HERITAGE OTTAWA

Members of the public are invited to attend a Community Information Meeting regarding the proposed addition to Ottawa's Château Laurier.

The Meeting, to be hosted by Larco Investments Limited, takes place in the Château Laurier Ballroom on Thursday, November 17. Registration begins at  6:30pm and a presentation takes place from 7pm to 7:45pm.

The Château Laurier first opened its doors in 1912. Today, the Château Laurier is federally recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada and is designated as a heritage structure under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.

Larco, a Vancouver-based company, purchased the historic Château in 2013 and plans to construct a new addition to the building including larger units for long-term stays. Plans for the proposed addition presented in September sparked a widespread public outcry, leading Larco to indicate that it would consider design modifications and seek public feedback before presenting a formal application to the City of Ottawa.

As a buiding designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, any new addition to the Château Laurier requires submission of a detailed heritage application to the City of Ottawa, and approval by Ottawa City Council.

Peter Clewes, the architect of the proposed addition, will be on hand at the Meeting to answer questions, as will other members of the design team and Art Phillips, Director of Development at Larco Investments.

"After all the response that we received the last time, I thought that we would demonstrate to the community... that we are listening and that they'll see changes." said Phillips during a telephone interview reported by the Ottawa Citizen last month.

The proposal presented in September also included a new courtyard, the greening of four roofs, and a new underground parking garage.

Read Heritage Ottawa's open letter regarding the proposed Château Laurier addition here.