Q West, Les Soeurs de la Visitation Redeveloment [88,98,108 Richmond Rd] | ?m | U/C

[waterloowarrior]

edit: pictures from 10 March 2010 public meeting are available on page 3


(source: Ottawa Citizen)

_______________________

Should be getting some info on this soon... Ashcroft is the developer, Roderick Lahey is the architect, FoTenn is the planner...

Pic from The Bulldog


Community meeting re: Development of Sisters of Visitation site
January 27, 2010

Ashcroft Homes has invited residents to a meeting to discuss the redevelopment of the Sisters of the Visitation site (the convent and surrounding area) at 114 Richmond Rd. as well as the former Billy’s Appliance site at 90 Richmond Rd.

Here’s your opportunity to give your input into the planning and design of this important site. If you are interested in what happens in your neighbourhood you will want to attend this session.

Monday, February 1st, 2010
7.00 p.m. – 9.00 p.m.
@ St. Georges Church
415 Piccadilly Avenue (downstairs meeting room)

Click here (link opens PDF) for more information.

Do note, this meeting is not being hosted by the WCA, although all Westboro residents are invited to attend.

Please forward this information to any interested parties. Thank you!


The Bulldog: Residents Concerned About Rush to Develop Convent Site

[reidjr]

I wounder what they plan on doing with it.

[waterloowarrior]

Developer reveals plans for convent land
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/busines...477/story.html
Envisions ByWard Market-like blend of commercial, residential on heritage site

BY THE OTTAWA CITIZENFEBRUARY 1, 2010 11:03 PM

OTTAWA-Local developer Ashcroft Homes wants to create a “new community” that incorporates the best of the old in redeveloping property on Richmond Road once owned by Les Soeurs de la Visitation D’Ottawa, area residents heard Monday.

While development plans are only at the preliminary stage, Ashcroft will be “sensitive” to the concerns of Westboro residents, architect Rod Lahey said. The developer, he said, is committed to retaining the 100-year-old convent, including its high-ceilinged chapel, and integrating it into a development that will include both residential and commercial usage, as well as a “network” of plazas, courtyards, green space and pathways similar to those in the ByWard Market.

Les Soeurs de la Visitation D’Ottawa listed the property in August 2009. The cloistered nuns have occupied the site since in 1913. The five-acre property near Island Park Drive fronts Richmond Road and backs onto Byron Avenue.

Lahey told the 120 residents at the meeting that Ashcroft will respect any heritage designation the city imposes on the site. The company believes it can “integrate” the original convent, built in 1864, as well as two wings that were added into its plans for a series of four- and possibly nine- to 10-storey buildings that will offer ground-floor retail space and residential, whether condominiums or retirement apartments for seniors on higher levels.

The project will be designed with a three-floor portico along Richmond Road so passersby can see the convent from the street, Lahey said. The convent itself might be used as commercial space, including, possibly, restaurants, spas and a community centre. All parking would be underground, although there’ll likely be parking access from Byron and Richmond.

Lahey assured the audience that the chapel’s floor, walls and vaulted ceiling will be retained, although the frescoes, carved doors, statuary and other religious objects have been or will be returned to France, where the nuns’ order is based. Some residents said it would be nice to have the chapel used as an arts court decorated with pictures of the artifacts.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen




Sounds very promising

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

And cue the Westboro NIMBY's in 3...2...1...

[ajldub]

Is it too late to suggest a national portrait gallery in this building? Wishful thinking, probably. Westboro could use a little federal cultural presence, though. I'm looking forward to the renderings...

[BlueJay]

yep. Can't wait to see Ottawa's famous 10 story box building renderings, err i mean 5 story renderings after the residents win with their shadow effect concerns.

[ajldub]

Hey, somebody got 30 stories approved in this neighborhood...

[Dado]

Originally Posted by BlueJay

yep. Can't wait to see Ottawa's famous 10 story box building renderings, err i mean 5 story renderings after the residents win with their shadow effect concerns.

In this case, and if I understand the proposal at this stage (it sounds like the taller buildings would be fairly close to Richmond, sitting atop the 3-storey portico? - the expense of the portico would not seem to be worth it if all they're going to do is slap one storey on top of it), those who would be most affected by the height of this will be the future lower floor residents of the condo going in across the road at the former Canadian Tire gasbar, also being built by Ashcroft.

No wonder Ashcroft is in such a rush to get the plans for the convent site out the door and approved... they don't want to face the NIMBYs they're about to house in their own building across the street! And the view of the gardens of the convent of everyone on the south side of that condo will be destroyed shortly after they all move in. My guess is that Ludington and co. have figured something is up due to the speed but they haven't actually figured out what Ashcroft is up to because they haven't thought about yet-to-be NIMBYs living in the under-construction condo who at present don't have anyone representing them.

And in case you think I'm being facetious, I'm not. I was at one of the Westboro Station meetings and there were a few particularly vocal people from the newly-built Exchange there opposing Westboro Station. Ashcroft would have good reason to worry about the fuss that their newly-installed condo owners would kick up about one of their own developments across the street.


