This is to advise you that the Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department has received an application for Site Plan Control (D07-12-16-0193) for 1 Rideau Street, the Château Laurier hotel. The Site Plan Control application will be circulated shortly. An on-site sign will be posted shortly, and all community groups registered in this area will receive the full circulation package in the mail in the coming weeks. Details about the proposal will also be available on www.ottawa.ca/devapps next week.
A website has also been created to provide information on the review process and to answer frequently asked questions about the proposal. It will go live next week and can be accessed at www.ottawa.ca/chateaulaurier. Interested individuals can participate in the public consultation process for this proposal in several ways. They may:
• Complete a feedback form online
• Send an email to [email protected]
• Contact the file lead, Allison Hamlin, at 613-580-2424, extension 25477
• Attend a community information and comment session
• Submit written comments to or speak at the relevant Built Heritage Sub-Committee, Committee of Adjustment or Planning Committee meetings
The proposal is to remove the existing parking garage at the Château Laurier hotel and construct an addition containing 218 long-stay hotel units, an interior courtyard and five levels of underground parking with 385 parking spaces.
Larco Investments Ltd. (Larco) owns the Fairmont Château Laurier property at 1 Rideau Street. Larco is proposing these changes to address the growing need for long-term stay accommodations in Ottawa and to replace the old parking garage. The hotel’s existing 426 hotel units would not be affected.
Proposal Details
The 12,037 m2 site is located at the northwest corner of Rideau Street and Mackenzie Avenue, along the Confederation Boulevard ceremonial route. There are existing driveways accessing parking and drop-off areas from both streets.
The following land uses surround the subject site:
- North: Majors Hill Park, owned and maintained by the National Capital Commission;
- East: 700 Sussex, a mixed-use building, and the Byward Market, which is a Heritage Conservation District and consists of a wide range of uses, including retail, restaurant and residential uses, and;
- South: the Government Conference Centre (former Union Station) and the Rideau Canal beyond; and
- West: the Rideau Canal, and Parliament Hill beyond.
The site is designated Central Area within the City of Ottawa Official Plan and is within the Canal Character Area of the Central Area Secondary Plan. The zoning is Mixed Use Downtown, subject to a maximum floor space index of 4.5 (MD F(4.5)). The site is also subject to the Heritage Overlay (Section 60).
The Château Laurier hotel was built originally between 1908 and 1912 by the Grand Trunk Railway Company in the late Victorian French Château style. A wing along Mackenzie Street was added in 1929. The parking garage structure was added in 1960, and, in 1985, Rideau Street drop-off area was enlarged and a glass front was added to Zoe’s Lounge.
The proposed addition consists of two tall buildings, 11 storeys (33.25 metres) on the east side and 12 storeys (36.2 metres) on the west side, on a podium. The new underground parking would be accessed from Mackenzie Avenue. The Mackenzie Avenue forecourt would be landscaped and two new internal loading spaces would be created with access from the drop-off. A new internal courtyard is proposed, which would abut the existing ground floor ballroom and have a new glass link to the hotel’s upper terrace along the canal side.
The proposed addition uses a contemporary design approach, and the exterior is primarily composed of windows and Indiana limestone with bronze accents. The roof is clad in glass and copper. New and existing flat roofs would be landscaped. No trees within Major’s Hill Park would be removed.
Related Planning Applications
A minor variance application is required to address the requirements of the Heritage Overlay, which state that new construction must be the same gross floor area as the original building. A heritage permit is also required for an addition to a building designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. A Cultural Heritage Impact Statement has been submitted with the application, and is available on www.ottawa.ca/devapps.
If you have any questions or comments about this application, please do not hesitate to email or call me.
Sincerely,
Allison Hamlin, MCIP, RPP
Planner | Urbaniste
Development Review, Urban Services | Examen des projets d'aménagement, Services urbains
Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Department | Services de la planification, de l'infrastructure et du développement économique
City of Ottawa | Ville d'Ottawa
110 Laurier Avenue West. Ottawa, ON | 110, avenue. Laurier Ouest. Ottawa (Ontario) K1P 1J1
613.580.2424 ext./poste 25477
ottawa.ca/planning / ottawa.ca/urbanisme