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2. APPLICATION TO ALTER 20 CRESCENT ROAD, A
PROPERTY DESIGANTED UNDER PART V OF THE ONTARIO
HERITAGE ACT AND LOCATED IN THE ROCKCLIFFE PARK HERITAGE CONSERVATION
DISTRICT DEMANDE DE MODIFICATION DE LA PROPRIÉTÉ SITUÉE AU
20, CHEMIN CRESCENT, DÉSIGNÉE EN VERTU DE LA PARTIE V DE LA LOI SUR LE PATRIMOINE DE L’ONTARIO ET
QUI SE TROUVE DANS LE DISTRICT DE CONSERVATION DU PATRIMOINE DE ROCKCLIFFE
PARK |
Ottawa Built
Heritage Advisory Committee RECOMMENDATIONS
AS AMENDED
The
Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee recommends that Planning Committee
recommend that Council:
1.
Approve the application to construct
an attached double garage in the front yard of 20 Crescent Road;
2.
Approve the application to construct an
addition at the rear of the building located at 20 Crescent Road as per
drawings by Andre Godin Design dated April 1, 2011; and
3.
Issue the heritage permit with a two-year
expiry from the date of issuance.
(Note:
The statutory 90-day timeline for consideration of this application under the Ontario Heritage Act will expire on
August 2, 2011)
(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 MODIFIÉES DU COMITÉ CONSULTATIF SUR LE
PATRIMOINE BÂTI D’OTTAWA
Le Comité consultatif sur le patrimoine bâti
d’Ottawa recommande au Comité de l’urbanisme de recommander à son tour au
Conseil :
1. d’approuver la demande de
construction d’un garage double adjacent au bâtiment dans la cour avant de la
propriété située au 20, chemin Crescent;
2.
d’approuver
la demande de construction d’un ajout à l’arrière de la propriété située au 20,
chemin Crescent, comme l’illustrent les plans de conception d’André Godin en
date du 1er avril 2011;
3. d’émettre un permis en matière de
patrimoine doté d’une durée de validité de deux ans à compter de la date
d’émission.
(Nota : Le délai réglementaire de 90 jours d’examen de cette
demande, exigé en vertu de la Loi sur le
patrimoine de l’Ontario, prendra fin le 2 août 2011.)
Nota : L’approbation de la demande de
modification aux termes de la Loi sur le
patrimoine de l’Ontario ne signifie pas pour autant qu’elle satisfait aux
conditions
Documentation
1.
Deputy
City Manager's report, Infrastructure
Services and Community Sustainability, dated 20 May 2011 (ACS2011-ICS-PGM-0126).
2.
Extract
of draft minutes 8, Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee meeting of 16 June
2011
Report
to/Rapport au :
Ottawa Built Heritage
Advisory Committee
Comité consultatif sur le patrimoine bâti
d’Ottawa
and / et
Planning
Committee
Comité
de l'urbanisme
and Council / et au Conseil
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 : Richard Kilstrom,
Acting Manager/Gestionnaire intérimaire, Development Review-Urban
Services/Examen des projets d'aménagement-Services urbains, Planning
and Growth Management/Urbanisme et Gestion de la croissance
(613) 580-2424, 22379 Richard.Kilstrom@ottawa.ca
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory
Committee recommend that Planning Committee recommend that Council:
- Refuse the application to construct an
attached double garage in the front yard of 20 Crescent Road;
- Approve the application to construct
an addition at the rear of the building located at 20 Crescent Road as per
drawings by Andre Godin Design dated April 1, 2011; and
- Issue the heritage permit with a
two-year expiry from the date of issuance.
(Note: The statutory 90-day timeline for consideration of this
application under the Ontario Heritage
Act will expire on August 2, 2011)
(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
Que le Comité
consultatif sur le patrimoine bâti d’Ottawa recommande au Comité de l’urbanisme
de recommander à son tour au Conseil :
1. de refuser la demande de
construction d’un garage double adjacent au bâtiment dans la cour avant de la
propriété située au 20, chemin Crescent;
2. d’approuver la demande
de construction d’un ajout à l’arrière de la propriété située au 20, chemin
Crescent, comme l’illustrent les plans de conception d’André Godin en date du 1er avril 2011;
3. d’émettre un permis en
matière de patrimoine doté d’une durée de validité de deux ans à compter de la
date d’émission.
(Nota : Le délai
réglementaire de 90 jours d’examen de cette demande, exigé en vertu de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario,
prendra fin le 2 août 2011.)
Nota : L’approbation
de la demande de modification aux termes de la Loi sur le patrimoine de l’Ontario ne signifie pas pour autant
qu’elle satisfait aux conditions de délivrance d’un permis de construire.)
