NRCan Booth Street Complex Redevelopment | Approved

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by Arcologist

Here's the story in the Citizen (sorry, I don't know how to post it all flashy like Rocketphish):

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...th-complex-keeps-smoke-stack-adds-towers

Proposed scheme for Booth complex keeps smoke stack, mixes heritage and contemporary

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: February 16, 2018 | Last Updated: February 16, 2018 11:59 AM EST



The “iconic” brick smoke stack that rises above an old federal complex on Booth Street would remain as part of a proposed redevelopment scheme that retains most of the historic buildings in a new mixed-use community.

Canada Lands Company (CLC), the federal Crown real estate agency, has released the preferred concept of the 6.5-acre block of land that formed part of the National Resources Canada complex, just south of the Queensway.

The vision includes two new 24-floor buildings at the tallest points, a park at Norman and Rochester streets and an emphasis on giving the heritage features prominence in the redevelopment.

Planners on the project are already hearing comparisons to the Distillery District in Toronto or Gastown in Vancouver.

“I think the inspiration we’re going for here is an opportunity to tell a heritage story of the site but also telling a future story, which is 21st century urban living,” according to Craig Sklenar, a senior urban designer with Stantec Urban Places, the firm hired to help develop the concept.

“That lifestyle is connected, it’s activated on the ground plane, it provides those who live and work in the area with all the amenities that they would need at their doorstep. This design allows for those types of services to be within a contained block or nearby.”

Sklenar said there’s a “juxtaposition” of the new parts of the development with the heritage buildings.

“We want to ensure that we’re pushing new building design in such a way that it lets the heritage buildings be in the foreground instead of the background,” he said. “Little things, like pushing the towers as far north on the site so the larger heritage areas are preserved or they’re framed by public spaces, or there are small greens created around the heritage-only buildings so they have this more campus-like feel to it.”



Sklenar understands the comparisons with other dynamic communities that blend heritage buildings with new development.

“I think this has a totally different character in the sense that, it’s going to have the same urban qualities of brick buildings with brand new buildings next to it and that vibrancy that we’re looking for, but this is really integrated into a residential neighbourhood. It’s not really connected to downtown. It’s part of this larger node that’s being created in the Preston-Carling area,” Sklenar said.

There is one million square feet of new development proposed in the scheme. There are no estimates on how many people will live in condos or apartments, since it will be up to the future developer to determine the distribution of uses across the mixed-use site.

Public feedback on preliminary concepts informed the preferred design, which will need city hall planning approvals. Residents can still provide comments during the municipal approval process.

Sklenar said residents have been interested in the connectivity of the site between the communities and heritage preservation.

“A lot of people see that smoke stack as something that’s iconic to the neighbourhood and they really wanted to ensure it’s preserved or accentuated in a way to provide that sense of place that’s not anywhere else in the city,” he said.

On the other hand, whoever develops the site will have to maintain the decommissioned smoke stack, which will likely be protected by a heritage order.

Mary Jarvis, the director of real estate for CLC, said the organization wants to submit planning applications to the city by the end of March. The agency’s goal is to have the municipal approvals locked in by March 2019 before remediation work begins on the property.

The proposed development concept will also be reviewed by the city’s urban design review panel.

Jarvis said CLC believes the site concept is in line with the planning policy objectives of the city.

CLC plans to market and sell the land starting in March 2020 through to 2021.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...th-complex-keeps-smoke-stack-adds-towers

[Vixx]

I really am liking the vision of this project. Hopefully the timeline isn't pushed back and everything's stay's the course.

This could be one of the more underrated projects in the city, assuming it turns out as expected.

[J.OT13]

I'm a big fan of this project. Glad to see nearly all the buildings will be preserved. The only issue, once again, is that the Trillium line will not have the capacity to handle this much volume, even after wasting $600 million (on top of the $90 million wasted a few years ago).

With Lebreton Flats and the Trinity project at Bayview, social housing at Gladstone, the new Civic, thousands of new housing units (condos, student residences, apartments) proposed and under construction at Carling, Carleton University... It dosen't add up.

I'm hoping for a mayoral candidate that runs on, and this will be controversial considering what happened in 2006, canceling the Trillium line aspect of Stage 2. First thing's first, we need to double track, if not also electrify, the current Trillium (and add Gladstone and Walkley stations).

[kevinbottawa]

The second rendering in that article reminds me a bit of Yorkville in Toronto.

[jt-mtl]

Let's hope the NIMBYs dont kill this project, amazing opportunity

[AuxTown]

Luckily, it's not really in anyone's backyard

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

Luckily, it's not really in anyone's backyard

It's next to the Glebe and Dow's Lake, so it's basically the Glebe's 9-11.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

It's next to the Glebe and Dow's Lake, so it's basically the Glebe's 9-11.

