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New Official Plan: Hold the Line on Sprawl

5/6/2020

On May 11, the Planning Committee and Rural Affairs Committee will hold a special meeting on revising the Official Plan. City staff have proposed to expand the urban boundary of the City of Ottawa. Full City Council will meet May 27 on this issue. LCA has joined community associations across the City to urge Council to halt urban expansion. LCA sent a letter to Mayor Watson, Councillor Fleury and Councillors on both committees:

"During this term of Council you have declared both a Climate Emergency and a Housing and Homelessness Emergency. We applaud these steps because they acknowledge what residents of Ottawa truly care about: the affordability, livability and sustainability of our community, today and tomorrow.
In keeping with these declarations, we in Lowertown urge you to vote for an Official Plan “land budget” that does not allow expansion of the urban boundary but, instead, focuses on the existing urban footprint in a sensitive, environmentally sustainable way with respect for heritage character and compatibility with existing neighbourhoods."
Read the full letter below.
You can contact Councillor Fleury, send a letter here.
Join an online rally Friday May 8 at 12 noon

urban_boundary_final.pdf
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Read LCA's presentation to the Joint Committee Meeting May 11.

lca_hold_the_line_may_11.pdf
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Covid 19 Updates

3/22/2020

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Covid 19 is threatening the livelihood of our small businesses in Lowertown. Many of our restaurants are attempting to stay in business by introducing or expanding take-out options for residents of our community. See the list here .
These businesses are the lifeblood of our community, they provided support to our community in numerous ways – supporting community events, donations to our social agencies, and advertising revenue to support the Lowertown Echo de la Basseville. Echo.
The LCA-ACB and the Echo will be posting regular updates on places staying open to serve you. We will also post notices of services that members in our community are prepared to provide. Check back daily for updates.
If you wish to notify the community of available services, notify residents of who or where to contact to obtain or provide services, send this information to info@lowertown-basseville.ca

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La coupe Bingham Cup 2020

2/6/2020

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Monthly meeting | Réunion mensuelle

2/6/2020

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Monday February 10th / lundi, le 10 Février 7pm / 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 January 13 Meeting / Compte rendu
de la réunion du 13 Janvier
Update by Councillor Fleury / Mise à jour par le Conseiller Fleury Update on Committee Activities / Mise à jour des comités
Presentation by the Ottawa Police Service / Présentation par les Services de Police d'Ottawa

Help shape the new approach to community policing in Lowertown.
Aidez-nous à créer la nouvelle approche aux services policières dans La Bassee-Ville.

Information : info@lowertown-basseville.ca

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Echo 11-1 February - March

2/6/2020

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Echo 11-1 is now available and should be delivered to residents soon. . Click on the Echo tab for more information and don't forget to fill in our survey which you can do below or via a link on the Echo pages.

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Echo Survey

2/6/2020

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Create your own user feedback survey

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Monthly meeting | Réunion mensuelle

1/10/2020

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Monday January 13th / lundi, le 13 Janvier7pm / 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 December 9 Meeting / Compte rendu de la réunion du 9 Decembre
1. https://gallery.mailchimp.com/9223e76ca546c982764eeb4ff/files/5ed3e5b7-66fc-4687-b78b-8460425d5801/LCA_Dec9.docx
2. Print copies will not be available onsite / Des copies imprimées ne seront pas disponibles
Update by Councillor Fleury / Mise à jour par le Conseiller Fleury
Update by Constable Lemay / Mise à jour par Constable Lemay
Heritage panel discussion / Table ronde sur le patrimoine
Update on Committee Activities / Mise à jour des comités

Come to an informal panel discussion on the benefits of heritage in Lowertown. The LCA monthly meeting will focus on heritage and local culture at its January 13th meeting. The 2020s and beyond are about sustainably performing communities, and Lowertown can take a leadership role in preserving our special community for future generations. Come and join the conversation!

Venez à une discussion informelle sur les avantages du patrimoine dans la Basse-Ville. La réunion mensuelle de l'ACBV portera sur le patrimoine et la culture locale lors de sa réunion du 13 janvier. Les années 2020 et au-delà portent sur des collectivités performantes et, et la Basse-Ville peut jouer un rôle de chef de file dans la préservation de notre communauté spéciale pour les générations futures. Venez vous joindre à la conversation!

Information : info@lowertown-basseville.ca

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Monthly meeting | Réunion mensuelle

12/9/2019

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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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Echo 11-1 is now available and should be delivered to residents soon. . Click on the Echo tab for more information and don't forget to fill in our survey which you can do below or via a link on the Echo pages.

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