Urban Design Brief 1533 to 1557 Gordon Street & 34 Lowes Road West Reid s Heritage Homes Ltd. & 883928 Ontario Ltd. and RHH Property Management Ltd. City of Guelph Zoning By-law Amendment November 2017
Contents 1. Background... 1 2. Contextual Analysis... 3 Location and Site Attributes... 4 Neighbourhood Context... 6 Design Policy Context... 9 3. Design Goals and Objectives... 10 4. Response to Policy Context... 11 Sustainable Urban Design (Section 8.1)... 11 Public Realm (Section 8.2)... 11 Built Form (Section 8.6)... 12 Built Form: Mid-Rise Buildings (Section 8.8)... 12 Transition of Land Uses (Section 8.11)... 16 Parking (Section 8.12)... 16 Access, Circulation, Loading, Storage (Section 8.13)... 17 Landscaping (Section 8.17)... 18 Signage (Section 8.14)... 19 Lighting (Section 8.16)... 19 Safety (Section 8.18)... 19 Public Art (Section 8.21)... 19
1. Background Reid s Heritage Homes Ltd. ( RHHL ) is proposing a mid-rise, 6- storey residential building containing 102 units with a mixture of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom unit types on a site at the southwest corner of Gordon Street and Lowes Road in Guelph. A Zoning By-law Amendment (ZBA) is required to implement the policy direction of the Medium Density Residential designation on the site to allow the proposed development. The ZBA would rezone the site from Residential Single Detached (R1.B) to Residential (R.4A) with site-specific regulations regarding built form and parking requirements. An Urban Design Brief was identified as a requirement for a complete application at the pre-consultation meeting held on May 17, 2017 with the City of Guelph. This Urban Design Brief: o o o Outlines the site s existing physical conditions and those in the surrounding context, and summarizes the applicable design-related policies affecting the site s design (Section 2); Outlines the design goals and objectives for the site that have guided the site and building design (Section 3); and, Assesses the design response to the applicable designrelated policies for the site and describes how the proposed development responds to this direction (Section 4). Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 1
The proposed site layout for the 6-storey apartment building and associated parking area. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 2
Perspective view of the site layout and building design looking from the northwest. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 3
2. Contextual Analysis Location and Site Attributes The site is an assembly of five individual properties that are known municipally as 1533, 1541, 1549 and 1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road. The site is 0.87 hectares (2.15 acres) in area and has approximately 128 metres of frontage along Gordon Street and 116 metres along Lowes Road West. There are currently five one-storey detached dwellings on the site which are proposed to be demolished as part of the proposed development. The dwellings at 34 Lowes Road and 1533 Gordon Street have driveway accesses from Lowes, while 1534, 1549 and 1557 Gordon Street have accesses from Gordon Street. The buildings fronting Gordon have a consistent front yard setback pattern. A consistent landscaping pattern does not exist across the five properties that comprise the site. They have a combination of front yard deciduous trees, hedges, ornamental plantings, fencing and sodded lawns throughout. The corner of Gordon Street and Lowes Road West within the 1533 Gordon Street property has a dense planting of coniferous trees and chain link perimeter fencing. The site s topography is generally flat in nature without any abrupt grade changes moving across the site. Image: Location of subject site recognizing the current build-out of the surrounding area. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 4
Above: 1533 Gordon Street (left) and 1541 Gordon Street (right) Above: 1549 Gordon Street (left) and 1541 Gordon Street (right) Above: 1557 Gordon Street (left) and 1549 Gordon Street (right) Above: 34 Lowes Road West Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 5
Neighbourhood Context The site forms part of the Gordon Street corridor that has been developed and redeveloped more recently for a combination of commercial and higher intensity residential development forms. Gordon Street is a main 4-lane arterial corridor and is a prominent transit route within Guelph, with existing bus stops on the northwest and northeast corners of Gordon Street and Lowes Road West and sidewalks on both sides of the street. Lowes Road West is a two-lane local street with a sidewalk on the subject site s south side of the street. Away from Gordon Street, the area to the east is a large residential neighbourhood (Westminister Woods) and to the west is a small pocket of detached dwellings, beyond which is the Hanlon Creek Conservation Area. Above: The Gordon Street corridor near the site is transitioning to a mixed-use corridor with mid-rise and taller forms of residential development along its length. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 6
The site s immediately abutting context includes the following: North: a 2-storey commercial development under construction at the northwest corner of Gordon and Lowes (1511 and 1517 Gordon Street and 15 Lowes Road West), as well as three detached dwellings facing the subject site (19, 25, and 35 Lowes Road West). East: a cluster townhouse development (1550 Gordon Street) with 2-storey units with an internal private driveway system, rearfacing units along Gordon Street, and a dense landscaping planting scheme along the rear yards facing Gordon Street. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 7
