OTTAWA CITIZEN, By Jon Willing

A national spotlight will shine on Ottawa city council Wednesday when municipal politicians decide whether the latest design concept for a contemporary addition to the historic Château Laurier is good enough for the picturesque, capital landscape.

Even longtime city hall employees can’t remember a more contentious file, except for maybe the Salvation Army’s shelter plans for Vanier over the past two years or the municipal smoking ban 18 years ago.

In the case of the Château Laurier, the planning dispute has triggered calls for federal intervention, with opponents of the current design worried it will sully the vistas around the Parliamentary precinct. Vocal, public support for the design has been virtually non-existent.

While council will vote on the heritage permit, the design controversy will likely be far from over.

Pull the permit, and the hotel owner will likely appeal.

Allow the permit, and the opposition could rage on for years after construction.

New to the Château faceoff?

Allow us to bring you up to speed.

What’s the controversy in one sentence?

Larco Investments, the owner of the Château Laurier, wants to build a contemporary seven-storey, 147-room addition to the north side of the heritage-protected hotel, and while the company won the city’s conditional approval for a heritage permit in 2018, critics say the design concept for the addition isn’t appropriate for a historic, landmark building in Canada’s capital.

Who is Larco Investments?

The private Vancouver-based company run by the Lalji family has owned the hotel through its affiliate Capital Hotel L.P. since 2013. Locally, the company is being represented by planning consultant Dennis Jacobs, a former City of Ottawa planning director. Larco’s Toronto-based architects on the Château project are architectsAlliance and heritage conservation experts at ERA Architects. Larco also owns hotels in Toronto and Vancouver.

When did the design controversy begin?

Larco’s development application dates back to 2016, but there have been plans for years to expand the historic hotel. For example, in 2000 Le Groupe Arcop released plans to build a 159-room addition that would have looked similar to the hotel. Larco scaled down its concept for the addition since the original 2016 iteration, but the boxy design continues to attract fierce opposition from concerned residents.

Is there a guideline for redeveloping heritage sites?

Yes. Parks Canada has a publication called the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, cited as the authority when it comes to integrating new elements to a historic property. Standard 11 of the guide calls for an addition to conserve the heritage value and character-defining elements, while also making sure the new structure is “physically and visually compatible with, subordinate to, and distinguishable from the historic place.” Larco’s architects believe the hotel addition achieves this standard.

Why is a heritage matter in the Parliamentary precinct the responsibility of the municipal government?

The Château Laurier is a designated heritage building under the Ontario Heritage Act. Under the legislation, it’s the municipal council’s job to decide if a heritage property can be altered. The law compels council to either approve the application, reject the application or approve the application with conditions.

Why has city council never voted on the design?

Council technically did vote on the design. In June 2018, council unanimously approved Larco’s heritage application with the condition that the company increase the use of limestone, break up the “unrelieved uniformity” of the north facade and introduce window patterns and geometric proportions drawn from the Château Laurier. However, council left it up to planning general manager Stephen Willis — not elected municipal politicians — to determine whether the company has met the conditions. Staff believe council’s conditions have been satisfied in the latest design.

Why is the heritage permit back on council’s agenda?

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury’s motion scheduled for debate and vote on Wednesday asks council to revoke the heritage permit because, in his view, the June 2018 conditions approved by council haven’t been met. Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper is seconding the motion.

Why does Larco think there would be litigation if council revokes its heritage permit?

Larco has had its heritage permit since July 3, 2018, so if council revokes the permit on Wednesday, the company could be in a position to challenge the decision. Larco’s planning consultants wrote to council last week suggesting that revoking the heritage permit would result in litigation and that the original approval would be upheld by the courts.

Does the city think Larco has a point?

Yes. The city’s legal department has told council the Heritage Act doesn’t provide the municipality the authority to rescind a heritage permit, so Larco could ask the Ontario Superior Court to decide whether it has fulfilled the design conditions set in June 2018. According to the city, the legal expenses for the city would be about $100,000, and if it lost, the city would likely have to pay Larco’s legal bill, possibly between $33,000 and $55,000. Larco still needs a minor variance or rezoning to follow through with its construction plans. Only then can it get a building permit, but if the city holds back the building permit on account of council rescinding the heritage permit, Larco could appeal to Superior Court. Any appeal of a court decision would cost the city another $100,000 in legal expenses. Larco could also start the process over by submitting a new heritage application, either with the current design or a new one.

What’s the buzz around city hall going into Wednesday’s council meeting?

The vote could be very close. Immense public pressure has been put on the 24 council members, especially Watson. For some members, their votes will be based on avoiding costly litigation. For others, the potential legal costs are simply collateral damage for making a planning decision supported by the public.

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YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

Contact the Mayor and Ottawa City Councillors before July 10, 2019.

Click here for details: https://heritageottawa.org/chateau-laurier-addition