SITE PLAN CONTROL APPLICATION DESIGN BRIEF

Prepared For:

Starwood Group Inc.

2525 St. Laurent Blvd.,

Suite 204

Ottawa, Ontario

K1H 8P5 Canada

Prepared By:

Roderick Lahey Architect Inc.

56 Beech Street

Ottawa,Ontario

K1S 3J6

December 2014

SITE PLAN CONTROL APPLICATION

DESIGN BRIEF

190-192 FORWARD AVENUE

Starwood Group Inc. 190-192 Forward Avenue January 2015

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Prepared For:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION................................................................................2

1.1 Site Location…………………………………………...……………......3

1.2 Overview of Proposed Site Plan………………….…..……….…….4-6

2. CONTEXT............................................................................................7

2.1 Site Context…………………………………………….……….…..…...7

2.2 Surrounding Community Services and Facilities…….…………….7-8

3. POLICY AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK….…………....….……9

3.1 City of Ottawa Zoning Bylaw…………………………..…..…....….9-10

3.2 Provincial Policy Statement and City of Ottawa Official Plan…..11-13

4. SUMMARY OF TECHNICAL DUTIES…………….…….……..…..…13

4.1 Site Services Study……….……………………..…………….…...13-14

4.2 Noise Impact Assessment…………………………………………14-15

4.3 Geotechnical Report………………………………...….….….……….15

4.4 Phase I ESA…………………….…………………….….……………..16

5. CONCLUSIONS……………………………….……..………….….…..17


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DESIGN BRIEF

190-192 FORWARD AVENUE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

This document assesses and confirms the appropriateness of the Site Plan

Control application proposed in the context of the existing policy and regulatory

framework, the surrounding community, and the findings of the required technical

studies that accompany the application.

The Site Plan Control Application will allow for the construction of one 3½ storey

stacked townhome building with 8 residential units and 5 surface parking spaces.

190-192 Forward Avenue


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1.1 SITE LOCATION & DESCRIPTION

The lands known municipally as 190-192 Forward Avenue have 50.16 feet of frontage on Forward Avenue. The subject site is described as Lot 15 West Forward Avenue Registered Plan 35 City of Ottawa. The property sits amidst a variety of land uses and is located in Ward 15.The site topography is flat, there is no landscaping and currently the site exists as a gravel lot and not in use.

Site Location Map


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1.2 OVERVIEW OF PROPOSED SITE PLAN

The proposed concept plan for the site can be described as a 3½ storey wood

frame residential building that will encompass 8 stacked townhomes with 5

surface parking spaces accessible from a rear lane that is accessed from

Lyndale Avenue. The site is zoned as a residential R4S zone and the proposed

building is 11 meters high. A small network of walkways surrounds the block to

provide pedestrian connectivity throughout the site as well as providing access to

the community mailboxes located on Forward Avenue.

Building materials have been selected to compliment the scale and finish of

neighboring buildings and will comprise of brick, Hardie board, prefinished

aluminum panels and simulated wood panels. The newly introduced landscaping

will help define public and private outdoor space and is sensitive to the existing

land patterns along Forward Avenue. The architectural built form will mesh

flawlessly with the adjacent townhomes and is very similar in scale to the

stacked dwelling development directly across the site.


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A Hydro pole is located on the same side as the site at the North East side of the

property but the lines do not run in front of the property. We have had the pole

and lines surveyed and they do not pose any design restrictions.

The balcony structures have been designed the create a strong feature element

that is in line with the upper most floor level of the adjacent townhouses and

together with our third floor windows will mimic the rhythm of the townhouse

fenestration pattern and elevated cathedral windows featured in their facade.


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For convenience we have designed the main entry points to the sides of the

building to allow for easy access to both the parking spaces off the rear lane and

to Forward Avenue.


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2.0 CONTEXT

2.1 SITE CONTEXT

The general area surrounding the site is characterized by a mix of low to high

density residential land uses and mixed-use centers.

2.2 SURROUNDING COMMUNITY SERVICES & FACILITIES

The site is conveniently located in close proximity to community facilities and

many commercial services. The property is located near to Laroche park and is

within walking distance to a multitude of restaurants, convenience stores, and an

8 minute walk to the Parkdale market.

Photo of Laroche Park


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The property is services by mainline OC Transpo Bus Routes number 159 and

16 and is a 6 minute walk from the Tunney’s Pasture Transit Station.