I have yet to hear anyone in the Glebe express the slightest concern over this project.

[rocketphish]

Ottawa’s Distillery District? CLC unveils Booth Street redevelopment vision

By: Kieran Delamont, OBJ contributor
Published: Feb 16, 2018 1:56pm EST



Architects and planners presented updated designs for a formerly industrial parcel of land along Booth Street at a public consultation on Thursday night, showing off a plan that aims to bring a heritage conservation aesthetic that has succeeded in Toronto’s Distillery District and Vancouver’s Gastown neighbourhoods.

The plan, which will see four mixed-use towers of between 18 and 24 storeys jutting out of the facades of the former Natural Resources Canada complex, with parks and public spaces existing throughout the nearly 6.5-acre block located south of Highway 417, between Booth and Rochester streets.

It is an ambitious project, and one that would see the space transformed from a dated complex of industrial-style government labs into one that prioritizes walkability, public space and modern urban design principles.

A representative for the Canada Lands Co. – a Crown corporation that disposes of surplus federal property – said the proposal outlined “an engaging place to live, work and play.

“To do that, we are looking at lively streets, public spaces, mixed uses. We want the space to really be celebrated as a winter place and a place for all four seasons.”

The facades of many existing buildings will be preserved, although Mary Jarvis, CLC’s real estate director, said “extensive remediation” to remove asbestos and other remnants of industrial use is required.

Both CLC and engineering firm Stantec have consulted the public on the plans and say they plan to incorporate many of the requests for components such as a grocery store, more public space and towers that are set back from the street.

Judging by the reception at the public meeting on Thursday, that’s helped mitigate the common concerns frequently raised at development consultations – namely, that the towers will be too high.

Jarvis said they’ve “moderated” the height and was quick to point out that the towers will not be the tallest in the area, since Sakto Corp. is planning a new 25-storey building at Preston Square. The redeveloped Booth Street complex would, however, feature four of the surrounding area’s five tallest towers.

Stantec urban designer Craig Sklenar said he hopes the project’s industrial-chic aesthetic would help bring more “creative class offices” to the area and that the shops would be filled with “experiential retail” – restaurants, coffee shops and smaller boutiques.

Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney, whose ward includes Booth Street, suggested the redevelopment plan would stand in contrast to elements of Lansdowne Park, which features several big-box retailers.

Heritage conservation and repurposing of industrial properties have proven successful in Toronto and Vancouver, where high-end retail outlets and restaurants have moved in.

Programming, says McKenney, will be key to making the project a success. Toronto’s Distillery District, for example, benefited from a Christmas Market, with its Dickensian charms and $9 mulled wine.

While those involved with the project don’t want to make that comparison openly, pictures of both districts (as well as other heritage districts throughout the United States) were included in the posters on display.

The exact site plan for the project – including how much will be office space and whether there will be residential units on the site – has not yet been decided, and will take place after city council considers the application for rezoning of the area.

http://www.obj.ca/article/ottawas-distillery-district-clc-unveils-booth-street-redevelopment-vision

[J.OT13]

Nothing major but...

PROPOSAL FOR BOOTH STREET COMPLEX SEEKS REMOVAL OF HEIGHT LIMITS, INTERIOR SETBACKS

Ottawa Citizen
Matthew Pearson
July 20, 2018



In order to capitalize on its plan to redevelop an old federal complex on Booth Street, Canada Lands Company is asking the city to remove height limits and rezone the Little Italy site so future developers won’t have to worry about how close the buildings can be to each other.

The request is outlined in official plan and zoning amendments submitted to the city for consideration by the built-heritage and planning committees this fall.

Acquired by CLC from Natural Resources Canada in 2015, the 2.6-hectare site is located immediately south of Highway 417. Orangeville, Booth, Norman and Rochester streets border it.

The federal government used labs at the Booth complex to research, test and develop fuels, minerals and metals to support industrial growth and innovation in geology, metallurgy and ceramics. The buildings are currently unoccupied and there are approximately 250 surface parking spaces on the site.

The proposed redevelopment would conserve five heritage buildings designed by noted Ottawa architect W. E. Noffke, as well as an iconic brick smoke stack, and add 10 new structures, some as tall as 24 storeys. In addition to housing, there would be retail and office space and a new park at Norman and Rochester streets.

According to a planning rationale report produced by Stantec Consulting and ERA Architecture, CLC wants the entire Booth complex considered as one lot for zoning purposes so there would be no side or rear-yard setbacks within the block.