South: a series of four one-storey detached dwellings (1563, 1567, 1573, and 1579 Gordon) that have similar characteristics as those on the subject site. West: a series of three one-storey detached dwellings (42, 48, and 56 Lowes) that also have similar characteristics as those on the subject site. The site s contextual attributes do not present any significant design challenges or constraints for the proposed development. Although abutting detached dwellings would typically present a design consideration in terms of height and scale transitions, it is the expectation that these detached dwellings would also be consolidated and redeveloped over time like the prevailing pattern along Gordon Street, so that transitions are not necessary as part of the proposed development. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 8
Design Policy Context The site is designated Medium Density Residential in the Guelph Official Plan as amended through Official Plan Amendment No. 48 ( OPA 48 ). The Medium Density Residential designation permits multiple unit residential buildings including townhouses and apartments, with a minimum building height of 2 storeys and a maximum building height of 6 storeys. Section 8 of OPA 48 provides urban design policy direction for new developments with several relevant site design and building design topics including the following: o Sustainable Urban Design (Section 8.1); o Public Realm (Section 8.2); o Built Form (Section 8.6); o Built Form: Mid-Rise Buildings (Section 8.8); o Transition of Land Use (Section 8.11); o Parking (Section 8.12); o Access, Circulation, Loading and Storage (Section 8.13); o Signage (Section 8.14); o Lighting (Section 8.16); o Landscaping (Section 8.17); o Safety (Section 8.18); and, o Public Art (Section 8.21). Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 9
3. Design Goals and Objectives The design objectives for the site are to: 1. Facilitate a compact urban form at this intersection that fits within the prevailing and planned intent for the Gordon Street corridor in this area. 2. Orient the building towards Gordon Street and have a front face with an architectural rhythm and frequency along the street that provides interest to the pedestrian space. 3. Incorporate residential building entrances that are directly connected to public sidewalks on the bounding public streets. 4. Establish a desired building alignment Gordon Street that creates a positive built environment along the street. 5. Accentuate the corner of Gordon and Lowes through a combination of building presence and landscape treatments to emphasize the corner location. 6. Implement architectural design features that contribute to the established community character while providing variation in design. 7. Design parking areas in a manner that contributes to an attractive streetscape by providing screening from the public views through landscaping efforts. Overhead view of the site and building design looking from the north. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 10
4. Response to Policy Context This section outlines how the proposed design responds to the relevant themes of Section 8 of the Guelph Official Plan as amended by OPA 48. Sustainable Urban Design (Section 8.1) The proposed development provides an intense, compact urban intensification as part of a mixed-use corridor along Gordon Street that provides a range of living, working and shopping opportunities. The site has easy access to other parts of Guelph with transit stops at its doorstep surrounding the Gordon Street and Lowes Road West intersection, which provides residents with alternative transportation options and opportunities for car-free or car-reduced living options. While LEED certification is not being pursued, site and building conservation measures contributing towards the City s Community Energy Initiative will be implemented through detailed design, which will include dwellings that are equipped with low flush toilets, low flow faucets and showerheads; drain water heat recover systems to help reduce energy consumption; and, incorporation of low VOC-emitting materials. Units will be constructed to meet the ENERGY STAR standard. Site lighting will have automated controls that turn off with sufficient natural lighting, and street trees will be planted to help create a cooler microclimate. Construction materials will be locally sourced to reduce environmental impact on the transportation system. Landscape planting will focus on the use of species that are native, hardy, and low maintenance. Public Realm (Section 8.2) The continuity of the street wall along Gordon Street and wrapping around the Lowes Road West frontage contributes to a more pedestrian-oriented streetscape with vibrancy. Ground floor units include at-grade covered spaces that provide interaction to the streetscape, together with balconies for upper storey units. The combination of projections/recessions in the wall plane and variation in the use of colours and materials strives to ensure a dynamic wall elevation that provides visual interest along Gordon Street. The emphasis of the corner elevation facing Gordon Street and Lowes Road West with transparent glazing wrapping the end and looking onto an enhanced forecourt area signifies the prominence of the corner. Street edge landscape plans along Gordon Street will establish a regular pattern of deciduous trees and foundation plantings lining the building to soften the space for comfortable pedestrian use. Gordon Street interface enhanced through a combination of architectural treatment, outdoor space, and landscape plantings. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 11