Furthermore the subject site is located a few minutes away from both the Sir

John A. Macdonald Parkway downtown connection and the Ottawa River

pathway which are both easily accessible and provide a direct connection to the

downtown core within minutes.


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3.0 POLICY & REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

3.1 CITY OF OTTAWA ZONING BY-LAW

As per the city of Ottawa comprehensive zoning by-law the site is zoned R4S

Residential.

R4 - Residential Fourth Density Zone (Sec. 161-162)


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Purpose of the Zone

The purpose of the R4 - Residential Fourth Density Zone is to:

(1) allow a wide mix of residential building forms ranging from detached to low

rise apartment dwellings, in some cases limited to four units, and in no case

more than four storeys, in areas designated as General Urban Area in the

Official Plan;

(2) allow a number of other residential uses to provide additional housing

choices within the fourth density residential areas;

(3) permit ancillary uses to the principal residential use to allow residents to

work at home;

(4) regulate development in a manner is compatible with existing land use

patterns so that the mixed building form, residential character of a

neighborhood is maintained or enhanced: and

(5) permit different development standards, identified in the Z subzone,

primarily for areas designated as Developing Communities, which promote

efficient land use and compact form while showcasing newer design

approaches.

Our proposed design respects all of the height and setback requirements set out

in the R4S subzone provisions but a couple of issues were raised during a pre-

consultation meeting with city staff in regards to access and design of the

parking lot located in the rear yard off the lane.

Our original concept design had 6 parking spaces but 2 of the parking spaces

did not comply with the zoning bylaw and would have required a minor variance

to allow for smaller parking spaces. We subsequently reduced our parking count

to 5 spaces and now meet the requirements set out in Section 106.

Also it was mentioned that we may need to introduce a landscape buffer

surrounding the parking lot but after further reviewing Section 110 ‘Landscaping

Provisions for Parking Lots’ it was determined that a landscape buffer would only

have been required if for our parking lot if it were abutting the street. Table 110

indicates that parking lots containing 10 or fewer spaces ‘not’ abutting a street

are not required to have landscape buffer strips.


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3.2 PROVINCIAL POLICY STATEMENT & CITY OF OTTAWA

OFFICIAL PLAN

In order to fulfill the City of Ottawa’s strategic objectives the development proposal is in general conformance with the guidelines and restrictions as set out in the following: • The City of Ottawa’s Official Plan • The Scott Street Design and Secondary Plan (OPA#131) • City of Ottawa Zoning By-Law • City of Ottawa’s Design and Planning Guidelines. • The Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) In addition to the general guidelines and restrictions, the site also falls within the following categories: • The property is in a Design Priority Area (DPA), • It is located within 600m of the Tunney’s Pasture Transit Station • It is within the Scott Street CDP- designated ‘Low Rise Residential’ • It is located within 600m of the Tunney’s Pasture Transit Station • Parking rates are as per Area B shown on Schedule 1 ‘Boundaries of the central, inner urban, suburban and rural areas’. The development proposal follows the provisions in the Provincial Policy Statement which promotes land use patterns based on intensification and redevelopment where it can be accommodated and where it takes into consideration existing buildings and infrastructure. The PPS guides planning in Ontario and establishes the framework for the City of Ottawa’s Official plan. Section 2.5.1 of the Official Plan (Urban Design and Compatibility) supports building liveable communities by outlining design objectives and principles in an effort to build appropriate housing at a price people can afford. The scope of the design objectives is as follows: • To enhance the sense of community by creating and maintaining places with their own distinct identity. • To define quality public and private spaces through development.


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• To create places that are safe, accessible and are easy to get to and move through. • To ensure that new development respects the character of existing areas. • To consider adaptability and diversity • To maximize energy-efficiency and promote sustainable design.

We have endeavored to respect both the policies set out in Section 4.11 of the

Official Plan (Urban Design and Compatibility) respecting the current land use

designation while also valuing the provisions in the Scott Street Community

Design Plan. After having carefully considered all of the regulatory framework

against our proposed development, it is our opinion that our proposed design is

appropriate as follows:

We have met the overall design intent set out in both the provincial and

municipal policies by creating an innovative multi-unit compact built form that will

create new residential units to help meet the demand for new cost effective

dwellings in a central location. The concept provides intensification on an under-

utilized parcel of land and is located in proximity to a number of existing public

and community services, facilities and public transit.

