By Liz MacKenzie
The community has learned some hard lessons when challenging the demolition of buildings important to the architectural and social heritage of Lowertown. Although Dalhousie Street has a history as a traditional neighbourhood street in Lowertown, our experiences indicate that it is not exempt from threats to the integrity of its streetscape.
No Muscle in Designations
When Ottawa provided heritage protection for parts of Lowertown, Dalhousie was divided into two sections. The part south of St. Patrick Street fell into the Byward Market Heritage Conservation District (HCD) (1991) and the part north of St. Patrick was later covered by the Lowertown West HCD (1994).
In an epic battle by community members at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) trying to save the Union du Canada Building, now the Andaz Hotel, the City’s heritage staff successfully argued that the Byward Market HCD only protects the blocks adjacent to the By Ward Market Building, not buildings in the entire district as prescribed by the Ontario Heritage Act.
The question then arises: will the city refuse to advocate for buildings on the southern part of Dalhousie, even though they too are protected under the Ontario Heritage Act as part of the Byward Market HCD? And as for the north end of Dalhousie, from St. Patrick to Boteler in the Lowertown West HCD, what arguments will be devised to undermine the HCD protection?
The Challenges of Zoning
As with the heritage designations, Ottawa’s Official Plan separates Dalhousie into two sections, with St Patrick Street as the dividing line. The northern part is zoned as Traditional Mainstreet (TM) while the southern part is zoned as Mixed-use Downtown (MD). This means that the development requirements for building heights, widths and street orientation can be different for each section.
In an OMB appeal related to the zoning along King Edward Avenue, community members challenged the demolition of several two-storey red brick buildings on the east side at Clarence Street. The buildings were covered by a heritage overlay added to protect them after the devastation of urban renewal in Lowertown East. Residents argued that if they were demolished, new development should respect the heritage overlay which required buildings of similar height and style to replace them.
The appeal was dismissed because the community did not provide evidence of “heritage significance” to refute the City’s contention that the buildings were culturally insignificant. The buildings were demolished; a site plan for a six-storey residential building with ground floor commercial was approved and the land is now vacant and for sale. This has left another vast hole in one of our streetscapes with little hope that the replacement building will maintain street continuity, scale or character.
All Antennas Up
Gone were the illusions of the Lowertown Community Association’s Heritage Committee about the protection offered by HCD designation and the assurances from City planners that Dalhousie’s TM zoning on the north end would be benign. Committee members developed an action plan to engage local residents in their history, to promote a village atmosphere, and to be prepared to defend against inappropriate development.
Actions included:
- Hiring two students with a Canada Summer Jobs grant in 2015: one student researched Dalhousie buildings and the other conducted oral histories. Together with community historians Marc Aubin, Nancy Miller Chenier, Michel Rossignol and Robert Smythe, they developed a heritage-walk program from Boteler to Murray, a burgeoning sector of small retail businesses known as North Dal.
- Developing a rapport with North Dal businesses through participation in their summer and winter Fun Day events. Their promotion gives us invaluable publicity while our walks attract people to their event.
- Beginning a comprehensive research program about Dalhousie Street. Ongoing assistance with research is welcome, so if you want to protect the architectural and social heritage of Dalhousie Street, please get involved. Contact us at info@lowertown-basseville.ca