It's not how dense you make it...

All right, everyone, now say it with me!  "It's not how dense you make it; it's how you make it dense."

Good.  Now with that out of the way, let's explore how we can have exciting new buildings in our city that have a positive effect on existing architecture, and more specifically heritage buildings.

By integrating heritage buildings into the design of new builds from the get-go as a foundation for the new construction, a city keeps its character while allowing for higher density.  Responsible and forward-thinking land owners will maintain the buildings on their properties right up until the time of construction, and throughout, in order to preserve the integrity of the existing structures.

Camden Terrace in 1988.  Photo courtesy of the estate of Lois Marshall. 

Lately in London, we have had quite the opposite, from the demolition of 505/507/511 Talbot Street to make way for another uninspired concrete monolith (think of the hideous Renaissance towers on Ridout Street North between King Street and York Street) to the pending destruction of 175/179/181 King Street (although thankfully 183 King Street will remain) for another 30-storey tower.

Now don't get me wrong: we need a proper mix of high-rises, mid-rises, and low-rises in the downtown.  New buildings are always going to be required to regenerate and grow a city.  Making them the right density in the right locations builds a city inwards and upwards, which is what is needed instead of outwards and sprawling.  Urban infill is a good thing and a necessity; however, it has to be done with consideration for the existing built environment and adaptive reuse in the forefront, not as an afterthought.

Camden Terrace (479 to 489 Talbot Street) is under threat of complete demolition.
These row houses have a significant and rare form and style, designed by the renowned London architect Samuel Peters (click for short video on Peters and Camden Terrace).  This brilliant gem in our downtown core tells the story of how our city grew and evolved, and warrants a respectful integration with this infill development.  Instead, the developer prefers to tear the building down to make way for a 9-storey mixed commercial/residential building as the first phase, with plans for two towers (also mixed use) on the north (29 storeys) and south (38 storeys) as the second phase.  Plans also show a three-storey parking garage in the back.

I am a fan of the mixed use: it is ideal for a city where we want people to work and play all within walking distance of their home, which has huge benefits economically, socially, and environmentally.  The design of the nine-storey first phase can easily integrate the entirety of the original row houses, with appropriate modifications to permit the desired entranceway as proposed in the designs.

Camden Terrace in 1987.  Photo courtesy the City of London planning department.

The London Plan aspires for no more aboveground parking, and rightly so:  parking in the inner core start to disappear with driverless cars and rapid transit, and therefore the people who are living and working downtown are less likely to own a vehicle.  The proposal has four levels of underground parking and three levels of aboveground.  In reality, the aboveground parking will become obsolete in the very near future and would be better use of space to expand the nine-storey construction: this keeps the nine-storey portion virtually unchanged (or potentially larger) and allows room for Camden Terrace to remain. Talk about win-win! The investment for the developer and the city will be huge if all phases are built: don't we want this done right for ourselves and for future generations?

Adaptive reuse has become prominent recently with the Cornerstone Building, the London Roundhouse, The Cube, and many more.  Not only does it maintain a city's character, it is also easier on the environment by not sending tonnes upon tonnes of building materials into an already-strained landfill site.  

Camden Terrace must be given designation and maintained in situ, as any needed changes to the buildings can be considered through a heritage alteration permit.  In fact, the London Roundhouse remains in place and will have a tower built behind it: why can't we do the same here?

Heritage needs to have a voice at the table, and be included from the beginning of projects impacting our shared historical buildings.  A mature city values its heritage.  Other mid-sized cities in Ontario have been willing and able to push the creative inclusion of heritage buildings into new developments of various size:  isn't London good enough to have the same?  Shouldn't we demand better for ourselves?

Council haste makes heritage waste

"The wrecking ball cometh."

