New hotel proposed for King Edward Avenue
Residents blast ‘generic design’ of Holiday Inn plans
By Alex Robinson
Ottawa East News, May 23, 2015
Developers have redrawn a proposal to build a hotel at 364 St. Patrick St. after acquiring four adjacent properties to the lot.
Momentum Planning and Communications presented the plan to build a nine-storey Holiday Inn at the corner of King Edward Avenue and St. Patrick to the Lowertown Community Association on May 11.
The enlarged property gave the developers the chance to partner with Holiday Inn and to build 167 suites rather than the original 90.
“It gave us much more room and gave us more options to explore other hotel chains,” said Dennis Jacobs, of Momentum Planning and Communications. “We’re moving forward with a full service hotel. Before it was an apartment hotel setting.”
Some residents, however, voiced concern over the design of the new Holiday Inn, saying it is not in character with the heritage district west of King Edward Avenue, which is one of the oldest parts of the city.
“It doesn’t take somebody who’s familiar with what Lowertown looks like to come up with something that has some relationship to the rest of the structures,” said Donna Kearns, a resident who sits on the association’s board and has a background in design.
“There are lots of other historic buildings that can be jumping off points.”
Kearns said she would like to see the lot developed, but would rather see something more reflective of buildings in the area and in less of a “generic hotel style.”
Jacobs said the design does take cues from the buildings in its immediate vicinity, which have been redeveloped in a modernistic style, and that it follows the urban design policies of the city’s official plan.
“The design as it currently stands is quite unique and takes advantage of this strategic corner to provide a landmark for people arriving from Quebec, leaving downtown Ottawa, or travelling through Lowertown,” he said. “The proposed masonry (stone and brick) provide a link to the vernacular architecture of the area.”
The city council originally passed a zoning amendment for the property in 2012, allowing for a nine-storey tower to be built on the corner.
When originally proposed, the community voiced concerns over increased traffic at the intersection.
The revised plan would use the enlarged space to build a longer driveway on site to make sure taxis, buses and cars are not stopping on the street to pick up or drop off hotel guests, Jacobs said.
“When we went through the original design process it was a very tight property to begin with… the more we can bring the cars and buses onto the property, the safer it would be. So that was part of our reason for acquiring the neighbouring property,” he said. “It makes for a safer and robust development.”
While the main site will still be nine-storeys high, the adjacent properties will be built up to six storeys. The hotel will also have two levels of underground parking.
The new proposal will only require minor variances and a site control plan approved for construction to start, Jacobs said.
The developers have yet to officially submitted a new application to the city for the proposal.
http://www.ottawacommunitynews.com/n...edward-avenue/
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