The Blog

Yesterday morning the City of Ottawa’s Planning Committee unanimously endorsed my proposed renovation and addition to 205 Crichton Street.  (Download the Planning Committee Agenda for April 22, 2014.) This is the third of four levels of approval in the City of Ottawa’s Heritage Permitting process.  The first came from City Heritage Planners in their report concerning the project, issued a week before the Built … Read More

A City of Ottawa Heritage Permit application moves through a four stage process of review: (1) City Heritage Planners recommend to the (2) Built Heritage Sub-Committee who recommend to the (3) Planning Committee who recommend to (4) City Council whether or not they should: “Approve the application, subject to approval of minor variances by the Committee of Adjustment, per plans submitted by Vert Plan Design … Read More

While picking up a coffee at my local Bridgehead, I also picked up a copy of the New Edinburgh News.  Within its pages (April 2014, pages 4, 5 and 9) the NECA HDC revealed their opinion of my proposed renovation and addition to 205 Crichton Street. I am disappointed that the NECA HDC did not choose to work with me … Read More

Over a month has passed since my meeting with the NECA HDC and I have yet to receive any feedback from the committee.  (Having served on committees similar to the NECA HDC in the past, I am well aware of the challenges associated with relying upon volunteers to work at the pace of a professional organization.)  Although I would have … Read More

In the last 4 months planning and design for a renovation and addition to 205 Crichton Street have continued at a fervent pace.  More than 30 editions of the project’s CAD (computer aided design) file have been produced, with the majority created since October 2013. Although consultation with the City of Ottawa heritage planning staff was begun in early 2012, … Read More

“The only constant is change.“ (Heraclitus, philosopher, 540 – 480 BC) Over the course of the last two years my personal needs for a living space have changed.  In March of 2012 my first daughter Everleigh was born.  In March of 2014 my second daughter will join us.  Although our current home in New Edinburgh will continue to provide us … Read More

Having been a former railway siding, the potential for contamination was significant in the very limited growing area available at ground level around 279 Crichton Street.  The desire to grow food within 10 metres of where it is consumed on a dense urban lot, was satisfied by elevating the garden to the roof top.  The building below had been designed to support … Read More