These words (apparently) bring music to the ears of eight members of London's council, given that they voted against designation of 759 Elizabeth Street (AKA the "Carling Cottage") as a heritage property at the November 10th council meeting, the winning decision in an surprisingly-close 8-7 vote.  A week before at the Planning and Environment Committee meeting on November 2nd, the committee voted 3-2 against designation, with those voting against using flawed logic to guide their decision, including red herrings like the condition of the roof and the outdated furnace as reasons to allow demolition.  The two voting for designation made great arguments for not demolishing the cottage, specifically the historical context of the building and the fact that its orientation predates the surrounding road network.  Not only that, but heritage designation does not preclude applying for a demolition permit.

505 Talbot Street, at left, undergoes deconstruction after the demolition of 507 and 511. (Nov. 11, 2015)

This scenario has played out all too commonly with the current council:  we recently also lost three heritage buildings at 505, 507, and 511 Talbot Street (the building at 511 formerly home to The Shire pub) to be replaced with a very uninspiring skyscraper.  While I fully support intensification when it comes to new developments, councillors would do well to remember the following adage: "It's not how dense you make it, but how you make it dense."  Developing bland concrete blocks at the expense of cherished heritage buildings is reckless and irresponsible.  Unfortunately, only one councillor – Bill Armstrong – voted against the demolition.

To justify the demolition of heritage buildings and endure the resulting loss of history and culture, the structures replacing the existing must provide a positive net benefit to the community.  Unless plans for the new highrise include some beautiful architecture and mixed use, a net benefit will not be in the cards for the Talbot properties. It is certainly not the case at 759 Elizabeth where the developers are proposing to build a duplex in place of the cottage.

The Carling Cottage, as seen in the London Free Press on Nov. 2, 2015.

Now, the Carling Cottage may not be a grand mansion or the home of anybody famous, but it provides an impeccable example of vernacular architecture.  The cottage was built in the "Regency" style, as outlined in this description of the property from the 2010 MLS listing (462279):

A unique Ontario cottage purchased by the owners great grandfather from Sir John Carling at the time of the Wolsey Barracks purchase in about 1878. “Carling Cottage” as it is known, is one of the first brick homes in the district built in 1827. Initially it faced Adelaide St which was the concession rd at the time and the carriage house was located on Oxford St, now demolished. It has been maintained in the style period having original pumpkin pine flrs, fireplace, large 6x6 Georgian windows, many original glass, however the whole house has been refurbished, which inc. the fireplace, wiring, new plumbing, shingles(07) new sub-floors (kit, bthrm and mudrm) and the large covered front porch (30.8ft x 6.2ft) to its original design where you can sit in one of 4 black rockers. If you appreciate a perfect peaceful piece of London history this is the cottage for you. Large 8 x 12 storage cottage also located on 78 x 150 ft lot(exclude chandelier in DR)

This property is steeped in history, originally belonging in London Township.  Charles Henry and his family lived there, on lands owned by Sir John Carling of brewery fame, to work the farm. The house's front orients toward the forks of the Thames, which would have provided a wonderful view over the farm fields leading into the town of London. Years passed and the city grew up around this place as it endured for over 150 years. 

Preserving vernacular buildings is just as important as keeping Eldon House and other large, elaborate homes: we don't save nearly enough buildings that represent the working-class person of the day.  A good example of this is the number of plantation houses saved and restored as compared to the slave quarters, even though the humble slave quarters were lived in and represent the lives of many more people.  We should pay special attention to and cherish those rare small buildings from the past that provide insight into the lives of everyday folks.

I applaud the seven councillors who voted to save the Carling Cottage, and thank them for their serious consideration of this important home.  The members of the community who supported keeping the house intact also require recognition for trying to conserve an important property. 

Everyone needs to know that the greenest building is the one already built. Unfortunately, the demolition equipment has arrived and deconstruction is expected to begin tomorrow (December 3), so we must bid farewell to the Carling Cottage.  Maybe you can pick up a piece of history from the rubble and pay tribute to the past inhabitants.

City Council made the right decision on Fanshawe

Earlier today, I submitted a letter to the editor at The London Free Press and London Community News regarding the decision on Tuesday, September 2nd made by our city council to support partial funding for Fanshawe College's expansion into the former Kingsmills building downtown.  I'd like to hear your thoughts on this decision as well!