The Official plan presently classifies our site as being part of the mixed-use

center bordering the neighborhood. OPA#131 (Scott Street CDP) is an

amendment to volume 2A of the OP to introduce a secondary plan to implement

the policies of the Scott Street CDP that will change our current land designation

from Mixed-use to General Urban. Furthermore within the Scott Street CDP our

site will be designated ‘low-rise residential’ to properly reflect the site setting.

Therefore while OPA #150 requires residential buildings within our current

designation to be a minimum of 4 storeys we feel that the smaller scale of our

proposed 3½ storey building is in keeping with both Section 2.5.1.(4) of the

Official Plan and meets the intent of the neighborhood design plan. The building

will also transition nicely from the larger scale buildings along Parkdale Avenue

into the existing low rise residential community.

The criteria set out in Section 4.11.provides a means to evaluate the merit of infill developments and relevant subsections include context, compatibility, building design, massing and scale.


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The proposed site design addresses these key elements through initiatives such as the following:

Special attention has been given to design all building faces in a manner that

contributes to the quality of the streetscapes along Forward Avenue as well

as the rear lane.

Similar levels of quality and detail will be used on all sides of building.

We have opted to located surface parking spaces away from the street in rear

yard off the lane in an effort to separate and screen them from pedestrians.

We have also located our service/refuse area away from the public street at

rear of our site and we will have private waste collection.

Following our pre-consultation with city staff the network of internal walkways

will now connect to the city sidewalks to encourage accessibility, provide safe

pedestrian connections throughout the site and will allow for a generous

landscape buffer along Forward Avenue to better meet the design objectives.

A variety of residential unit layouts as well as innovative architectural detailing

will achieve a good fit into an existing neighborhood, respecting its character

and diverse architectural styles.

The stacked townhomes have been design with interesting façade treatments

using a mixture of brick and composite wood panels and combined with the

first level arrangement of large windows, balcony elements, newly introduced

landscaping and winding pathways leading to the side entrances will help

animate the streetscape and echo the existing street patterns.

A more compact family residential option will offer the community a new

energy efficient and cost-effective option to larger single family homes or

small high end condominium flats.

4. SUMMARY OF TECHNICAL DUTIES

4.1 SITE SERVICING AND STORM WATER REPORT

This study examined the ability of the existing municipal infrastructure to

accommodate the additional water demands and sewage flows generated from

the site, resulting from the re-development of the proposed site at 190 and 192

Forward Avenue.

The findings of the study are as follows:

The proposed 8-units have an estimated peak sewage flow of 0.37 L/sec,

based on a total residential population of 22 persons at 2.7 persons per


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unit. This represents a 0.12 L/sec increase over pre-development

conditions when the lots were occupied by two single family homes. Two

135mm diameter sanitary sewer laterals will connect to the 250mm

sanitary sewer on Forward Avenue.

The peak domestic water demand was estimated at 0.40 L/sec, whereas

the fire flow requirements of 175 L/min were estimated based on the Fire

Underwriter Survey.

The minimum pressure on the top floor of the building under peak hour

conditions was estimated at 62 psi, meeting minimum system pressures

of 40 psi. Under fire flow conditions the existing fire hydrants on Forward

Avenue have adequate capacity to supply flow and pressure.

The building will be serviced by a single 50mm water service.

Peak storm water flows will be controlled to the 5-year level of service of

6.6 L/sec, based on an allowable runoff coefficient of 0.50 and a time of

concentration of 10 minutes.

Control of stormwater runoff will be achieved using plug type inlet control

devices installed in the downstream outlet of one manhole and one

catchbasin, limiting flow to the allowable rate..

Onsite storage of storm water is provided for up to the 100–year storm

event within the storm sewers, catchbasins, and manholes and on the

ground surface. The total 100-year storage requirement was calculated

at 9.7 cubic meters, with 12.0 cubic metres being provided.

The storm sewer system onsite will consist of 200 mm storm sewers,

1200 mm diameter manholes, catchbasins and 100mm storm laterals

from the building foundation drains.

Erosion and sediment control will be used during construction, with

protective fencing utilized for public protection.

4.2 Noise Impact Assessment

A noise study was completed as the site is located within 150 meters from an

arterial roadway (Parkdale Avenue) and within 250 metres of a bus rapid

transitway (OC TRANSPO) and the future Confederation Light Rail transit.

