning and Environment Committee (PEC) carried a motion brought forward by the College Ward Councillor.  The motion instructed the Department of Planning and Growth Management to undertake the street name change process to determine support for changing the name of Richmond and Robertson Roads, between Baseline Road and Eagleson Road, to Lloyd Francis Boulevard. The motion indicated there were a number of concerns expressed by businesses in Bells Corners over issues of wayfinding in the community including: multiple street names for the continuous roadway (Richmond and Robertson) through the business sector; Richmond Road turning south through a residential community; and, the disconnection of Richmond Road at Moodie Drive.

 

This report deals with the first concern raised in the motion by recommending the implementation of a continuous street name for the length of the main street in Bells Corners continuing through to Eagleson Road to alleviate the wayfinding issues. Currently, the lands along these two roads are a combination of shopping centres or individual retail, restaurant or service businesses, office buildings, retirement home/residential care facilities; and along the west section of Robertson Road, it is primarily open space consisting of the greenbelt, with a few individual residential dwellings.

 

A subsequent report to Planning Committee, referred to as phase two of the directed street name change approval process, will be dealing with the resulting street renaming requirements for the disconnected segments of Richmond Road located to the south of the proposed Lloyd Francis Boulevard.

 

DISCUSSION

 

Recommendation 1

 

Municipalities have an obligation to establish and maintain clear identification and provide effective wayfinding. It is the general policy of Council, by way of the Municipal Addressing By-law (By-law Number 2005-322), that street names are assigned such that they minimize issues of safety and support wayfinding capabilities, particularly for emergency responses.

 

Currently, the orientation of Richmond Road through Bells Corners (see Document 1) makes it difficult for local businesses to explain their location to potential clients. It is a challenge for drivers whose natural inclination is to assume that a road of one name will generally continue in the same direction; but, in Bells Corners, Richmond Road requires a distinctive turn south at a point where there is no major intersection, and from there it continues through a residential neighbourhood.

 

The intention of this proposed street name change is first to improve effective wayfinding in Bells Corners.

The current situation whereby the main road through the business sector in the community changes from Richmond Road to Robertson Road is confusing and could lead to delays in response times for emergency services. Secondly, there is the possibility of decreased profitability for local businesses whose potential new clients may have difficulty locating these businesses.

 

As a designated Arterial Mainstreet in the Official Plan, a single street name through the Bells Corners Business Improvement Area (BIA) will not only assist in wayfinding, but also create a unique identity which will enhance economic development in the area by making businesses identifiable by affiliation with a unique street name.

 

Ward Councillor Rick Chiarelli, with support of the Bells Corners BIA, suggested the renaming to Lloyd Francis Boulevard.  Lloyd Francis (1920-2007) was a former World War II veteran, Member of Parliament for Carleton and Ottawa West, and Speaker of the House. In addition, Lloyd Francis was a recognized land developer with his company, Francis and Sim's Lynhar Developments, which built Lynwood Plaza and homes in Bells Corners. In "The Spirit of Nepean", author D. Aubrey Moodie cites Lloyd Francis as playing an integral role in ensuring the future growth of the former City of Nepean by supporting the establishment of lot levies necessary to ensure that infrastructure services could be provided to new buildings.

 

The proposed street name of Lloyd Francis Boulevard meets the provisions of the Municipal Addressing By-law 2005-322 which requires that names be no longer than 28 characters and that the suffix of Boulevard be assigned to highways which are four lanes divided by a median. Though only Richmond Road is divided by a median, boulevards are commonly viewed as arterial thoroughfares, and therefore it is considered an appropriate suffix for this area of Bells Corners. By-law 2005-322 also requires that highways, to be named after a person, be referred to the Commemorative Naming Committee (CNC) for compliance with their guidelines.

 

As the Planning and Environment Committee directed staff to consult on the proposed name and identified the street to be renamed, the need for a formal CNC process to consider this name would in effect duplicate the process for street name change under By-law 2005-322 and thus be redundant. Further, the City Clerk and Solicitor Department has confirmed that the proposal to commemorate Lloyd Francis is in keeping with the criteria of the Council-approved Commemorative Naming Policy. The Lloyd Francis family is supportive of the proposed use of the Lloyd Francis name.

 

The proposed name change will result in the elimination of Robertson Road as a street name. This street name was established on September 28, 1983 by a Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton (RMOC) by-law naming the portion of Highway 7 and 15, west of the Richmond Road turnoff at Bells Corners to Eagleson Road (in the former City of Nepean), as Robertson Road. At the same time, the portions of these highways located west of Eagleson Road to the intersection of Highway 417 (in the former City of Kanata and Township of Goulbourn), were renamed to Hazeldean Road. The former City of Kanata and Township of Goulbourn had taken the position that all portions of Highway 7 and 15 should be renamed as Hazeldean Road; while the former City of Nepean had wanted the same stretch of road to be renamed as Robertson Road. Since both names were of historical significance to each community, the decision was made by the RMOC to rename these portions of highway in two parts rather than as a single name.

Robertson Road is named for John Robertson (1797-1884), an owner of a general store in Bells Corners and "Surveyor of Roads" for the former City of Nepean.

 

As part of the current renaming process, consideration was given to extending the Robertson Road street name along Richmond Road in Bells Corners. However, this change would require the reassignment of civic addresses along the existing Robertson Road, creating the potential for even more confusion for properties having a change in civic number while retaining the Robertson Road name. A change to both the civic number and street name would provide clear and effective identification.

