My Lowertown | Ma BasseVille

Monthly meeting | Réunion mensuelle

12/9/2019

Monthly meeting | Réunion mensuelle
Monday, December 9/ lundi, le 9 décembre7pm / 19hrs
Routhier Centre / Centre Routhier
172 Guigues Ave

AGENDA / ORDRE DU JOUR

Welcome and Introductions / Bienvenue et Introductions
Review of the Agenda / Considération de l'ordre du jour
Minutes of November 18 Meeting / Compte rendu de la réunion du 18 novembre
Update from Councillor Fleury / Mise à jour par le conseiller Fleury
Update by Constable Lemay / Mise à jour par le Constable Lemay
Reports from sub-committee chairs / Rapports des présidents des sous-comités
Vision for Lowertown: community brainstorming / Vision pour La Basse-Ville: remue-méninges communautaires
Holiday snacks / Goûters et gourmandises

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Survey Regarding Ottawa Police Service Online Reporting System

12/4/2019

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The Ottawa Police Service is seeking feedback from the community about its Online Reporting System. The survey should only take a few minutes to complete, please have your say and participate.

Take the survey (in English) | Prenez le Sondage sur le système de déclaration en ligne du Service de police d'Ottawa (en Français)

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Letter to Mayor and City Council: Chateau Laurier

7/9/2019

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Letter sent by Lowertown Community Association to Mayor and City Council before July 10 Council Meeting in support of the motion that Council should rescind the permit as Chateau Laurier have not fulfilled the conditions of the heritage permit.
July 7, 2019

Mayor and City Council
City of Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1

Reference: Chateau Laurier at 1 Rideau Street

Dear Mayor and Councillors,

The Chateau Laurier is a key landmark in our local community and we are sensitive to any incompatible alterations. We try to maintain the integrity, uniqueness and authenticity of our neighbourhoods as good stewards, and we wish the private owner of the Chateau Laurier to meet the same standard. The LCA does not believe the owners of the Chateau Laurier are meeting their responsibilities of owning and altering a significant historic place – a National Historic Site of Canada.

The proposed design has not been supported by the LCA since it was first version was unveiled over three years ago. Since then, the property owner has not respected the high community value we place on this building. The LCA hoped the Council’s motion from last year at the Built Heritage Sub-Committee would encourage the developer, their architects and planners to refine the design to meet the requirements stipulated in the motion.

The LCA supports the proposed motion that the developer of the Chateau Laurier have not fulfilled the conditions of the heritage permit and that Council should rescind the permit.

The LCA recommends:
·       That Council encourage the owner to further develop the design of the addition to satisfy the conditions of meeting Standard 11 in the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada (2010).
·       That the Planning Committee would act on the Built Heritage Sub-Committee’s resolution to: “direct staff to work with both the applicant and the National Capital Commission on a further revised plan to the proposed addition that is sufficiently visually compatible with, and sympathetic to, the existing Chateau Laurier building (that is discreet in form with character defining elements to its historical place).”
·       That Council and City staff encourage the owners to explore other means of creating a publicly acceptable relationship between the addition and adjoining federal lands (Majors Hill Park, the Rideau Canal, Connaught Building).
·       That Council form a special stranding committee of experts, community members, the owners and federal representatives to address this file, in particular developing clearer guidelines for the benefit of the owner.

The LCA would encourage an ongoing collaborative effort with the owner and to take any means possible to discourage and dissuade threats of legal actions by the owner. It is clear that in this case there is ample ethical justification to side with the public’s valuation of this building within a local, provincial, national and international context. The Mayor’s recent statement on the private rights of the owner to select their own design and designer is correct; however, it avoids the ethical and social responsibility of governing for citizens and not an individual property owner.

The City’s decisions affecting land use planning matters should be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (section 3 of the Planning Act) by “encouraging a sense of place, by promoting well-designed built form and cultural planning, and by conserving features that help define character, including built heritage resources and cultural heritage landscapes;” (Provincial Policy Statement, 2014, Section 1.7.1). Well-design built form is of public value in this case because the building is a prominent national landmark.

The LCA does not agree with the conclusions of the conservation architect’s Cultural Heritage Impact Statement (CHIS). The conclusions from the heritage consultant (ERA Architects) are not impartial because this firm is the sub-consultant to the design architect, and in turn employed by the developer.

Lowertown is an urban community that values the integrity of its heritage buildings and spaces. We have two heritage conservation districts and many heritage buildings, both publicly and privately owned. We understand that the Chateau Laurier is a private property within a larger landscape on federal and municipal lands, and there are jurisdictional implications due to its prominence within the federal precinct.

The LCA respects the hotel’s wish to build an addition. In the news, the debate has centred on the architectural expression of the addition. There are aspects and features of the design that are positive and beneficial to enhancing the site, but the design has not met other criteria for a compatible addition.

Heritage is about retaining the integrity and authenticity of values: social, architectural, historic, economic, associative etc. These intertwining values of place can produce exceptional and deeply appreciated expressions and emotions for many generations. This sense of place was understood by the designers when the hotel was built (the sublime and picturesque landscape beside the Rideau Canal, connected to Parliament and as the gateway to the West). The architect of the second addition also understood the meaning of this place. The current architects have not embraced all values of the place, and the consequence is a poor addition and a negative public outcry – which has an impact on our community and our communal values.

The LCA supports the motion being put forward to Council.