The findings of the report are as follows:

Noise levels were estimated at all building façades based on noise

emanating from Parkdale Avenue and either the bus rapid transitway

(until 2018) or the Confederation light rail transit line operating after 2018.

As there are no outdoor amenity space, noise levels were predicted at

the building facade in order to determine warning clause and building

component requirements.


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Using future LRT traffic data, noise levels at only the west façade exceed

Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and City of Ottawa requirements of 55

dBA.

Daytime noise levels on the south and west façades based on the bus

rapid transitway slightly exceed Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and

City of Ottawa requirements of 55 dBA, therefore a Warning Clause shall

be included on the Notice of Title. Warning clauses requirements will

consist of a provision for central air conditioning for units with windows

facing south towards the bus rapid transitway or west towards Parkdale

Avenue.

4.3 GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATION

The geotechnical investigation comprised the excavation of eleven (11) test pits

throughout the site to refusal on the bedrock surface which was contacted at

depths of 0.25 metres to 1.04 metres with the exception at one location where

the bedrock was contacted at 1.55 metres. The overburden material comprised

of topsoil and organic soils, rock slab (cap rock) which is not suitable material for

backfilling or for founding material. Significant geotechnical findings are as

follow:

• Bedrock is shallow throughout the site as indicated above.

• If excavation for construction of footing and services will extend

below bedrock surface, some rock removal will be required.

• Line drilling and blasting will be required for removal of massive

amount of rock. Hoe-ramming may be used but is expected to

be very slow and costly.

• Seismic Class is C – can be increased to B or A if shear-wave

velocity measurement testing (MASW) is performed at the site.

• No water infiltration was noted in any of the test pits.


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4.4 PHASE I ESA

A Phase I ESA is a systematic qualitative process to assess the environmental

condition of a site based on its historical and current uses.

This Phase I ESA was conducted in accordance with the Phase I ESA standard

as defined by Ontario Regulation 153/04, as amended by Ontario Regulation

511/09 (O.Reg. 153/04), and in accordance with generally accepted professional

practices. Subject to this standard of care, exp makes no express or implied

warranties regarding its services and no third party beneficiaries are intended.

The site is located on the west side of Forward Avenue, at 190 192 Forward

Avenue in Ottawa. The legal description of the site is Lot 15, West Forward

Avenue, Registered Plan 35, City of Ottawa. The site PIN is 04096-0052/04096-

0053 and is zoned R4S; residential. The site measures approximately 0.046

hectares (0.11 acres). At the time of the investigation, the site was a vacant

gravel lot. Historically the site was occupied by two residential buildings that

were demolished in 2010.

The surrounding areas are residential and commercial. Based on topography

groundwater is expected to flow in a northerly direction towards the Ottawa River

located 500 m north of the site.Exp conducted a geotechnical investigation at the

site in November 2014. A total of eleven (11) test pits were advanced across the

site. The site was found to underlain with fill materials to depths of typically less

than 1 m, below which is limestone bedrock. The fill materials are described as

a silty sand with rock fragments, bricks pieces, and debris. No significant vapour

concentrations were measured, and no visual or olfactory indications of

contamination were observed in any of the test pits.

The Phase I ESA completed at 190-192 Forward Avenue did not identify any

areas of potential environmental concern and no further work was

recommended.


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5.0 CONCLUSIONS

Based on the information obtained through our studies and as outlined in this

document, it is concluded that the proposed Site Plan is considered appropriate

development.

The development of stacked townhouses on the site will increase the

number and type of housing units available within this neighborhood and

encourage a diverse housing mix.

The subject site is within walking distance to commercial services, parks

and public amenities.

The proposed site plan is consistent with the objectives in the Provincial

Policy Statement, the Official Plan and the Secondary Scott Street

Design Plan which encourages intensification at the edge of established

neighborhoods and in proximity to transit routes and stations.

Landscaping will transform the existing predominantly asphalt

environment and creating a new engaging frontage along Forward

Avenue.

Overall, this development proposal represents good land planning and it is

recommended that Staff support the Site Plan as proposed in this report.

Sincerely,

Louise Langlois Associate at Roderick Lahey Architect Inc. 56 Beech Street Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 3J6 613-724-9932 Ext: 231

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

SITE PLAN CONTROL APPLICATION DESIGN BRIEF