Pol Associates Inc.

1589 Richmond Street London Urban Design Brief

William Pol, MCIP, RPP

March 2014

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Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 3

2.0 SPATIAL ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................. 3

2.1 Design Goals and Objectives ......................................................................................................... 3

2.2 Design Response ........................................................................................................................... 4

2.3 Bonus Provisions ........................................................................................................................... 4

2.4 Spatial Analysis .............................................................................................................................. 4

2.5 Site Spatial Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 6

3.0 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN ....................................................................................................................... 8

3.1 Site Design ................................................................................................................................... 10

Building Location ................................................................................................................................. 10

Building Entrances............................................................................................................................... 12

Relationship to surroundings .............................................................................................................. 12

Views to and from the site .................................................................................................................. 12

Vehicular and Pedestrian Circulation .................................................................................................. 14

3.2 Built Form Elements .................................................................................................................... 14

3.3 Massing and articulation ............................................................................................................. 15

3.4 Character and Image ................................................................................................................... 19

3.4 Architectural Treatment ............................................................................................................. 19

3.6 Servicing ...................................................................................................................................... 21

Accessibility and Connectivity ............................................................................................................. 21

Public Transit ....................................................................................................................................... 21

Parking and Service Vehicle Access..................................................................................................... 21

3.7 SWOT Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 22

3.8 Public Realm ................................................................................................................................ 22

3.9 Sustainability Techniques............................................................................................................ 23

4.0 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................. 23

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1.0 INTRODUCTION

On behalf of 1625988 Ontario Limited (Brian Lobaskie owner), Pol Associates Inc. has been retained

to prepare and submit amendment applications to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to allow a 55

unit luxury garden apartment units in a four storey building at 1589 Richmond Street. The property

is located at the southwest corner of Richmond Street and Shavian Boulevard in the City of London.

This Urban Design Brief is submitted in fulfillment of the matters set out in the pre-consultation

meeting with the City of London Planning Division on September 3, 2013 and in accordance with the

Official Plan policies for infilling and intensification.

The purpose of the Official Plan amendment is to change the land use designation from Low Density

Residential to Multi-Family Medium Density Residential including Richmond Street Corridor Specific

policies. The purpose of the Zoning By-law amendment is to change the zoning from Residential R5-

2 and Residential R6-2 to Residential R8-4 (75 units per hectare) with density Bonus (25 units per

hectare) provisions for design characteristics that complement the surrounding residential

community. The information in this report will assist the surrounding community, City of London

Council and City staff in the evaluation of the proposed development.

The application includes three reports Planning Justification Report, Neighbourhood Character

Statement and Compatibility Report and the Urban Design Brief required by the City of London. This

report constitutes the Urban Design Brief and supports the amendment applications specifically the

bonusing provisions for this site. It includes design goals and objectives; spatial analysis and site

spatial analysis in Section 2. The conceptual design for the site; built form; massing and articulation,

character and image, architectural treatment; public realm and heritage are included in Section3.

2.0 SPATIAL ANALYSIS

2.1 Design Goals and Objectives The design goals and objectives are as follows:

Provide a form of housing that is complementary to the existing single detached

dwellings, townhouses, stacked townhouse and apartments to encourage maturing

residents to remain in the Masonville Community.

Provide a form and density of housing that supports the adopted rapid bus transit

corridor along Richmond Street.

Build on the design framework created by the community and City consideration of the

area north of the subject lands on the west side of Richmond Street.

Create opportunities for private grade related outdoor space.

Strengthen the street wall along Richmond Street and Shavian by bringing the building

towards the north east corner of the site without impacting existing mature trees.

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Develop a strong connection from the public realm along Richmond Street and the

proposed building.

Minimize the impact on the surrounding residential uses of the building and parking

areas.

Create a physical barrier between the traffic along Richmond Street and Shavian

Boulevard

2.2 Design Response This proposal responds to the policies, studies and investments for residential infill in strategic locations

along the proposed bus rapid transit corridor. This location considers urban design policies,

transportation policies, official plan policies to support a building form, building massing and

transportation solution for the site and surrounding land uses. The scale and intensity respect the form

and character of surrounding dwellings in height and location on the lot as directed by policy. The

design and form draws heavily on the existing built form on the east side of Richmond and the recently

adopted policies for lands on the west side of Richmond north of Shavian Boulevard permitted 200

units per hectare and six storeys (20 m high buildings). The design response respects the existing

natural vegetation with significant setbacks and minimizes impacts on surrounding land uses.

