Lowertown West and ByWard Market Heritage Conservation Districts update

A report recommending adoption of the Heritage Conservation District Plans for the ByWard Market and the Lowertown West Heritage Conservation Districts was considered by the Built Heritage Committee at its meeting on October 8, 2024. This meeting was the statutory public meeting for the purposes of Section 41.1 (6)(b) of the Ontario Heritage Act. Council adopted the Heritage Conservation District Plans at their meeting on October 16, 2024.
  
On October 30, 2024, City Council passed new bylaws adopting the Heritage Conservation District Plans for the ByWard Market and Lowertown West Heritage Conservation Districts. Property owners will be receiving notice of passage of the by-laws by mail. The notice will also be published online at Ottawa.ca/heritagenotices on November 15, 2024. 

Section 41 (4) of the Ontario Heritage Act establishes that any person wishing to object to the passing of these by-laws may appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal by submitting a letter of objection outlining the reasons for the objection and any other relevant information. The letter and filing fee charged by the Ontario Land Tribunal must be received by the Clerk of the City of Ottawa within 30 days after the publication of the notice online.

If there are appeals, the Plans will not come into effect until those appeals are resolved. If no appeals are given, the Heritage Conservation District Plans will come into force on December 16, 2024.

The final plans in French and English, will be posted on the City of Ottawa website after the expiration of the appeal period. If appeals are received, the Plans will be posted after the appeals are heard.

For more information please contact:
MacKenzie Kimm
Heritage Planner
613-580-2424, extension 15203

Lowertown is the oldest urban neighbourhood in Ottawa and has strong historical and social associations with the early development of ByTown, the construction of the Rideau Canal and Ottawa’s role as the national capital. It is a primarily residential neighbourhood with a mixed-use centre around the historic ByWard Market. The area contains two heritage conservation districts: the ByWard Market (designated in 1991) and Lowertown West (designated in 1994). The area was developed between 1820 and the early 20th century as a commercial hub in the city and residential sections to the north and east. It is one of Ottawa’s oldest neighbourhoods that has strong historical and social associations with Ottawa’s role as the national capital.

Today, Lowertown’s built form continues to be mainly low density residential but uses are varied. There is a rich fabric of historic buildings throughout the neighbourhood both within the existing Heritage Conservation Districts and beyond. Over the past 20 years, there has been some redevelopment in Lowertown as the neighbourhood is desirable for its central location, amenities and character.

Why is the City undertaking the Lowertown West and ByWard Market Heritage Conservation District update?

Both Heritage Conservation Districts were designated in the early 1990s and the building inventory and studies developed at the time of designation need review and updating to better align with current heritage planning practices and other City policies.

Further, the Ontario Heritage Act was amended in 2005 to require the adoption of a Heritage Conservation District Plan for all new Heritage Conservation Districts. In addition, municipalities may adopt Heritage Conservation District Plans by by-law for districts designated prior to 2005. The City of Ottawa has been working to adopt Heritage Conservation District Plans for all districts designated before 2005. This project will fulfill this priority for two pre-2005 Heritage Conservation Districts.

ByWard Market Heritage Conservation District

Lowertown West Heritage Conservation District

What are the goals of the project?

The goals of the Lowertown West and ByWard Market Heritage Conservation Districts update are to:

• Update the heritage inventory of properties located within the Lowertown West and ByWard Market Heritage Conservation Districts
• Develop a Heritage Conservation District Plan for the existing Lowertown West and ByWard Market Heritage Conservation Districts
• Analyze the properties located outside the ByWard Market Heritage Conservation District, between Dalhousie Street, Rideau Street, King Edward Avenue and Murray Street to determine candidacy for Part IV designation 

In January 2021, heritage staff began conducting background information on each district and gathering data on each property. In August 2021, photos were taken of each property in the Heritage Conservation Districts. Heritage staff, together with their heritage consultant and with feedback from the community association, have completed the review and evaluation of the properties located within the ByWard Market and Lowertown West Heritage Conservation Districts.

Phases 1 and 2 are now complete.

Draft Heritage Conservation District Plans were prepared for both the ByWard Market and Lowertown West Heritage Conservation Districts and presented for feedback at in-person open houses in Spring 2023. Comments received following those sessions from members of the public, internal and external stakeholders have now been incorporated into revised versions, as appropriate.

ByWard Market

ByWard Market Heritage Conservation District Plan [ PDF 11.322 MB ] Copies are also available upon request by email at heritage@ottawa.ca.

Lowertown West

Lowertown West Heritage Conservation District Plan [ PDF 7.869 MB ] Copies are also available upon request by email at heritage@ottawa.ca.

Previous public consultations

September 12, 2024:
Virtual public information meeting: Lowertown West Heritage Conservation District

A virtual public information meeting session was held on Thursday September 12, 2024 at 6:30 pm via Zoom. The purpose of the meeting was to provide owners and stakeholders an opportunity to hear about changes to the draft, the next steps in the project and ask questions to staff. A brief presentation was provided followed by a brief Q&A.

September 5, 2024:
Virtual public information meeting: ByWard Market Heritage Conservation District

A virtual public information meeting session was held on Thursday September 5, 2024 at 6:30 pm via Zoom. The purpose of the meeting was to provide owners and stakeholders an opportunity to hear about changes to the draft, the next steps in the project and ask questions to staff. A brief presentation was provided followed by a brief Q&A.

June 27, 2023:
Drop-in open house – Lowertown West Heritage Conservation District Draft Plan

On June 27, 2023 the Heritage Planning Branch hosted a drop-in session to present a summary of the draft Heritage Conservation District plan for Lowertown West and provided property owners with the opportunity to review the plan’s proposed directions and guidance, and to ask questions of staff.

Presentation slides from the open house [ PDF 1.558 MB ]

June 1, 2023:
Drop-in open house – ByWard Market Draft Heritage Conservation District Plan

On June 1, 2023 the Heritage Planning Branch hosted a drop-in session to present a summary of the draft Heritage Conservation District plan for ByWard Market and provide property owners with the opportunity to review the plan’s proposed directions and guidance, and to ask questions of staff.

Presentation slides from the open house. [ PDF 863 KB]

November 30, 2021:
A virtual public meeting

The purpose of this meeting was to outline the process for updating the Lowertown West and ByWard Market Heritage Conservation Districts with new Heritage Conservation District plans, provide property owners and residents the opportunity to comment on the cultural heritage value of the area, and to answer any questions the community may have about this project. There was a brief presentation by heritage planning staff on Zoom.

The City of Ottawa hosted a public information session on August 17, 2022, and collected feedback through an online survey until December 18 2022. Fifty-eight people participated in the online survey. A summary of the responses is included in the As We Heard It Report.

The City of Ottawa hosted a public information session on August 14, 2022 and collected feedback through an online survey until December 18, 2022. Forty people participated in the online survey. A summary of the responses is included in the As We Heard It Report.