BACKGROUND
20 Crescent Road is a two-storey single family house in Rockcliffe Park (Document 1). The Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District (HCD) was designated in 1997 under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act by the former Village of Rockcliffe Park. The HCD was designated for its cultural heritage value as an early planned residential community first laid out by Thomas Keefer in 1864. The district is also important for its historical associations with Keefer and his father-in-law, Thomas MacKay, the founder of New Edinburgh and the original owner of Rideau Hall. The picturesque nature of the village also contributes significantly to the cultural heritage value. The Statement of Heritage Character (Document 8) notes that today the “Village of Rockcliffe Park is a distinctive community of private homes and related institutional properties within a park setting.”
This report has been prepared because alterations to buildings in heritage conservation districts require City Council approval.
DISCUSSION
Context
Crescent Road is one of the most significant streets in Rockcliffe Park featuring a number of noteworthy buildings and landscapes (Document 2). Humphrey Carver notes in his “The Cultural Landscape of Rockcliffe Park Village” that
Crescent Road was originally a private way,
with gateposts and gates at each end, serving the crescent row of big houses on
the brink of the high ground, looking out over the Ottawa River.
The street features a high concentration of embassies and high commissions including those of Spain, Gabon, New Zealand, Tunisia and Austria. Two of the grandest houses in Rockcliffe are located at 9 and 11 Crescent Road (the residences of the Austrian and Spanish ambassadors respectively), originally owned by the Southam family. The outer curve of the crescent was mainly developed in the 1910s and 1920s with the exception of the modern house at 7 Crescent Road, originally built for William Teron, the original developer of Kanata. The inner curve of the crescent was developed later and features mainly mid 20th century houses and modern additions to the street, including the house at 20 Crescent Road.
20 Crescent Road, a new house in Rockcliffe Park, was constructed in 2000, and was processed as an application for new construction under the Ontario Heritage Act by the former Village. The original house plan included a detached garage at the rear of the property, which has since been converted to a pool house.
Rockcliffe Park Guidelines
The Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District Study contains guidelines for the management of development in the district. The following guidelines are applicable for this application:
Section iv) Buildings
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 where 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 and designed so as to retain the existing topography. The use
of natural materials should be encouraged.
Section
v) Soft and Hard Landscape
1.
The dominance of soft landscape over hard
landscape should be recognized as an essential feature of the past history and
present character of the Village.
2.
New buildings, fences and other landscape
features or alterations and additions to existing buildings and features,
should be designed and sited so as to protect and enhance significant qualities
of the existing landscape.
The complete Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District Study was
previously distributed to all Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee (OBHAC)
members and is on file with the OBHAC Co-ordinator (Document 9).
Recommendation 1:
The proposed addition in the front yard of the house is a two-car attached garage oriented perpendicular to the existing house (Documents 4 to 6). The driveway to the existing garage at the east side of the house will be removed and replaced with soft landscaping. Furthermore, the existing circular driveway will be cut off and will only have one entrance; the east side will be landscaped to screen the garage addition (Document 5 to 6).
The garage addition is compatible with the existing house in its use of materials and its design. However, the location of a large attached garage at the front of the house is not compatible in its siting and form with the landscape of Rockcliffe Park. The proposed addition obstructs the front façade of the house, and makes the garage the primary feature of the streetscape. Garages in Rockcliffe Park are typically located at the rear or in the side yard of the property not in the front yard. The landscape of Rockcliffe Park and particularly of Crescent Road is typified by large setbacks from the street and significant green space at the front of the house. The impacts of this garage could be mitigated through a different location, a smaller footprint and by detaching it from the existing house.
There have been proposals for garages and carports on this site in the past. In 2005, a minor variance and heritage approval were granted to construct a carport in the side yard, adjacent to the house and straddling the existing driveway. Previous proposals to construct a garage in the front yard have been discouraged by staff. A minor variance will be required for a reduced side yard setback to accommodate the garage.
There are other garages along Crescent Road including two front yard garages at 16 Crescent and 5 Crescent. The garage at 5 Crescent Road was built prior to the designation of the HCD and the garage at 16 Crescent Road was built on the foundation of the existing garage thus retaining the legal non-conforming rights of the original garage.
The Department does not support this application because it does not enhance the cultural heritage landscape of the Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District; it negatively impacts the relationship of the house to the street by obstructing the front façade of the house and makes the garage the primary feature in the streetscape. The applicant has made attempts to mitigate the impact of the garage through landscaping, but the overall impact results in significantly more hard landscape than soft. The addition of a large garage is not mitigated by the additional landscaping at the front of the house. This is not appropriate for the character of the streetscape of Crescent Road or the heritage conservation district.