2.3 Bonus Provisions The bonus provisions are included to recognize the specific design feature which merit additional

density to a maximum of 100 units per hectare. This would allow a maximum of 55 two bedroom

apartment dwellings in one building. Policies in Chapter 11 of the Official Plan recognize the benefits

and bonus provisions for increased setbacks, outdoor landscaped area, underground parking, at grade

private amenity space, high quality exterior design, and green roof\outdoor space. They create a quality

of the design, in keeping with the existing character of the neighbourhood. The translucent staircase at

the corner of the building creates a signature building at this location. These design features are

described in more detail further in the report.

2.4 Spatial Analysis The spatial analysis focuses on the 400 m five minute walk and the 800 m ten minute walk from the site

to surrounding commercial, employment, public transit and recreational opportunities. Figure 1

Neighbourhood Context Map shows these distances from the site.

The site is within a 400 m five minute walk of Masonville Mall a Regional Shopping Centre with a wide

array of consumer products and services; The University of Western Ontario, University Hospital and the

Research Park are major employment centres; and several bus stops along Richmond Street. These

services provide a convenient pedestrian access for the site.

The site is within a seven minute walk of the bus transit hub located on the Masonville Mall lands on

Richmond Street. This transit hub will be the terminus of the proposed bus rapid transit.

ExistingCommercial

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POL ASSOCIATESLand Use Planning ConsultantsPhone: 519-933-5152Email: wpolassociates@gmail.com

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NEIGHBOURHOOD CONTEXT MAP1589 Richmond St

LegendSubject Lands400m Radius800m RadiusParcel Fabric

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2.5 Site Spatial Analysis The existing character of the neighbourhood consists of a variety of residential land uses. The uses are

presented in order of development. The character of the site is shown on the following Figure 2

Neighbourhood Aerial Photo. Lands to the west and northwest are single detached dwellings

constructed near the same time the former single detached dwelling on the subject site. These were

unique designs originally constructed on private services. The residential subdivision built to the south,

consist of two storey dwellings on municipal services. An important characteristic of the neighbourhood

are the mature trees.

Residential townhouse development of four dwelling units are located to the north. This is a small two

storey infill development on the corner of Richmond Street and Shavian Boulevard. The density is

approximately 35 units per hectare.

There are four (4) four storey apartment buildings at a density of 100 units per hectare and 14 m height.

The buildings are sited along Richmond Street and Sunnyside Drive with an internal grade shared

parking area. There is extensive landscaping along the street frontage and a privacy wall.

A four storey apartment building with shared exterior access is located east of the site. The density is

100 units per hectare and a maximum height of 14 m. This project has pushed the building to the south

of the site with a large common grade parking area along Sunnyside Drive and Richmond Streets. The

extensive paved area creates an uninviting pedestrian space along the street frontage.

The subject site will enhance the character of the intersection with a unique entranceway to the

subdivision at the intersection with a translucent four storey stair case that allows residents travelling up

and down to see the traffic pattern, weather and public realm activity from the interior of the building.

The building has limited setback from Richmond and slightly higher setback from Shavian Boulevard to

allow at grade individual access to the apartments and gardens. As per the preliminary tree inventory,

many of the mature trees will be maintained to retain the general character of the community.

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POL ASSOCIATESLand Use Planning ConsultantsPhone: 519-933-5152Email: wpolassociates@gmail.com

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AERIAL MAP1589 Richmond St

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3.0 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN The conceptual design has evolved from the desirability of grade related apartment living with ground

units having privacy space and direct access. Upper units will have intimate balcony space and access to

the rooftop garden area. The four storey design remains low rise comparable to projects on the east

side of Richmond Street. The height will provide transition from Richmond Street to one and two storey

dwellings surrounding the site. The height is softened with the retention of existing mature trees where

possible along Richmond Street and Shavian Boulevard. The following site photos and comparable

photos of a similar mass building on Fanshawe Park Road show the effect of mature trees.

