Ottawa’s built heritage subcommittee has approved proposed alterations to two ByWard Market buildings ravaged by a major fire last spring, which include increasing one property’s height to four storeys and introducing more housing in the busy commercial district.
As part of their rebuild plans, the property owners of 35-37 William St. — home to the currently closed Vittoria Trattoria restaurant — want to repair the buildings’ front stone façades and also build a four-storey addition with rental units behind the Italian eatery in the unused rear yard of 62 York St.
The third and fourth floors of the addition would be set back several metres from the William Street façade, according to a report on the proposed alterations, recommended by City of Ottawa heritage staff.
Meanwhile, staff support plans to reconstruct and restore the brick façades of the “severely” damaged adjacent buildings at 41-41 ½ William St. and adding a set-back mezzanine on top of that roof.
The William Street properties have heritage designation under the Ontario Heritage Act, so the owners have to get permission from the city council to make substantial changes to the buildings.
The proposed height of the addition behind Vittoria Trattoria — which sits among two-storey, flat-roofed buildings — generated some concerns during the heritage subcommittee’s meeting on Tuesday.
Public subcommittee member Jennifer Halsall moved a motion asking to limit the addition to three storeys total, arguing that four is “visually incompatible with the historic integrity of William Street.”
Sally Coutts of the city’s heritage department said staff conducted studies of how the addition would look from different views and determined that four storeys doesn’t have an “adverse impact” on the “heritage character” of the ByWard Market.
The property owners originally asked for six storeys and heritage staff refused, Coutts noted.
Halsall’s motion was defeated 5-2, with Halsall and the subcommittee subsequently approved the rebuild plans suggested by heritage staff. The planning committee will consider them next on Feb. 27, before city council.
Domenic Santaguida, co-owner and president of the Vittoria Trattoria restaurants, said he’s “pleased” his application is finally moving forward after months of planning.
“It’s one kind of checkmark out of about 20 before we’re able to put the shovel in the ground and get started with construction,” he told reporters afterward.
“Our main focus is to get the building up and get our restaurant back up and running.”
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The 10 months that have passed since the catastrophic fire have been an “emotional roller coaster,” said Santaguida, whose family business owns the 35-37 William St. properties and co-owns 62 York St.
“It’s been really difficult for us,” he told reporters.
“I suffer from anxiety for the first time in my life. I don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
Asked when he thinks business will resume in his ByWard Market eatery, Santaguida said the restaurant is “realistically” looking at reopening more than one year from now.
The blaze that turned Santaguida’s business upside-down broke out on April 12, 2019 as construction crews were repairing the roof above Vittoria Trattoria.
Ottawa’s fire department and the Ontario fire marshal determined the fire was accidental. According to a statement sent to Global News by the OFM, “wooden materials” in the northeast section of the roof “were ignited by a propane torch used in hot surface applications.”
The blaze also spread to the neighbouring noodle restaurant at 43 William St., Santaguida said. The interior sustained water, fire and smoke damage and had to be “completely gutted,” he told reporters.
Asked whether the alterations for his properties approved Tuesday are what he wanted, Santaguida said he would’ve preferred a taller addition but agrees that four storeys is “a reasonable height” after talking to his consultants and heritage staff.
“More density means more units, more money. But we’re also sympathetic to the needs and climate and the character of the ByWard Market and we don’t want to ruin that,” he said.
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