Category: Planning

LCA & the Shepherds of Good Hope Expansion

2/23/2021

Dear Neighbours,
Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us and to share your comments on Shepherds of Good Hope’s (SGH) proposed 216 Murray Project (see Project Website for more details https://www.sghottawa.com/216-2/). The Lowertown Community Association strives to provide a voice for the community as a whole and in the past few weeks we have been hearing from engaged citizens both praising and raising concerns about the project.
Your comments and concerns are well timed as the project is still in its early stages of development. The SGH has not yet applied for city approval and ultimately approval to develop this project will be decided by the City of Ottawa, at Planning Committee (Jan.Harder@Ottawa.ca) and at City Council (Jim.Watson@Ottawa.ca). Andrew McCreight is the planner for the project (Andrew.McCreight@Ottawa.ca). When the City receives an application, a large rezoning sign will be put up on the property with information about how to see the full details of the project on the City’s website and where to send your comments.
We would encourage you to send any concerns or positive comments directly to the SGH 216@sghottawa.com; the Planning Committee (emails above) and/or to Councillor Mathieu Fleury, Mathieu.Fleury@ottawa.ca, additionally:

If you have comments or concerns about outcomes for Inuit women, you may wish to contact Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada info@pauktuutit.ca.
If you would like to know more about the grant or the Rapid Housing Initiative in general, you may wish to contact Mona.Fortier@parl.gc.ca.
If you would like more information on homelessness issues in Ottawa, you may wish to visit the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa’s website.

Please consider copying the LCA info@lowertown-basseville.ca and Councillor Mathieu Fleury Mathieu.Fleury@ottawa.ca on your correspondence. LCA will add your contact information to our list of respondents and we will advise you of any updates. The LCA will not be making any more statements or holding additional meetings on the project until the final project application has been filed with the City.
We thank you for your efforts and desire to make Lowertown a better community for all.
Sincerely,

Norman Moyer
President
Lowertown Community Association

Download pdf version here

Town Hall on Shepherds of Good Hope expansion plan for 216 Murray Street

2/10/2021

La version française suivra

Hello Community Members,

On behalf of Shepherds of Good Hope, Councillor Mathieu Fleury and the Lowertown Community Association, please find below details for the Community Town Hall to discuss the Shepherds of Good Hope project at 216 Murray Street. You will find a brief outline of the project in the most recent issue of the Echo here

This Community Town Hall will take place via Zoom, on February 16th from 6:30-8PM. Please register in advance for this meeting at: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwkduirrjsiGtw35tyiLp79DXu1Ermrmx5v. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. The information collected (email) will be used to provide future updates on the project. If you require any assistance with this process, please contact Mathieu.Fleury@ottawa.ca.

The meeting will begin with a brief presentation from Shepherds of Good Hope about their project and will be followed by a Question and Answer period moderated by Councillor Fleury. Shepherd’s of Good Hope, CSV Architects and Ottawa Inner City Health will be available to answer questions from the community related to the built form, greenspace, operations, etc. Participants will remain on mute and questions and feedback will be moderated via the chat and previously submitted questions.

In an effort to cover all questions, please submit questions in advance to Mathieu.Fleury@ottawa.ca with the subject line: 216 Murray Street Community Town Hall.

Looking forward to discussing with you.

Shepherds of Good Hope, Mathieu and the Lowertown Community Association

**

Chers membres de la communauté,

Les Bergers de l’espoir, le conseiller Mathieu Fleury et l’Association communautaire de la Basse-Ville désirent vous transmettre quelques détails concernant la réunion publique qui aura lieu au sujet du projet des Bergers de l’espoir au 216, rue Murray. Vous trouverez un bref aperçu du projet dans le dernier numéro de l'Echo ici

La réunion se tiendra sur Zoom, le 16 février de 18 h 30 à 20 h. Merci de vous inscrire au préalable à l’adresse suivante : https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwkduirrjsiGtw35tyiLp79DXu1Ermrmx5v. Vous recevrez ensuite un courriel de confirmation dans lequel vous trouverez les informations pour assister à la rencontre. Les renseignements recueillis (adresse de courriel) nous serviront à communiquer les dernières nouvelles du projet. Si vous avez besoin d’aide, n’hésitez pas à écrire à l’adresse mathieu.fleury@ottawa.ca.

La réunion commencera par une courte présentation des Bergers de l’espoir au sujet de leur projet, après quoi aura lieu une période de questions animée par le conseiller Fleury. Les Bergers de l’espoir, CSV Architects et Ottawa Inner City Health seront présents pour répondre aux questions des membres de la communauté, notamment au sujet de la forme bâtie, des espaces verts et des activités. Le micro des participants sera désactivé; les questions et les commentaires passeront par le clavardage, et l’on répondra également aux questions soumises au préalable.

Pour nous aider à répondre à toutes les questions, nous vous demandons de nous soumettre vos questions à l’avance à l’adresse mathieu.fleury@ottawa.ca en écrivant dans la ligne d’objet « Réunion publique – 216, rue Murray ».

Au plaisir de discuter avec vous.

Les Bergers de l’espoir, Mathieu et l’Association communautaire de la Basse-Ville

Letter to Mayor and City Council: Chateau Laurier

7/9/2019

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

Petition: Four-way stop at Murray and Beausoleil Dr

5/15/2019

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

LCA & the Shepherds of Good Hope Expansion

Download pdf version here

Town Hall on Shepherds of Good Hope expansion plan for 216 Murray Street

Letter to Mayor and City Council: Chateau Laurier

Petition: Four-way stop at Murray and Beausoleil Dr

Categories

Blog archives