Photos 1: Four and one half storey building on Fanshawe Park Road west.

Photos25: Existing noise walls along Richmond Street north and south of 1589 Richmond Street

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Photo 3: 1589 Richmond Street looking east along Shavian Boulevard

Photo 4: Richmond Street looking north, 1589 Richmond on the left

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The proposed parking is more than 50% underground and located outside of the required yards. The at

grade parking area will be screened with vegetation and a solid fencing material to limit possible impact

of light and noise on abutting lands. The underground parking will not impact the neighbours. The

following is an example of the form and type of buffering.

Photo 5: Potential screening of parking area with walls and vegetation

3.1 Site Design

Building Location

The conceptual site plan is Figure 3 on the following page. There will be one four storey 14 m apartment

building located 6 m from the ultimate widening of Richmond Street and 10 m from Shavian Boulevard

right of way. The intent is to create a street wall and retain the existing mature trees for a more

comfortable pedestrian environment along Richmond Street. The setback on Shavian Boulevard is

intended to maintain the general setback to the west of the site and allow sufficient lands for at grade

access and significant private outdoor amenity space for each at grade unit. This is in keeping with the

character of surrounding residential uses.

The setback to the west and south have been extended to 43 m and 10.5 m respectively to reduce the

potential impact of the building on abutting single detached dwellings. This will improve privacy and

help maintain existing mature vegetation.

POL ASSOCIATES INCLand Use Planning ConsultantsPhone: 519-933-5152Email: wpolassociates@gmail.com

12 | P a g e

Building Entrances

The main building entrance is located on the northeast corner of the building closest to the signalized

intersection of Richmond Street and Shavian Boulevard. It also creates a convenient access from the

building to the sidewalk. This entrance has been enlarged to create a casual outdoor meeting space for

residents and enhance the street connection. The architectural design of the building includes a

translucent stairway and foyer in the building to strengthen the connection between the semi-private

interior space and the public street. The entrance at the rear of the building is located for convenient

access to the grade related parking area and apartment units.

Relationship to surroundings

The building takes advantage of the lot area by reducing the setback along Richmond Street creating a

more inviting pedestrian environment. The building maintains a significant setback along Shavian

Boulevard and to the south to allow grade related access and outdoor amenity space. The setback to

the west is increased to provide for below grade and at grade parking. The retention of existing mature

trees through greater setbacks will ensure the character of the neighbourhood is maintained.

Views to and from the site

The view into the site along Richmond Street will be the translucent apartment staircase, grade related

common room, and apartment balconies. This respects the existing apartment buildings on the east side

of Richmond Street. The view along Shavian will be individual access to grade units; balconies and

mature vegetation to respect the form and character of existing single detached dwellings. The façade

has significant exterior glazing and traditional entrance doors similar to the single detached dwellings.

At the west end will be two vehicular access to the grade and underground parking.

Views from the site will be the Richmond Street corridor from the balconies. At grade apartment units

and private space will view mature trees along Shavian Boulevard and the privacy fencing\mature trees

to the south. The shared rooftop garden area will view the horizon and be limited from looking into rear

yards because of the parapet setback. Two street view perspectives Figure 4 are shown looking west

onto Shavian Boulevard and looking east in front of the site towards Richmond Street.

Street View Perspectives1589 Richmond Street

London, ON

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POL ASSOCIATES INCLand Use Planning ConsultantsPhone: 519-933-5152Email: wpolassociates@gmail.com

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Richmond looking Westalong Shavian

Shavian looking Easttowards Richmond

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Vehicular and Pedestrian Circulation

Pedestrian circulation will be to individual grade units; the main Richmond Street entrance; and the rear

entrance from the parking area. Sidewalks connect each of the entrance ways from existing and future

sidewalk along Shavian Boulevard. All access will be designed to universal access criteria with ramps and

limited use of stairs.

Vehicular access is located at the west third of the property generally opposite the intersection with

Shavian Court. There will be one two way access to underground parking and one two way access to

above ground parking. All parking is located to the west of the site removed from the Richmond Street

and Shavian Boulevard frontage. More than half of the parking is intended to be located below grade.