Recommendation 2:
There is a small addition proposed for the rear of the building. The addition is replacing an existing addition with a one-storey glass, wood and stone sunroom at the rear of the building. It is compatible in terms of materials, size and style with the existing building. The Department has no concerns with this proposal as it complements the existing building and is invisible from the street.
Recommendation 3:
The Ontario Heritage Act does not provide any timelines for the expiry of heritage permits. A two-year expiry date is recommended to ensure that projects are completed in a timely fashion and according to the approved heritage permit.
RURAL IMPLICATIONS
N/A
CONSULTATION
Neighbours within 30 metres of the property were notified of the application and offered the opportunity to provide written or oral submissions.
Heritage Ottawa is aware of the application.
The Rockcliffe Park Resident’s Association reviewed the proposal and had the following comments:
The RPRA is opposed to
prominent garages located in front of houses.
In this instance, however, we understand the rationale for its proposed
location. The applicant is proposing to
use the same quality materials as on the existing house. The proposed landscaping will be key to the
success of the project and we encourage the City, if possible, to tie the
Landscape Plan to any approvals. We do
not oppose this application and the minor variance required to permit it.
COMMENTS BY THE WARD COUNCILLOR(S)
Councillor Clark is aware of the application.
LEGAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no legal/risk management implications associated with this report
RISK MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
There are no risk implications.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
There are no direct financial implications associated with this report.
TECHNOLOGY IMPLICATIONS
N/A
CITY STRATEGIC PLAN
Objective 8: Operationalize the Ottawa 20/20 Arts and Heritage Plan and the recently approved Museum Sustainability Plan.
APPLICATION PROCESS TIMELINE STATUS
This application was completed
within the 90-day time period prescribed by the Ontario Heritage Act.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION
Document 1 Location Map
Document 2 Current Conditions
Document 3 Site Plan
Document 4 Elevations
Document 5 Renderings
Document 6 Landscape Plan
Document 7 Cultural Heritage Impact Statement
Document 8 Statement of Heritage Character
Document 9 Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District Study (previously distributed and on file with the OBHAC coordinator)
DISPOSITION
City
Clerk and Solicitor Department, Legislative Services to notify the property
owner and the Ontario Heritage Trust (10 Adelaide Street East, 3rd
Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 1J3) of Council’s decision.
1:
20 Crescent Road
2: Spanish Ambassador's Residence, 11 Crescent Road
Figure 3: Austrian Ambassador's Residence, 9 Crescent Road
Figure 4: Tunisian Ambassador’s Residence, 8 Crescent Road
Figure 5: 14 Crescent Road
Figure 6: 16 Crescent Road
Figure 7: Looking East along Crescent
Road
Figure 8: Looking West along Crescent Road
LANDSCAPE PLAN DOCUMENT
6
Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District
Statement of Heritage Character
i) Description
The Village of Rockcliffe Park is a planned residential community first laid out in 1864 by Thomas Keefer. It was created as a partial subdivision of the large estate belonging to his father-in-law, Thomas McKay. Development occurred slowly, but in 1908 a Police Village was created, and by 1926 the Village of Rockcliffe Park had been incorporated. The boundaries established in 1908 have remained intact, and the present Village of Rockcliffe Park is a distinctive community of private homes and related institutional properties within a park setting, still true to the spirit of Keefer’s original vision.
ii.) Reasons for Designation:
The Village of Rockcliffe Park is proposed for designation as a heritage district because of:
- The significance of its original design intentions;
- The continuity in its evolution;
- The richness of its current urban condition;
- Its relationship with its wide setting, and
- The importance of its historical associations.
iii.) Original Design Intentions
The Village of Rockcliffe Park is a rare and significant approach to estate layout and landscape design adapted in Canada from 18th Century English precedents. McKay had adopted this approach in his initial development of the estate, and the original McKay villa and grounds survive as Rideau Hall, the estate of the Governor General of Canada, on the western boundary of the village. When, in 1864, Keefer advertised his Park and Villa lots for private residences, he focused on the picturesque qualities of the scenery, and the importance of curving roads, extensive plantings, and naturalistic settings as key features in any future development. Lots were sold as components of the larger Estate, implying a cohesive landscape approach- purchasers were enjoined from erected anything that would be “inconsistent with the maintenance of the Estate as a park for private residences.” Tree planning on road fronts was an immediate requirement on purchase, and commercial and industrial uses were explicitly banned. This type of ‘suburban’ or borderland development is also a reflection of a particularly North American response to rapid industrialization and urbanization in the 19th Century, with its emphasis on healthy living in a rural or country setting.