Anyway, it sure will be nice to see the end of that sound wall on Richmond. I seem to recall from long ago that it used to be actual masonry, complete with vines growing over it, but it sure isn't now.

[RTWAP]

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

And cue the Westboro NIMBY's in 3...2...1...

Step 1: Before there are details, complain about the process.

http://communities.canada.com/ottawa...vent-site.aspx

Westboro Community Association activist Gary Ludington is concerned about the rush to redevelop Les Soeurs de la Visitation convent on Richmond Road. He sent this note to me recently:

Ken

The concerns that are coming forth from the community are the need to have a greater community involvement and the tight frames that are being presented to the community to get the development underway. Yes Ashcroft Homes has had 2 meetings but they were with the immediate neighbours. While they are the ones who will be initially impacted, this is a significant property and the impact will be felt by the entire community. The initial community wide meeting is Feb 1 followed by a March 4th meeting, when the plans for the development will be unveiled. Ashcroft Homes then plans to apply for the necessary zoning within two weeks of the March 4th meeting. The community would be naive to think that with the effort and cost involved to be prepared to submit an application to the City for the zoning of this property that the developer will make changes other than perhaps colours. Significant properties such as this one are few and far between and care should be taken to have a buy in from all parties even if that means a more involved process with the community which may mean Ashcroft doesn't file their applications for zoning changes until later in the year.

Thks

Gary Ludington

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by RTWAP

Step 1: Before there are details, complain about the process.

http://communities.canada.com/ottawa...vent-site.aspx

The head of the Westboro Community Association complains about a lot of things.....

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

The head of the Westboro Community Association complains about a lot of things.....

The head of the [Insert Neighbourhood Name] Community Association complains about a lot of things.....

The "Community" in those groups' names could be swapped out with "Complainers'", and the acronym, and general effect, is unchanged.

[harls]

Same architect as Canlands A, no?

[harls]

^ this ring a bell?



mendel on flickr

[ajldub]

Metropole is 800 m from the Sisters, so it is certainly in the neighborhood. And nobody here can predict the future, but I would say Ashcroft has a pretty good chance at pulling off 10 stories if they approach all interested parties properly. There is certainly enough land in that backyard to set it back from the street.

It's tough to dislike this project when what Ashcroft is doing is getting rid of a one-storey building filled with used fridges, and rehabilitating a heritage building that until recently was walled off from the public by religious fundamentalists.

It will be interesting to see how their proposal meets the Byron side of the property.

[Ottawan]

I agree with Dado about the 101 Richmond buyers becoming NIMBYs about this. When out of curiosity I visited their sales centre last year, before the convent was put up on the market, they had shots of what the view looking south would be from some of the higher stories. Even more relevant is the fact that the salesperson made a point of menioning to me that as it was a "developed neighbourhood" both to the north and the south, it was unlikely that the views would ever change.

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by Ottawan

I agree with Dado about the 101 Richmond buyers becoming NIMBYs about this. When out of curiosity I visited their sales centre last year, before the convent was put up on the market, they had shots of what the view looking south would be from some of the higher stories. Even more relevant is the fact that the salesperson made a point of menioning to me that as it was a "developed neighbourhood" both to the north and the south, it was unlikely that the views would ever change.

http://www.101richmond.ca/news/pdf/A..._Homes_Feb.pdf

"The one-, two-, two-bedroom-plus units and penthouse suites are designed with premium cabinetry and elegantly detailed designer fixtures, granite countertops, modern stainless steel appliances, gleaming hardwood flooring, nine- to 11-ft. ceilings and glassed-in balconies that will offer unobstructed views [of people's living rooms in our 10 storey condo across the street]"

[waterloowarrior]

slides from the public meeting, mainly about design guidelines March 4th they will show their proposed design and submit planning applications in mid-March

[RTWAP]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

slides from the public meeting, mainly about design guidelines March 4th they will show their proposed design and submit planning applications in mid-March

It's too bad they couldn't swap some grass field with the school next door. Exchange the school's frontage on Richmond to a depth of 150 feet for the equivalent amount of greenspace closer to the Byron park. It would seem to make more sense to have a larger street presence on the Traditional Mainstreet.

And the nuns have done a bit better job maintaining their grass than the school board.

[Mille Sabords]

Originally Posted by RTWAP

It's too bad they couldn't swap some grass field with the school next door. Exchange the school's frontage on Richmond to a depth of 150 feet for the equivalent amount of greenspace closer to the Byron park. It would seem to make more sense to have a larger street presence on the Traditional Mainstreet.

And the nuns have done a bit better job maintaining their grass than the school board.

That's an excellent point, I completely agree with you. It would've been the right way to go about this. The school gets a yard that is more internal to the block and the Mainstreet frontage gets strengthened over a longer stretch. Right now there's an old, ugly chain link fence right on the Mainstreet and the way this plan is going, it'll stay.

[Dado]

Everyone hated the playgrounds at Hilson because they were all asphalt; trading in the Richmond-fronting asphalt grounds for the grassed rear convent grounds would be quite an improvement while still leaving the rear asphalt grounds in place for activities that don't work so well on grass.

Of course the neighbours would probably complain about all the noise from the playing children...