Congratulations to the current City Council on their decision to invest in London’s core and the future of our city. While there are several steps still left, Tuesday’s vote to approve funds that will help bring Fanshawe College to the Kingsmill’s building is an important one. 

Over the past several months, I have spoken with many Ward 6 residents at their doors. In the past few weeks, this topic has come up more than any other. Some asked for news of the vote when I knocked on their doors Tuesday evening. 

Overwhelmingly, the residents I’ve spoken to see this investment as one that will support a healthy downtown core, and with it, a healthy city. 

The people of Ward 6 know better than almost any others in London about the contribution our post-secondary schools make to the city. Many work, teach, or study at Western University, or work at businesses that serve Western students. 

Growth at Fanshawe College is good news, and the eight councillors who supported it are right to do so. As part of the next council, I plan to increase collaboration with Western and Fanshawe and continue supporting our core. 

Mike Bloxam

Candidate for Ward 6

Let's make some noise!

Thank goodness for today's break from Winter: it gave me the opportunity to swap out the all-seasons for proper winter tires (the November squalls caught me unawares).  If you drive, make sure you have your vehicle properly equipped for our the impending snow and ice.  Today's respite will not last long, so I hope you can take advantage of today's higher temperatures to do whatever needs doing before the snow's return.

In my previous post about the proposed removal of mandatory composting at festivals in Victoria Park, I mentioned that we received much more information beyond that important topic. On the evening of Tuesday, October 22, the Special Events Public Consultation Meeting took place at the Civic Garden Complex.  Scott Stafford and Krista Kearns of the Community Services Department did an excellent job of going over the policies and procedures that will change in the 2013 manual for the 2014 season (with Ms. Kearns's assistant taking minutes). 

Ms. Kearns informed us that 180 events (including road closures and events at off-city property) in London attracted over one million people (locals and visitors) over the past year.  Of those, four events broke the noise policy outlined in section 13 of the manual by exceeding 90 decibels (dB): Rockin' New Year's Eve, Pride London Festival, Sunfest, and Rock the Park.  This means that they lost their $500 security for exceeding the noise level, and left themselves subject to by-law prosecution.

Ms. Kearns also announced that two of the organizers of Rockin' New Year's Eve, Ed Holder and Bruce McGuffin, made a request to have a complete exemption for noise during their event.  The existing exemption for this event reads:

• New Year's Eve Event will be limited to the hours of 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 midnight
• Announcements for the gathering of participants, on your mark, get set go and the singing of the national anthem at sporting events (not sound level not to exceed 90 db between 8 am - 9 am). All other amplified sound (ie: music) could not begin until 9 am)

It sounds like a reasonable request:  a vast majority of folks celebrate New Year's Eve in some fashion.  Music and other exciting noise coming from the bandshell to bring in the new year should pose no threat to anybody's enjoyment of the downtown.

A public participation meeting to discuss the proposed noise exemption (click for report from City staff) for the Rockin' New Year's Eve event at Victoria Park takes place on Monday, December 9 at 7:00 PM (19h00) at the Community and Protective Services Committee meeting, taking place at City Hall.  If you wish to have your input, don't miss this meeting.

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Also of note from this meeting, a gentleman who lives near the river in Blackfriars (making 66% of the audience residents of that neighbourhood - him and myself) suggested that Gibbons Park get used for festivals as an additional option.  Of the 92 days in June, July, and August, Victoria Park hosts events for 44 of those days.  The events schedule allows time (an "administrative week") to give the grounds a chance to recuperate.  Existing turf protection requires replacement, which allows this extended use of the park.

What do you think about opening Gibbons Park to festivals, to either give relief to Victoria Park or to facilitate even more events?

'Our Move Forward' - don't miss it!

After a Thanksgiving weekend accompanied by spectacular weather (our family enjoyed a turkey dinner on my cousin's patio – hope you took similar advantage!), folks made their way back to the grind this morning, perhaps not quite so ready and willing to work off the indulgence of the holiday.  