CLC also wants the site exempted from maximum building heights for areas close to low-rise residential zones. The current rules would allow for an 18-storey building on the east side of Rochester between Beech and Norman streets, but CLC’s plan proposes a 24-storey building in that location.

Development is not permitted above the current grade at the intersection of Rochester and Orangeville streets, so the plan also requires approval from the provincial Ministry of Transportation, which is responsible for the adjacent Highway 417.

Several key principles have guided the plan, according to the planning-rationale report, namely that the overall transformation of the Booth district should result in a “vibrant and appealing hub for the community with a distinct sense of place that is unique to the Ottawa region.”

It should aim to maintain its campus feel and feature mid-block pedestrian and cycling connections, with minimal vehicular access. All public streets, open spaces and mid-block connections should be animated, vibrant and inviting places, the report says.

If its vision is achieved, CLC says the Booth district could be a “world-class example of how to develop heritage sites to have a second life as a new place for people to live, work and recreate.”

Buildings slated for demolition have been selected to accommodate new development and create new circulation routes and public realm amenities, the report says. Podiums of new buildings will be consistent in massing and height to adjacent heritage buildings.

CLC hopes to have municipal approvals locked in by March 2019 before remediation work begins on the property. It plans to market and sell the land starting in March 2020.

https://heritageottawa.org/news/proposal...-removal-height-limits-interior-setbacks

[J.OT13]

New towers, preservation of heritage buildings, planned for Booth Street

OBJ
Peter Kovessy
July 30, 2018

Developers expected to have opportunity to bid on land parcels as early as 2020

The federal custodian of a disused laboratory complex in central Ottawa plans to rezone the property to permit a handful of new towers, rising up to 24 storeys, in advance of selling the land to private developers.

The 6.5-acre Booth Street campus on the edge of Little Italy is located just south of the Queensway, east of Rochester Street. Once home to the Mines and Resources Branch of Natural Resources Canada, parts of the complex have been vacant for nearly two decades.

A cluster of the existing heritage buildings – as well as the property’s landmark smokestack – are proposed to be preserved and restored. Meanwhile, a new public garden, square and park are slated to replace large portions of the asphalt parking lots that currently run through the property.

The vision is to create a new mixed-use community that connects the Glebe Annex with Little Italy and is animated around the clock.
“I see people on this site 24 hours a day,” says Marie Jarvis, the real estate director for the National Capital Region at the Canada Lands Co., which owns the site. Once fully redeveloped, Jarvis says she envisions a range of uses: “People living there, working there, coming for dinner (and) coming for breakfast.”

Private developers are anticipated to ultimately purchase the property and construct the new buildings in what is quickly becoming one of Ottawa’s hottest central neighbourhoods.

Homebuilder Claridge is constructing a 45-storey condo tower at the corner of Preston Street and Carling Avenue, and a new luxury rental tower is being built on Rochester Street. Additionally, the Booth Street complex is less than 500 metres from the Carling O-Train station on the Trillium Line, which the city is preparing to expand in the coming years.

Environmental clean-up required

The Canada Lands Co. is a federal Crown corporation that’s responsible for selling surplus government properties to maximize both the community value of the land as well as the financial return to taxpayers. Locally, its recent projects include the former Rockcliffe Airbase and a 10.4-acre property at 800 Montreal Road, across from the Montfort Hospital.

After several months of public consultations, CLC recently filed a rezoning request with the city to allow for the taller buildings, in addition to removing setback requirements.

Jarvis says she’s hopeful that the rezoning will be approved by spring 2019. CLC will then commission an extensive environmental remediation of the property, which is polluted from years of industrial use.

Jarvis says the cost of cleaning up the property has not yet been determined.

One remediated, the property will be sold off in parcels to private developers, likely between 2020 and 2022, Jarvis says.

How each of the new and restored buildings will be used – be it residential units, office space or retail shops – has not been defined at this stage.

Jarvis says the number of heritage buildings and features being preserved as part of the Booth Street redevelopment makes the project unique for Ottawa. She adds that she hopes it will spur additional developments in the surrounding area.

“(We want it to) be a catalyst and (make) a positive contribution to the redevelopment of the Glebe Annex and Preston East corridor,” she says.

Projected timeline

Spring 2019: Rezoning approved

2019-2020: Environmental remediation

2020-2022: Marketing and sale of properties to private developers

http://obj.ca/article/new-towers-preservation-heritage-buildings-planned-booth-street

[Davis137]

I agree...refurbish the buildings so that they remain mostly intact, convert some to Condo's/Apartments, and the others into Distillery's, pubs, shops, etc. This has been done with similar properties in places like Edinburgh...