Yours sincerely,
Norman Moyer
President
Lowertown Community Association
Association communautaire de la Basse-Ville

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Join us on June 10 for our Annual General Meeting!

6/6/2019

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Petition: Four-way stop at Murray and Beausoleil Dr

5/15/2019

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At the LCA meeting Monday May 13, two residents shared a petition they have drafted calling for a four-way stop at Murray Street and Beausoleil Drive. They noted that the intersection is heavily traveled by pedestrians, and that vehicles travel through at high speeds. Residents also noted it is near two schools. The City did a traffic study which can be found here:

https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-engagement/projects/lowertown-east-area-traffic-management-study

Download the petition here:

petition_for_4-way_stop_at_murray_and_beausoleil.pdf
File Size:	92 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Echo 10-2 Quiz: Jeu-questionnaire

4/6/2019

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Volume 10, number 2 of The Echo has been posted on the website and will be delivered to your door soon.
Click here to read
Meanwhile, you are invited to try our quiz based on stories in this issue to win some prizes.

Jeu-questionnaire de la Basse-ville #10-2
Lowertown Quiz #10-2

Which LCA committee recently won an award from the City?/ Quel comité de la ACB a récemment remporté un prix de la ville?
What bistro opened in the Byward Market in August, 2018?/ Quel bistro a ouvert au marché By en août 2018?
When is the Spring clean-up in Bingham Park?/ Quand aura lieu le nettoyage de printemps à parc Bingham?
Where and when is the LCA annual general meeting taking place?/ Où et quand se tient l’assemblée générale annuelle de l’ACB?
Which team lost the annual Winterfest hockey challenge?/ Quelle équipe a perdu le défi de hockey annuel Winterfest?
Who in Lowertown had the nickname “Killer”? / Qui dans la Basse-Ville avait le surnom de “Killer”?
How many seniors’ residences are there in Lowertown?/ Combien de résidences pour personnes âgées y a-t-il dans la Basse-Ville?
Name the first owners of two houses that have been restored in Lowertown./ Nommez les premiers propriétaires de deux maisons restaurées dans la Basse-Ville.
What percentage of the OCH housing stock is located in Lowertown?/ Quel pourcentage du parc de logements de LCO est situé dans la Basse-Ville?
How many children did William and Rose-Alma have? / Combien d’enfants William et Rose-Alma ont-ils?

A winner will be drawn on June 1st from the names of all those who have submitted correct entries. The prize will be a $25 gift certificates from Shoppers Drug Mart on Dalhousie St and a piece of art from the ByWard Market BIA.
Le nom d’un gagnant sera tiré au sort le 1er juin parmi les personnes ayant répondu correctement. Le prix consistera en un chèque-cadeau de 25 $ de Shoppers Drug Mart sur la rue Dalhousie et en une œuvre d’art du BIA du marché By.
Submit your answers to /Envoyez vos réponses à/ mailto:ads.in.echo@gmail.com
Get a copy of the quiz to download here

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Heritage Home Restoration Funding Available

3/10/2019

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Have you a restoration project in mind for your home?
Avez-vous un projet de restauration en tête pour votre maison?

March 29th is the City of Ottawa’s deadline for applying for an external restoration project. Learn more at: ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/planning-and-development/heritage-conservation/heritage-grant-program-building-restoration

If you own a property that is in a Heritage Conservation District (and is a Category 1, 2 or 3 building), or have an individual privately owned property that holds a heritage designation under the Ontario Heritage Act, then you can receive up to $5,000 in matching funds for restoration work on the exterior of your building.
You can find out if your building is designated by visiting the geoOttawa website at maps.ottawa.ca/geoottawa/ (Adobe Flash required, select Heritage Layers)

According to Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada "Restoration involves accurately revealing, recovering or representing the state of an historic place or individual component as it appeared at a particular period in its history, while protecting its heritage value. Restoration may include removing non character-defining features from other periods in its history and recreating missing features from the restoration period. Restoration must be based on clear evidence and detailed knowledge of the earlier forms and materials being recovered."

For more information you can contact Ashley Kotarba from the City of Ottawa.
Phone: 613-580-2424 ext. 23582
Email: ashley.kotarba@ottawa.ca

This is your chance to improve your neighbourhood and community through support from the City. Here is the process mapped out by the Lowertown Community Association's Heritage & Culture Committee:

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January Panel Audio

2/3/2019

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Missed the January LCA monthly meeting? Follow this link to take a listen to the panel discussion on housing and homelessness!

vimeo.com/313720903

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New edition of the Echo available

2/2/2019

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Check out the most recent edition of the Echo here

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Letter re Representation on City Committees

1/29/2019

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Please see the attached letter from the Lowertown Community Association sent to the Mayor in January 2019 regarding Standing Committee membership and representation.

lca_letter_to_mayor_watson_re_committees_1-26-19docx.pdf
File Size:	74 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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<<Previous

Monthly meeting | Réunion mensuelle

Survey Regarding Ottawa Police Service Online Reporting System

Letter to Mayor and City Council: Chateau Laurier

Join us on June 10 for our Annual General Meeting!

Petition: Four-way stop at Murray and Beausoleil Dr

Echo 10-2 Quiz: Jeu-questionnaire

Heritage Home Restoration Funding Available

January Panel Audio

New edition of the Echo available

Letter re Representation on City Committees

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