Designation would require property owners to give city 60 days notice of demolition intent
Ottawa Business Journal
August 21, 2017
City staff are recommending that 358 buildings – or, roughly 11 per cent of Old Ottawa East and Ottawa South – be added to the heritage register.
Done as part of the Heritage Inventory Project, the 358 buildings in the two neighbourhoods, located on the land between the Rideau Canal and the Rideau River, are made up largely of turn-of-the-century era homes in Old Ottawa South.
In Old Ottawa East, four schools (Lady Evelyn Elementary, Immaculata High School, St. Nicholas’ Adult High School, and Riverside Montessori) are also being proposed as additions to the heritage register.
Property owners are free to make alterations or renovations to a building listed in the heritage register. However, they need to give the city 60 days notice if they want to demolish the building so municipal staff can negotiate with the owner to save the building or propose a more restrictive heritage designation if it’s warranted, the city says on its website.
City staff note that, beyond the addition of architecturally significant homes in the area, that there are commercial buildings that merit addition. In particular, the staff report highlights the fact that there are “few remaining mixed-use traditional brick buildings” along Bank Street south of the canal, and notes the 1950s-era commercial character of Main Street in Old Ottawa East, near The Green Door Restaurant.
The city’s planning committee will review the list of proposed additions to the register at its meeting Tuesday morning.
The project comes as part of an ongoing effort on the city’s part to breathe a bit more life into its heritage building administration.
The Heritage Inventory Project is a city initiative that seeks to consolidate, and take stock of, the vast number of heritage properties in the Ottawa region.