Built Form (Section 8.6) Built Form: Mid-Rise Buildings (Section 8.8) Massing and Form The building is positioned to line the primary Gordon Street frontage with a setback that ranges between 4 and 6 metres (building portion nearer to Lowes projecting closer to the Gordon street edge), which in turn positions the surface parking behind the building. The length of the building along Gordon is meant to maximize street presence along the street. The perceived building mass along this length is visually broken through architectural treatments and variation. The narrow edge of the building is pulled back further from the Lowes frontage, ranging between 6.5 and 16 metres accounting for the intersection s angle and the opportunities for a landscaped corner. The proposed building mass fits within the 45-degree angular plane from the centreline of Gordon Street, except for a small portion on the building s eastern rooftop. The proposed building mass has a small encroachment into the 45- degree angular plane from Lowes Road West. Given the nature and extent of these encroachments and recognizing the surrounding context, they do not warrant upper storey step-backs. A break in the massing along the Gordon Street frontage breaks up the length of the facade Above: the proposed building s angular plane from Lowes (left) and from Gordon (right) Below: The proposed building mass lining the primary Gordon Street frontage of the site. Bays of balconies and differentiation of materials break up building length Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 12
Architectural Treatment The proposed design uses a contemporary architectural style for the overall building architecture. All four building elevations are designed with a unifying architecture treatment that carries around all four sides given the multiple publicly visible vantage points around the site. Roof-top equipment will be situated, and screened where necessary, to minimize views from the abutting public streets at the time of detailed design. The preliminary architectural design includes the following key architectural elements on the below graphic. Regular pattern of fenestration spacing and shapes Alternating arrangement of balconies (recessed, semi-recessed) Vertical bay of transparent glass that extends to provide roofline differentiation and break up building length Use of light colours coupled with building projections/recessions to break up visual mass along length Transparent glass at ground reinforcing prominent street corner and outdoor landscaped space Material and colour variation to distinguish the main building entrance Use of colour variation to visually define pedestrianrelated building lower storeys Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 13
Materials The preliminary building plan and renders show a combination of darker and lighter grey masonry materials and darker metal siding as the base materials, arranged with variation in their horizontal and vertical extent and use. Lighter coloured wood and darker metal panels are used surrounding the vertical lines established by balconies and on the ground floor near the building entrance and internal amenity area as accent materials. Windows are clear glazed throughout the wall elevations. Transparent glazing is provided at grade at the corner of Lowes Road and Gordon Street (amenity room). Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 14
Shadow The proposed development form has minimal shading impacts on surrounding properties and streetscapes as cast shadows are largely contained within the subject site boundaries in the Spring, Summer, and Fall periods. The proposed development does not prevent surrounding properties and streetscapes from getting at least 4-5 hours of sunlight per day. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 15
Transition of Land Uses (Section 8.11) The proposed site design, building placement, and building design provides an appropriate transition to abutting properties. o o To the north, the proposed development is separated from the 2-storey commercial development currently under construction on the north side of the street by the Lowes Road West right-of-way, which is approximately 20 metres wide. To the east, the proposed development is separated from the existing 2-storey townhouse development to the east by the Gordon right-of-way, which is approximately 35 metres wide. The proposed placement and height is in keeping with the principle of a 45-degree angular plane from the centerline of Gordon Street, with a small encroachment on the upper most tip of the building. There are existing coniferous plantings and berms along the east side of Gordon Street that blocks most views from Gordon Street to the existing townhouses. o To the south, the proposed development incorporates a 9.7 metre setback to the southern property line. The southern end of the proposed building does not have balconies, only windows. The detached dwellings to the immediate south of the property also have a Medium Density Residential designation, which are reasonably expected to be consolidated and redeveloped over time. A similar setback on such a consolidated site to the south would provide a separation distance in the order of 20 metres between the proposed building on the site and such a building to the south. This would be sufficient for ensuring privacy without the needs for step-backs on the upper storeys of either building. o To the west, proposed building is at least 39.2 metres to the shared property line (upwards of 86 metres at its greatest). Together with landscaping and fencing along the western property line of the site, this is more than sufficient to mitigate any visual impacts of building height and mass. Parking (Section 8.12) The surface parking area with 123 parking spaces, including 5 barrierfree parking spaces, is positioned immediately abutting the west side of the building and access walkway. The building lining the Gordon Street frontage screens the parking completely from views