The City of Ottawa's built heritage subcommittee rejected the latest plan for the contentious Sisters of Visitation Convent on Richmond Road on Thursday, hoping to improve the design.
Ashcroft proposes to demolish the west wing of the convent and replace it with a new nine-storey residential addition, restoring the rest of the historic building.
The latest proposal is the first legitimate idea put forward by Ashcroft, Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper said. Even so, he asked committee members to reject the design so that he could convince the developer to make minor improvements.
"I would like to work with the applicant and the community to work on something that is less overpowering," said Leiper.
The committee voted four to two to reject the proposal, with committee chair Coun. Tobi Nussbaum and Kanata North Coun. Marianne Wilkinson hoping to approve it with requests for improvements.
Addition "Shields" the Historic Convent
The future of the Les Soeurs de la Visitation building has been a source of ire for nearby residents for the better part of a decade and this latest vision was not immune.
Though Heritage Ottawa opposed the demolition of an entire wing of the former convent, most residents who spoke at the committee were concerned about the size of the addition.
The size and density of the new condo building would overwhelm the original building, said Lorne Cutler with the Hampton Iona Community Group.
Leiper hopes that will change, even slightly, before the proposal goes before the city's planning committee later this month.
"The nine-storey building in behind is going to shield the convent, one way or the other," he said.
Density Reduced, Convent to be Restored
Councillors on the subcommittee called the latest proposal a compromise that would see a large portion of the historic convent preserved.
The history of the project at 114 Richmond Road is long and contentious. After an extended development fight, where both sides went to the Ontario Municipal Board, the stone convent has been mostly untouched.
At the same time, a nine-storey condo was built on the edge of the land near Island Park Drive.
Ashcroft's architect, Rod Lahey, said the design of the addition is an improvement over the previously approved proposal.
"There's been no increased density. We're actually showing a decrease," he told committee.
Development a Cautionary Tale
Ashcroft hopes to build a restaurant in the former chapel. The rest of the site will be filled with residential units, and a possible bed and breakfast.
Cutler is also concerned about the restaurant and business uses in the building. Several businesses have already failed along Richmond Road, Cutler said, and they had far greater visibility than the chapel restaurant will have.
The convent restaurant would not be easily seen from Richmond Road.
He even went as far as saying people in the neighbourhood may not want to visit businesses owned by Ashcroft because there is so much public hatred for the developer in the area.
Ashcroft hopes to begin the convent restoration and construction on the new building as soon as possible, before nearby projects get underway and block access to the site.
Nussbaum said what has happened to the convent is a cautionary tale.
"I hope that planners and future planners look at what happened on Richmond Road and learn lessons on how not to do urban infill," he said.