The grade parking is located more than 5 m from the southerly lot line and 3 m from the westerly lot

line. The grade parking will be screened by opaque landscape barriers and privacy fencing. The existing

mature cedar hedge along the west limit will be retained.

The subject site will enhance the character of the intersection with a unique landmark entranceway to

the subdivision, with a translucent four storey stair case, allowing residents to see the traffic pattern,

weather and public realm activity from the interior of the building. The building has limited setback

from Richmond and greater setback from Shavian Boulevard to allow individual at grade access to the

apartments and gardens. As per the preliminary tree inventory, many of the mature trees will be

maintained to retain the general character of the community.

3.2 Built Form Elements The building addresses Richmond Street with brick and coloured concrete; window glazing; apartment

balconies above grade; an inviting entrance at the intersection; and common interior space at grade.

Along Shavian Boulevard the building takes on a quieter low density quality with individual at grade

entrances and outdoor privacy space, separated by semi-permeable fencing and landscaping. The

building façade is articulated with recessed private balconies; vibrant stone work on the first two levels

and coloured concrete above; generous windows; and exterior definition of each floor.

The street wall along Richmond Street includes building, access and retention of existing mature trees,

and at grade landscaping elements. This is intended to create a pedestrian friendly exterior. There is a

shared outdoor space at the intersection to create a waiting area or informal meeting area for residents.

This will contrast with the traditional setbacks and outdoor privacy space along Shavian Boulevard. The

mature trees will be retained along the property line, while landscaping and semi-private space will be

exposed. This respects the setbacks and use of single detached dwellings on the north side and to the

west.

The rooftop will have mechanical space and a common rooftop garden. The size of the mechanical area

will be minimized and have architectural details to soften the impact. The rooftop garden will be

setback from the edge of the building to prohibit people from viewing into rear yards of surrounding

homes yet enjoy the view to Western University to the south. There will be cornice lines along the roof

to enhance the building form. It will have a darker colour to accent the building.

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The main building entrance and translucent internal staircase at the corner creates a new active

pedestrian connection to Richmond Street. The private entrances are located at grade to individual

apartments on both the north and south sides of the building. This creates a warmer active public space

and amenity along Shavian Boulevard. The entrances are located close to the intersection to create a

strong connection to the street. Individual entrances are provided for each at grade unit similar to

surrounding single detached dwellings.

The building is setback from the west and south and brought close to the north and east. The setbacks

are greater to the single detached dwellings and less nearest Richmond Street the main arterial road.

There will be limited privacy, shadow or visual impacts on the single detached and townhouse dwellings

north of the site due to the 30 m right of way width on Shavian Boulevard; the 10 m building setback;

46.3 m total and retention of the existing trees. There will be limited privacy, shadow or visual impacts

on the single detached dwellings to the south of the site, retaining existing trees creating a visual

barrier; a setback of 25.5 m to the nearest building, more than twice the proposed building height; and

privacy fencing. The single detached dwelling to the west will have limited impact with setbacks in

excess of 45 m from the edge of the building; and existing mature vegetation. Lighting in the parking lot

will be limited to focus on the site and not stray onto abutting lands primarily for security. Accent light

will be provided to identify the building and signage.

3.3 Massing and articulation The building massing is four storeys with a flat roof line accented by a low parapet fence defining a roof

top garden. Building elevations for the wide façade (north and south) and the narrow façade (east and

west) Figures 5 and 6 follow. Each of the floors is defined through a subtle colour definition at the floor

level. The articulation of the building is created through indentations for at grade privacy space and

balconies on the upper floors. The building is pulled close to the Richmond Street frontage to engage the

public realm while the Shavian Boulevard setback allows for individual unit access, at grade privacy

space and retention of existing mature trees.

The architectural form of the building is intended to complement the existing single detached dwellings

and the surrounding low rise apartment buildings. The brick façade on the first and second floors

transitions to a coloured concrete finish on the upper floors reinforcing the surrounding brick and siding

exteriors. The colours are beige\grey\sand that are similar to surrounding single home styles yet

distinctive in texture and from the nearby apartment styles.

