Letter re Site Plan Control – 314 Booth Street

THE DALHOUSIE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

755 Somerset Street West, Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 6R1

2 December 2009

Lorraine Stevens
Planning and Growth Management Department
City of Ottawa

Dear Ms. Stevens,

Re: Site Plan Control – 314 Booth Street (File D07-12-09-0192)

We have reviewed the drawings circulated and have the following comments

Parking Lot

There are no improvements indicated for this piece of the project which contains the required parking for the new building at 314 Booth Street. However we understand that the Committee of Adjustment’s decision on the minor variances required for this project required that this parking lot also be subject to site plan control.

This parking lot is an eyesore. Although there are 5 modest trees in the boulevard along Booth, the battered chain link fencing enclosing the lot provides no screening along Booth and the lot is wide open along Eccles. We recommend that:

• A tree be planted south of stall(HC) #1

• That the driveway cut in the sidewalk be shortened so that it does not extend westward beyond the driveway. In fact with only 18 spots for mostly long-term parking, this driveway should only be one car width, not two.

• The weeds along Booth be replaced with shrubbery under the trees along Booth and treat Eccles the same so as to provide some screening of the cars.

• Replace the chain link fence with a 4’ decorative iron fence along Booth and Eccles (rather than completely opaque wood fence which might spawn security and graffiti concerns).

• Existing lighting not be removed unless new lighting is provided which does not impinge on adjacent residential properties.

314 Booth

• We are pleased to see the mature hardwood tree on the south lot line will be protected and preserved.

• There are two existing large spruce trees along Booth. These should not be discarded. The Dalhousie neighbourhood, and Booth Street have very little mature tree cover. Since the new building will be further from the street than the existing building, we encourage the new building to accommodate these trees.

• Remove all redundant steel bollards from the northwest corner of the site

Yours truly,
Eric Darwin, President
Dalhousie Community Association

 cc: Councillor Diane Holmes, Sue Garvey

Comments