Download - SW Westmount OCT
VICTORIA VILLAGE
URBAN ANALYSIS
Study area
Historical evolution
Analysis of the urban fabric
Existing by-laws
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT 1875 - 1910 - 1950 - 2010 plan of 1834
1. Subdivision of farm land, first streets plan of 1879
1. Subdivision of farm land
Hurtubise farmhouse, 1739
Côte-St-Antoine & Victoria
Decaris farmhouse, c1700
Côte St-Antoine and Vendôme
2. Development of a neighbourhood near the train station plan of 1907
2. Development of a neighbourhood near the train station
3. Development of the urban environment plan of 1949
3. Development of the urban environment
Dent Harrison & Sons’ bakery on Prince-Albert, in the 1920s
The Pickwick Arms, 1926
4. Transformation of the urban environment plan of 2011
4. Transformation of the urban environment
Housing on the site of the bakery, 1981
Château Maisonneuve, 1965
ANALYSIS OF THE URBAN FABRIC
1. Streets
2. Building lots
3. Buildings
4. Open spaces
1. Streets
Main street
Sherbrooke - 20m
Main street
Victoria - 18m
Local street - 9m
Closed perspective
Lane - 4m
Two-way bike path
De Maisonneuve
Curb + lane divider
St Catherine
2. Building lots
Ocre : typical lots
Blue : replotting
Green : subdivisions
Rhythm of 7m lots corresponds to pedestrian scale
and to commercial vitality
Typical sequence above vs sequence lost
Sequence applied for vehicles rather than for pedestrians
3. Buildings Building types Building uses
Building types Free-standing house : four exterior walls Semi-detached house : one party-wall and three exterior walls Row-house : two party-walls and two exterior walls Apartment block : Common entrance to all housing units High-rise apartment / office building : Common entrance and various amenities in high-rise
Building types Mixed use : commercial ground floor with housing units or offices above Commercial : commercial activities on all floors Office building : offices on all floors Office high-rise : offices on all floors of a high-rise Train station : CP beginning 1900s
Building uses
Building types vs building uses
Green streetscapes /yards
(trees and grass)
Mineral streetscapes / yards
(concrete and asphalt )
Parking lots
Parks and squares
Open space
Green streetscapes (grass and leafy front yards) Mineral streetscapes (concrete or asphalt pavements)
Open space : streets
Open space : streets
Vehicles vs pedestrian comfort : road width and street furniture (streetlamps, pavement, trees, etc)
Open space : parking areas (back yards & parking lots)
Back of commercial lots on Victoria Supermarket parking lot on Victoria
Back of commercial lots on Sherbrooke Municipal parking lot on St Catherine
Open space : public spaces (squares, parks and play areas)
Public square in front of train station Small park on York & St Catherine
Somerville children’s play area Future public square, Sherbrooke & Prince-Albert
1. Esso gas station
2. Metro supermarket
3. 4898, De Maisonneuve
4. 21-25, Somerville
5. Old train station
6. York parking area
7. St Catherine Street
Sites to redevelop
ESSO STATION
Gas station use is forbidden in this area
Commercial corner lot : Sherbrooke and Grosvenor
Close to residential area
FAR 1 - 3 : Max height 4 stories or 45ft (13,7m)
Provisions for site coverage - minimum setbacks
Visibility on two commercial streets : Sherbrooke and Victoria
Very large site in commercial zone, close to residential back yards
FAR 1 - 3 : Max height 4 stories or 45ft (13,7m)
Provisions for site coverage – minimum setbacks
METRO SUPERMARKET
Lot in residential zone with building to renovate or replace
Very close to Vendôme metro station
FAR 1 - 4, 40% site coverage, max height 35ft (10,6 m)
4898, De MAISONNEUVE
Buildings with porte cochère passage leading to a very deep lot , unique in the area
Residential zone next to commercial area of Victoria Street (along with next door restaurant & shop)
FAR 1-4, 40% site coverage, max height 35ft (10,6m)
21 - 25 SOMERVILLE
Mews-like intimate scale of backyard enclosure Neighbouring Visual Arts Center : Centerpiece of the village
but with opaque street frontage on Somerville
21 - 25 SOMERVILLE
OLD TRAIN STATION
Architect W.S. Painter, 1907, heritage building, property of Westmount
Located in front of a public square, at very southern end of Victoria Street
Public parking nearby
HP zone : public square or park and exhibition centre, heritage interpretation center
Commercial + residential lot of the Château Maisonneuve , built to zoning capacity
Parked cars are visible from York Street and beyond
Mineral environment, very little landscaping
YORK STREET PARKING LOT
Residential street designed like a throughway : width, concrete lane divider, oversized lamp posts, few trees
ST CATHERINE STREET
Multiple backyards and a municipal parking lot face the northern side of the street
ST CATHERINE STREET
EXISTING BY-LAWS
1. Planning Programme
2. Zoning by-law (by-law 1303)
3. Site Planning and Architectural Integration Programme (by-law 1305)
Planning Programme (2008) Development policies , such as - Maintain vitality and village character of
commercial and business areas largely attributable to architectural heritage
- Conserve the quality of the built environment Urban planning issues, such as - Limit expansion of commercial zones - Improve conditions for pedestrian traffic
Land use
Zoning by-law
Shows permitted types of buildings and
uses in specific areas
R = residential
C = commercial
P = park
HP = exhibition center + park - Interruption of commercial areas on Victoria - Commercial type changes along De
Maisonneuve ( offices ) - Gas station is not permitted according to
zoning - Number of restaurants is limited in area - Commercial floor areas are limited - Conversion of housing to commercial use is
also limited
Site Planning + Architectural Integration Programme (1995) 4 character areas ( 20, 27, 28, 39 ) Aims to preserve architectural and urban features of
significant buildings and areas Contains criteria and guidelines to ensure quality of
transformations, additions, new buildings Review committee