along this principal public frontage. The north side of the parking area is lined with a landscape strip that will include trees and other plantings to screen views along the Lowes Road West frontage. The incorporation of the central common area within the parking area is meant to assist in breaking up the visual extent of the surface parking area. The walkway along the north side of the central amenity space in the parking area provides a direct route from the parking area to the main building entrance on the west building wall. An internal bicycle storage room is provided on the ground floor at the northern end of the building, located for easy access from either entrance by residents and secured for long-term storage. The entrance plaza around the main building entrance on the building s west side has sufficient space to accommodate surface-mounted bicycle racks for short-term bicycle parking for visitors. Additionally, bike sharing parking will be considered through the approval process. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 16
Access, Circulation, Loading, and Storage Areas (Section 8.13) Vehicles will enter the site from a single driveway access from Lowes Road West, which is situated to maximize distance to the Lowes and Gordon intersection. The surface parking area accessed from this entrance is looped around a central landscaped amenity space. Pedestrian circulation of walkways leading from the public sidewalks on Gordon Street and Lowes Road West to building entrances and exits. Pedestrians can enter the site from either the Gordon Street or Lowes Road West frontages. A walkway from the Gordon Street public sidewalk leads to a building entrance on the building wall. A walkway leads from the public sidewalk along Lowes Road West and lines the western edge of the building, providing barrier-free access to the main building entrance on the west building wall. As well, the walkway along the north side of the central amenity space provides a direct route from the parking area to the main building entrance on the west building wall. An outdoor loading space at the northwest corner of the building is provided for the use of residents and collection vehicles and deliveries. The garbage storage room areas for residential is internalized on the west side of the building, with a direct entrance internally as well as outside to the walkway and loading space lining the west side of the building. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 17
Landscaping (Section 8.17) The space lining Gordon Street will be planted with a combination of street trees between the public sidewalk and building face and a mixture of ground plantings at the building base to soften its edge. The corner forecourt on the north side of the building, surrounding the Gordon Street and Lowes Road West intersection, is intended for a combination of tree plantings, shrubs, and potentially decorative walls to articulate a vibrant streetscape. The site s frontage along Lowes Road West will be planted with a regular spaced pattern of deciduous trees together with other plantings such as shrubs and grasses to screen views into the surface parking area and provide greenery along the street. Plantings along the site s shared perimeter boundaries will include deciduous and coniferous trees as well as privacy fencing to the abutting properties. The central amenity area situated in the centre of the parking area will provide a common space for residents and visitors with a combination of hard surfaces, shade structures, seating areas, and plantings. The selection of plant material will focus on those that are native, hardy, and provide diversity of color and interest throughout the seasons. Preliminary site landscape concept prepared by Aboud and Associates demonstrating the public street interface and internal parking landscaping. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 18
Signage (Section 8.14) Municipal address signage and site identification signage at the detailed design stage will be scaled and designed to fit with the development s proposed architectural character and image. Lighting (Section 8.16) Lighting plans at the detailed design stage will address lighting emphasis points and appropriate lighting levels. These emphasis points include building entrances, the corner forecourt area, the abutting Gordon Street and Lowes Road West streetscapes, the parking area, the common amenity area, and walkways through the site. Public Art (Section 8.21) Public art has not been explored at this point for the proposed development. The landscaped forecourt at the corner of Gordon and Lowes provides an appropriate location and sufficient space should a public art installation be considered. Safety (Section 8.18) The proposed development has been designed with considerations for ensuring natural surveillance opportunities through the site s public areas and spaces. Open, unobstructed viewlines are maintained with the building s placement lining the Gordon sidewalk and across the site s interior. A regular rhythm and pattern of windows on the building elevations provide visibility to front areas abutting Gordon Street and rear areas in the parking area. At-grade terraces and upper storey balconies provide additional surveillance opportunities of the abutting public and internal private spaces of the site. Landscape design at the detailed design stage will balance delineating public versus private space through plantings and landscape treatments with the need for maintaining appropriate sight lines. Lighting plans at the detailed design stage will provide appropriate lighting levels for pedestrian activity areas, including building entrances, parking areas, and outdoor spaces. Urban Design Brief 1533-1557 Gordon Street and 34 Lowes Road West 19