Though a shortened week, do not forget about your last chance for input into the future of London's downtown:  a shared space for all citizens to live, work, and play.  From 5-7 PM tomorrow (Wednesday, October 16th) at the London Convention Centre, people interested in having their say about the plan for the core of our city will gather from across the city.

The City of London planning division’s invites all interested Londoners to attend and participate in this final community consultation for the Downtown Master Plan.  The content from their e-mail follows:

This event will further explore the proposed plan, the 6 recommended actions and 10 transformational projects found within the Draft Downtown Master Plan. There will be several interactive activities seeking the community's input on the importance and urgency of all the proposed actions and transformational projects. Further information on the Downtown Master Plan can be found here. For those unable to attend there will be an alternate method of participation, details will follow in an additional email after the October 16^th event.

RSVP for the event here, by emailing planning@london.ca or, by calling 519-661-4980

Having as many voices as possible into the direction of our downtown makes for a vibrant, stronger plan.  Hope to see you there!

On a quick end note, you may catch me on Rogers TV's "Daytime" program tomorrow.  The interview will discuss the role of the Advisory Committee on the Environment (ACE), who reports to council's Planning and Environment Committee.

Movers and shakers

What a week Londoners have experienced in the realm of historic businesses.  The Great West Steak House location receives a new lease on life and the Children's Museum searches for a new home, while the Idlewyld Inn closes its doors suddenly and Kingsmills goes up for sale.

The movers

Moving into an historic building:

Local marketing companies rtraction and Atmos Marketing have claimed the former Great West Steak House their new home.  While I had held out hope that a steak house would return some day (oh, the buffet!), having these firms take over this beautiful historic building will breath new life into the SoHo (South of Horton) neighbourhood - even if the building is technically north of Horton (NoHo?).  Great news for the community as the area continues its revitalization.

This grand old building was built in the 1880s by the Great Western Railway as a roundhouse, and the renovations will have as little impact as possible on the historic features of the structure.  Glad to see that they are banning any use of drywall, too.

Read the full story from Metro News.

Moving out of an historic building:

The announcement from the London Children's Museum caused some surprise this week, after inhabiting the former Riverview Public School for over 30 years.  While the search for a new building and the move will likely take two to four years, the building went up for sale on Wednesday.  For a museum that takes in over 80 000 visitors per year, the building has held up well as one of the oldest schools built in London; however, the museum requires more space for visiting exhibits and they have concerns about ongoing maintenance.  Best of luck to them in the search for a new home (McCormick factory, perhaps?).

Here's hoping a new owner keeps the heritage aspects alive and celebrated.  As an aside, two of my aunts attended the school back in the '40s and remember the separate entrances for boys and girls.  They also recall one day when they arrived late and the principal threatened them with the strap.  How times have changed.

Read the full story from Metro News.

The shakers

Dilemma: put up (the "for sale" sign) or shut up (the doors)?

Shock hit the Old South neighbourhood and the city when the Idlewyld Inn announced the closing of its doors on Monday.  Operating as a boutique hotel since 1986, the mansion was originally built in 1878 as a private home for a prominent Londoner, Charles Smith Hyman (businessman, mayor of London, federal cabinet minister, and decorated player of cricket and tennis).  It became an apartment building in the '30s and then a nursing home in the '60s.

A beautiful building with many architecturally significant features, it certainly faces no danger of dereliction or demolition.  A new owner will likely take over the existing business and carry on with the inn - hopefully before any further weddings or other celebrations require relocation.

Read the full story from CTV News.

Downtown jewel up for grabs

Shock of another kind came from downtown, with the announcement that the iconic Kingsmills department store looks for a new owner.  The store opened in 1865, predating the confederation of the Dominion of Canada, and has remained a staple of Dundas Street for generations.  In fact, the store has been owned and operated by five generations of the Kingsmill family throughout its history.

Truly an anomaly in today's globalized economy, many Londoners hope that a beneficial purchaser can take the reigns and continue on with business as usual. Losing this gem would strike at the heart of ongoing downtown revitalization.

Read the full story from Metro News.


Never a dull moment, eh?