 

Given the historical significance of Robertson Road and the need for clarity in wayfinding and branding of the Bell’s Corners Business Area, and the resulting need to extend Lloyd Francis to Eagleson Road; it is recommended that the name Robertson be recognized through commemoration of a park, facility, or other feature in the future. It is not recommended that another street be named Robertson within the next 10 years of the change given the association of addresses to corporate records.

 

Attempts to locate and contact members of the Robertson family to discuss this proposal have been without success. It is also noted that the proposed name change has received much media coverage; and notification as set out below in the Consultation section has been undertaken; and at no time has any member of the immediate family contacted the City, Councillor, or BIA to discuss the initiative. It is possible that the immediate family is no longer living in the area.

 

The proposed change will affect approximately 130 civic addresses. Properties on Richmond Road and Robertson Road will have civic addresses reassigned to them (both civic numbers and street name). Unit numbers where applicable may stay the same. There are approximately 10 residential properties on Robertson Road, east of Eagleson Road that would be affected by the change. Given that the majority of these civic addresses are attributed to commercial properties, it is recommended that the proposed name change take effect May 1, 2012 to provide sufficient time for businesses to notify suppliers and clients of the change, exhaust stationary, and reformat marketing materials. 

 

The street name change once implemented would have the effect of creating a new disconnection of Richmond Road. Richmond Road will terminate from an easterly direction at Baseline Road, and then commence again south from the proposed Lloyd Francis, east of Moodie Drive through the residential area of Lynwood community for about one kilometre. Richmond Road also has an existing smaller disconnection on Moodie Drive in Bells Corners, where it then continues for approximately 12 kilometres to Richmond Village. To remedy this, staff and Ward Councillors will undertake a consultation process to address the renaming of the remaining section of Richmond Road through the Lynwood community between the proposed Lloyd Francis Boulevard and Moodie Drive, as well as the renaming of Richmond Road from Moodie Drive to Eagleson Road at Richmond Village. While consultation has already begun, this second phase of the Richmond Road renaming process is set to formally commence in April 2011 with the implementation intended to occur simultaneously with the implementation of phase one (i.e. May 1, 2012) to ensure there is no confusion in wayfinding.


 

Recommendation 2

 

The proposed street name change for both phases of the initiative will require the replacement of approximately 37 street signs, including seven larger overhead signs.  The one-time replacement costs have been estimated to be $49,000.  Public Works Department has advised that there are no provisions in the 2011 operating budget for replacing the street signs. 

In the absence of funding, a one-time allocation from the 2011 Provision for Unforeseen and One-time Expenditures is recommended.

 

RURAL IMPLICATIONS

 

N/A

 

CONSULTATION

 

The Ward Councillor, through his office, undertook the consultation process in June and July of 2010, which involved delivering 194 surveys to owners and occupants in the Bells Corners BIA directly affected by the proposed name change. Of these surveys, 38 responses were returned with 34 responses indicating support for the name change (89 per cent) while four responses were objections (11 per cent). Those opposed to the name change cite financial constraints as reason not to support the name change.

 

The Bells Corners Business Improvement Association has been integral in working with the Ward Councillor to engage business owners of Bells Corners in the consultation process.

 

Correspondence dated Monday, February 28, 2011 from the Bells Corners BIA indicated support for the proposed street name change. The Bells Corners BIA acknowledges the potential inconvenience that may be experienced by businesses as a result of a street name change; however, they recognize that a change would alleviate the confusion that has caused greater limitations for businesses in the past. They have requested a transition period of one year for the change to take effect.

 

COMMENTS BY THE WARD COUNCILLOR(S)

 

The Ward Councillor is in support of the proposed roadway change. The proposed street name change of Richmond Road and Robertson Road was part of a package of initiatives proposed to improve Bells Corners leading into the last election. The Ward Councillor campaigned on this issue as a top priority and was elected with a strong majority.

 

LEGAL/RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

 

There are no legal/risk management implications associated with this report.

 

CITY STRATEGIC PLAN

 

The recommendation is consistent with Objective 1 of the Transportation Priority of the City Strategic Plan in that it will create a stronger connection in the business and residential community for the movement of people and goods.

 

TECHNICAL IMPLICATIONS

 

N/A

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

Upon approval, one-time funding of $49,000 will be provided from the 2011 Provision for Unforeseen and One-time Expenditures for the replacement of the street signs associated with both phases of the Richmond Road renaming initiative. The balance of the Provision for Unforeseen and One-time Expenditures will be reduced from $2,800,000 to $2,751,000.

 

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

 

Document 1 - Location Plan

 

DISPOSITION

 

City Manager's Office, City Clerk and Solicitor's Department, Deputy City Solicitor's Branch to draft and process the necessary by-law amendment for Council approval.

 

Department of Planning and Growth Management will notify those directly affected by the street name change including primary public and private sector agencies

 

City Operations Portfolio, Public Works Department, Roads and Traffic Operations and Maintenance Branch, on request by the Building Code Services Branch, to fabricate and install the street signage.

 


LOCATION MAP                                                                                                  DOCUMENT 1

 

Location Map – Proposed Street Name Change from Richmond Road and Robertson Road to Lloyd Francis Boulevard