iv.) Continuity in Evolution
The Village of Rockcliffe Park today is a remarkably consistent reflection of the ideas set out by Keefer. Although development of the residential lots has taken place very gradually, the ideas of Estate management, of smaller lots as part of a larger whole, of picturesque design, of residential focus, have survived as controlling aspects of the Village’s form and character. This has been in part somewhat fortuitous and unconscious- the cumulative effect of precedent and example. The early estates such as the MacKay villa and Rockcliffe were followed quickly by Birkenfels and Crichton Lodge, which in turn inspired smaller estates on Buena Vista, Mariposa, and Acacia and later Crescent Road. These types of properties continue to establish a Rockcliffe image, which is continually translated by architects and designers into individual variations on the theme. The strong landscape setting is able to embrace a rich diversity of lot and building sizes and configurations.
However, the continuity has also been provided by an active effort by overseers and residents. In the early years, Thomas Keefer and his associates developed special arrangements to control public and private initiatives as Trustees of the MacKay Estate. Later this effort fell to the overseers of the Police Village and then the councillors of the incorporated Village. Considerable energy has been spent by every successive generation to manage development and change, through formal and informal reviews and by a variety of by-laws, planning directives, and special designations. In most communities such initiatives have focused on economic development and minimum property standards; in Rockcliffe there is an extraordinary effort to maintain the scenic qualities, the park setting, the natural features and plantings, the careful informality of streets and services. This continuity of vision is very rare in a community where development has occurred on such a relatively large scale over such a long time period.
v) Current urban condition:
The Village of Rockcliffe Park has combined public and private initiatives to create an unusually rich urban landscape. The deliberately curved roads, without curbs or sidewalks, and the careful planting of the public spaces and corridors, together with the careful siting and strong landscaping of the individual properties, create the apparently casual and informal style so integral to the picturesque tradition. The preservation and enhancement of topographical features including the lake and pond, the dramatic Ottawa River shoreline, the internal ridges and slopes, and the various outcroppings, has reinforced the design intentions. The architectural design of the residences and associated institutional facilities is similarly deliberate and careful, but in the casual elegance and asymmetry of the various English country revival styles which predominate throughout the Village. The generosity of space around the homes, and the flowing of this space from one property to the next by continuous planting rather than hard fence lines, has maintained the estate qualities and park setting envisioned by Keefer. This informal elegance has been a consistent theme throughout the long process of development from the mid-19th Century to the present. There are relatively few examples of the strict neo-classicism that would suggest a more geometric ordering of the landscape.
There is also a set of community practices, intangible rituals that are both public and private, which continue to make sense of this environment- individual and collective outdoor activities, pedestrian and vehicular movement, areas of congregation and encounter, areas of dispersal and isolation. The urban landscape is also sustained by a variety of ongoing planning regulations, reflected most particularly in the current Official Plan and related zoning by-law.
vi.) Relationship with its wider setting:
The Village of Rockcliffe Park has an important and integral association with its larger setting, as a result of patterns of historical development. With the Rideau Hall estate there is a symbiosis that dates back to Keefer’s original vision of the village set within the larger grounds of this original villa. With Rockcliffe Park, there is a deliberate relationship again defined by Keefer, who saw the park as a natural extension and highlighting of the village’s picturesque setting. This relationship was further strengthened with the expansion of the park to the east, and with the addition of the Rockeries. Beechwood Cemetery has also served as a compatible landscape boundary to the southeast from the earliest period of settlement through to the present. These various border areas create important gateways to the village, and help establish its particular character. The views to and from the Ottawa River, the Beechwood escarpment, and the other park areas are integral to the picturesque quality of the Village. These extensions also form an integral part of the Village’s environmental ecosystem. It is unusual to have the internal character of a neighbourhood so strongly reinforced by adjacent land uses; it once again reflects the foresight of the original planners.
vii.) Historical Associations
The most important historical associations of the village as a whole are with the MacKay/Keefer family, major players in the economic, social, cultural and political development of Ottawa. The village today is a testament to the ideas and initiatives of various key members of this extended family, and their influence in shaping this key piece of Canadian landscape. Additional associations have occurred more randomly throughout the history of the village, as people of regional, national, and international significance have resided here and made this community their home base. Such associations are in some ways more private than public, and are an aspect of the village that is preserved more in the intangible continuities and oral traditions of village life than in the stones and mortar of monuments and plaques.
There are also specific associations with individuals who, whatever their prominence elsewhere, have made special contributions within the Village at a public and private level. These people have been part of an unusual form of self-governance, which has blurred the lines between formal and informal participation in the affairs of the Village.