[J.OT13]

Project discussed by Heritage Sub-Committee today. Webcast only 53 minutes.

• Video Link

I was not able to find a webcast of the Library Board meeting from last week. Would have been interesting to watch for Donald Schmitt's presentation.

EDIT: I've been listening to the Booth Street complex presentation and the video doesn't show the slides, which is quite maddening. Here's an image posted on CBC that shows the identification of each building as presented during the committee meeting.


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/heritage-designation-booth-complex-1.5002257

and from Jon Willing's Twitter, the buildings identified for heritage retention;


https://twitter.com/JonathanWilling/status/1094971242862399488

[J.OT13]

And site plan post re-development.


https://twitter.com/JonathanWilling/status/1094972627360206848

[rocketphish]

Subcommittee likes heritage protection plan for major redevelopment of Booth Street complex

Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Updated: February 11, 2019



Canada Lands Company must be doing something right when it comes to redeveloping a major federal property near Ottawa’s downtown.

The heritage protection plan for the former Natural Resources Canada complex on Booth Street received unanimous support from the city’s built-heritage subcommittee on Monday as the federal Crown corporation moves closer to accepting development proposals from the private sector.

CLC has been working on a vision for the 6.5-acre block in Little Italy, bounded by Rochester, Orangeville, Booth and Norman streets. The agency has been consulting the community and city hall and is now ready to finalize the land-use approvals before decontaminating buildings, demolishing the unwanted structures and turning the land over to the private sector to build its vision.

The built-heritage subcommittee heard the city is recommending heritage protection for most of the complex because of its historical significance as a major federal research facility and one that was crucial in the development of the Canadian mining and energy industries. CLC has worked with the city to sort out the heritage protection.

The first laboratory building on the site was constructed in 1909 and the research campus grew through to the 1950s, all largely under the supervision of local architect W.E. Noffke. It was an active federal research site until the early 2000s.

The central heating plant, which has a 39-metre-tall brick smokestack, is part of the recommended heritage protection. The smokestack is a neighbourhood landmark.

The areas of the complex set for demolition include the physical metallurgy research laboratories on the southern part of the site and the T-shaped mechanical shops and stores building in the middle of the site.

CLC’s development plan calls for five new high-rise buildings and it earmarks portions of the site for parks.

The project is already drawing comparisons to Toronto’s Distillery District since it will showcase Ottawa’s architectural history in a modern mixed-use community.

The strongest indication of the existing community’s support might have been its absence during the public delegation part of the subcommittee meeting. No resident raised a concern with the city’s heritage watchdogs, although the zoning and official plan applications go to planning committee later this month.

CLC has had a significant public consultation program on the project. The agency held three public open houses and two meetings of a public advisory committee.

City heritage staff lauded the consultation process by CLC, and so did Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney, who mused about putting the agency on the LeBreton Flats redevelopment.

While McKenney said she’s recommended that the agency work on the LeBreton Flats project, which is being led by the National Capital Commission, CLC has indicated it has no involvement in the development process.

[email protected]
twitter.com/JonathanWilling

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...or-redevelopment-of-booth-street-complex

[ServiceGuy]

I really hope this project gets built one day. It has the potential to be something Ottawa doesn't already have and would also greatly expand the Preston "pretzel" of commerce. If you look at the area you have Preston which is mostly sit down type restaurants, Somerset which is called China Town, Gladestone which is pizza and corner stores but none of it expands into a full neighborhood vib. Yes, there are many small businesses off on the side streets but you have to go looking for them to know they are there. A project like this would be great at filling out the grid as a place to frequent and especially with it's proximity to Dow's Lake. Needs to be done right. Needs to be done unique. But great potential IMO and yes... save the smoke stack.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

I really like the preliminary ideas.

[waterloowarrior]

Endorsed at Planning Committee

@KatePorterCBC
https://twitter.com/KatePorterCBC/status/1101144499332374528
#OttCity planning committee has also approved the @canadalands re-zoning for the Booth complex. @BarrhavenJan noted no one came out to oppose it, and commended staff and Canada Lands for doing great consultation with the Preston, Dow's Lake, Glebe Annex area. #ottnews

[Lakeofthewood]

Good to hear this project is getting across the board support. Most exciting project in Ottawa in my opinion, as I don't think we have anything like this in the city today.

[Davis137]

This will be almost more exciting than the Trinity at Bayview project (if that actually moves forward still).

With a cluster of tall buildings like these in that area, Little Italy will be Ottawa's 2nd Downtown type precinct. It is already starting to look that way with the current crop of high rises that have been built near the Carling O-Train and Dows lake...