On August 15th the Urban Design Panel unanimously supported a proposal to construct a 6-storey infill building at 1862 Barclay Street in the West End. The project would seek the retention of the existing Mason Residence on the site and seek a heritage designation, and it would be built within existing RM-5B zoning. A new six storey infill building would be constructed between the existing residence and the laneway.
Further details on the project will be available at a public Open House scheduled for September 6th from 5-8pm at the Best Western Sands Hotel at 1755 Davie Street. The Development Permit Board has scheduled to review the proposal on October 22nd.
The additional 5 units on the site in the infill building would be top of 2 units in the existing residence; 5 parking spaces would also be provided onsite. The overall density of the project is 2.5FSR, of which 1.93FSR would be in the new infill building. Current zoning permits a maximum conditional 1.5FSR; however, there are provisions in the zoning that allow extra density in return for a Heritage Revitalization Agreement (HRA). The proposal seeks to restore and retain much of the Mason Residence. It’s expected that part of the discussion will be around whether an extra 1.0FSR in density is warranted in exchange for the HRA (for example, the amount of work required in the restoration and the true heritage value of the building). Merrick Architecture has done a commendable job in working to mitigate the impacts of the infill building on the surroundings and to fit the new construction mostly within the height allowed in the outright zoning envelope. The discussions by the UDP were mostly centred around minor issues such as the elevator shaft detailing, and not on the actual siting or on the volume of the infill building.On the narrow lot, the infill building would be built on the property line to the east and west, and back right onto the laneway to the south. The existing Mason Residence would not be moved, in order to preserve the relationship the building has from Barclay Street. Part of the existing building at the rear of the property would be removed (see illustration below). The applicant team also includes Donald Luxton and Associates (Heritage Density Bonusing) and Durante Kreuk Limited (Landscape Architecture).
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