The height and location of the building on the north side of the lot minimize the potential shadow

impacts that are mitigated through the retention of mature vegetation. Figure 7 Cross Sections shows

building to street ratios of 1:4 for Richmond Street and 1: 3 for Shavian Boulevard. These ratios are

acceptable for a local street where the building can be seen in one view. The scale of the building is

addressed through a rhythm of individual grade access (seven on each side), projections and recesses

that articulate the building. The balconies are recessed to create individual privacy and limit views into

private outdoor space. Overall the massing and articulation of the building are suitable for this location

creating a transition from the apartments along Richmond to the low density residential to the west.

1589 Richmond StreetSouth Elevation

1589 Richmond StreetNorth Elevation

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POL ASSOCIATES INCLand Use Planning ConsultantsPhone: 519-933-5152Email: wpolassociates@gmail.com

1589 Richmond StreetEast Elevation

1589 Richmond StreetWest Elevation

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POL ASSOCIATES INCLand Use Planning ConsultantsPhone: 519-933-5152Email: wpolassociates@gmail.com

12.0m 3m 33.8m 4.2m 73.0m 7.4m6.0m 16.9m 10.3m

ProposedApartment Building

North ViewScale 1:500

Cross Sections 1589 Richmond Street, London, ON

East ViewScale 1:500

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POL ASSOCIATES INCLand Use Planning ConsultantsPhone: 519-933-5152Email: wpolassociates@gmail.com

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3.4 Character and Image The proposed building complement the image of Richmond Street with a height and massing similar to

the four storey apartments on the north east and stacked townhouses on the north west corner with

Richmond Street. Figure 8 shows a rendering of the building on the northeast façade. The buildings

help to reinforce the street wall along Richmond. The buildings also create a transitional element

between the approved six storey buildings with significant mass further north on Richmond Street and

the single detached dwellings to the west and south. The visual components, colour, translucent

staircase all create an architecturally interesting building adding character to the site and

neighbourhood.

3.4 Architectural Treatment The style of the building is modern with clean lines that define the units and floors. There are generous

glazing with transom glass panes above main windows. The materials are brick façade for the base and

coloured concrete for the upper storeys. The building colours are a beige\grey\sand and complement

the colours of surrounding single detached dwellings and the apartment buildings. The architectural

treatment will be refined as the project progress.

Window treatment includes articulation of large glass with transom definitions. All of the foyer and

staircase will have a light grey\blue translucent colour to provide connection to the street and retain

resident privacy.

Lighting will be minimized to security and safety around the perimeter of the building. Limited lighting

will be provide on the roof top open space to allow night time passive use. The open stair case will add

visual interest with a soft light to complement the colour of the brick.

Signage is limited to street numbers on a pedestal sign located near the entrance. There will be

illumination of the sign at night. The building itself will become an entrance landmark into the

neighbourhood.

1589 Richmond StreetSouthwest Corner of Richmond St. and Shavian Blvd.

London, ONPOL ASSOCIATES INCLand Use Planning ConsultantsPhone: 519-933-5152Email: wpolassociates@gmail.com

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3.6 Servicing This section describes the transportation servicing context for the proposal. It includes vehicular,

pedestrian, cycling and persons with disability connection to and from the site. It presents the

availability of public transit and other access requirements for the site. The location of the site at the

intersection of an arterial road and local street with traffic signals provide a high level of convenience

and safety for all modes of transportation. This is presented on Neighbourhood Context Map showing

the 400 m and 800 m radius from the subject site.

Accessibility and Connectivity

The site has excellent accessibility and connectivity to the adjacent neighbourhood, community facilities

and destinations. Shavian Boulevard is a local street with low volumes and low traffic speeds; Richmond

Street is an arterial street with high volumes and moderate traffic speed. Richmond Street and Western

Road have sidewalks on both sides and a cycling path is located on Western Road. This street system

provides convenient safe access to Masonville Mall to the east, UWO Research Park, University Hospital

and Western University to the south. There is sufficient road capacity to accommodate the potential

vehicular, pedestrian, public transit and cycling traffic anticipated from the proposed development. The

building and site design are intended to have minimum grades to facilitate universally accessible design

for all modes of low speed and assisted pedestrian movement.

Public Transit

The site has excellent access to transit. The existing public transit infrastructure consists of six bus stops

within 400 m and the Masonville transit terminal within a 500 m walking distance. There are four bus

routes located on Richmond Street: Wellington 13\ Medway 34\ Wonderland 10\ and Dundas 2. In

addition the express route to Downtown is available at the transit terminal. Combined there is a high

level of convenient access to public transit from this location encouraging the use of transit. This will

benefit the implementation of the Transportation Master Plan and reduce the impact of private vehicle

traffic from this site.

Parking and Service Vehicle Access

All service locations will remain independent of the surrounding properties. All vehicular access will be

shared and two shared access at the east and west ends of the building. Parking will be underground

and above ground with the majority being below grade. There will be one shared access to the

underground parking controlled with a garage door card access; and one shared driveway access to the

above ground parking area. Service area for moving, garbage, and utilities will be located on the west

side of the building out of view from Richmond Street and screened from view along Shavian Boulevard.

Combined the features of the site including setbacks, form, landscaping, design and servicing respects

the character of the surrounding neighbourhood. The proposal creates a transition from the high traffic

intensity along Richmond Street to the interior of the single detached subdivision. Effectively, the

building will mitigate the noise and light impacts from this arterial road.

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3.7 SWOT Analysis i) Strengths

The site is a large vacant underutilized parcel of land

The site is vacant with no physical building constraints

The proposed development completes development at the intersection of Shavian

Boulevard and Richmond Street

The site is well located in proximity to urban shopping amenities

The site has excellent access to an existing transit hub and transportation corridor

The site is surrounded by mature trees providing amenity to the site

The proposed development implements existing design policies of the Official Plan

The site has signalized intersection for convenient street access

ii) Weaknesses

There is a variety of architectural building forms and lotting patterns in the

neighbourhood

Some of the mature trees are ash and dying from emerald ash borer

High traffic volumes and noise barriers reduce the amenity of the public space

The site is subject to excessive storm water runoff from development to the north

iii) Opportunities

The site has excellent potential to promote residential intensification

The conceptual design offers a housing form which is not currently available in the

community.

The site has significant street frontage to create connections to the public realm

The designation of the Richmond Street Bus Rapid Transit system will create

convenient access to Downtown London.

iv) Threats

Proximity to Western University has the potential to generate numbers of transient

residents changing the character of the area

Potential concerns by surrounding residents regarding new development on the site

3.8 Public Realm The public realm will be enhanced by bringing the entrance close to the intersection Shavian and

Richmond Street. The pedestrian entrance will be the predominant feature at the intersection creating

connections between the interior of the building and the public realm. A focal point of the design is a

translucent staircase that moves from the foyer to the fourth floor allowing residents and the public to

connect. Furthermore the proposal includes common rooms with translucent windows along the

ground floor of the Richmond Street frontage to further animate the public realm. This is in contrast to

the noise wall to the north and south of the property which effectively isolate the pedestrian traffic.

Finally the building itself creates animation with the strong stone foundation; projections and recessions

throughout the building. The retained mature trees will bring movement with the leaves and colour as

the trees change through the seasons.

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Along Shavian Boulevard the outdoor privacy space will provide for animation with residents enjoying

the space and accessing their units from the future sidewalk along the street. Vehicular access is limited

to two points at the westerly end of the site. This will reduce the potential conflict between the

pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

3.9 Sustainability Techniques The project supports sustainability through a transportation system supporting public transit and pedestrian access to many shopping, employment and service opportunities within a 5 and 10 minute walk. The requested density is needed to support the bus rapid transit system reducing carbon emissions. The roof top open space replaces the need for extensive active at grade space allowing the retention of existing trees. The roof top vegetation reduce the need for storm water management. Consideration of LEED certification has been discussed and will be decided when the project progresses towards construction.

4.0 CONCLUSIONS Based on the above review and consideration of the conceptual design, public realm,

character\architectural treatment and SWOT analysis, the proposed project fulfills the identified

objectives for urban design, is in keeping the residential character of the neighbourhood and is

compatible with surrounding uses. The proposed scale, massing and urban design exceeds normal

expectations in a Residential R8-4 zone and is appropriate for zoning density bonus to 100 units per

hectare in accordance with the associated Multi-family Medium Density Residential Official Plan policy.