Un rve pour l'avenir de Chelsea Village

A Dream Future For The Chelsea Village

What do the residents of

Chelsea want ??

A greater diversity of lodging is needed for

Young Families

Persons Living alone

The elderly

New developments should respect the existing heritage and

character without excluding the possibility for creativity in design

An area recommended for increased housing

diversity is the lands owned by Innovation Chelsea

Allow cluster developments where development densities respect overall density allocations

Zone 2: Chelsea Village

The Residents' village

Village Appropriate density
Mixed use
Public park space
Accommodations
Range of housing options including seniors housing
Pedestrian and Cycling friendly
Architectural quality and heritage preservation
Traffic control at intersection

MISSION STATEMENTS:
Provide more affordable housing solutions to enhance the
socio-economic diversity of our community
Fournir des solutions de logement abordable pour amliorer la
la diversit socio-conomique dans notre communaut

Help to create this dream neighbourhood

Contribuer amliorer le quartier et la
communat

2010: A Feasibility Study for a multi-faceted neighborhood

We were almost there:
Findings of study as summarized
in Chelsea Master Plan:

Another area recommended for increased

housing diversity is the on the lands owned by
Innovation Chelsea.
Proposed mix of residential and commercial uses as
well as a heritage market and green spaces that are
compatible with the express vision for the central area
of Chelsea

Answers to may requests from the citizens in

the visioning exercise , mainly by including a
large public space and market place.

2011: Adversity Strikes!

UNBUILDABLE
( min: 40 housing units)

MTQ report designates most of the

train station land as unbuildable.

UNBUILDABLE
(min 80 housing units)

UNBUILDABLE

UNBUILDABLE

Rain storm puts the train indefinitely

on hold.
Chelsea Village stands to lose one of its
most important future economic engines if the steam train doe not run
again.
The community potentially loses an important land mass for the development
of much needed housing solutions.
The community stands to lose a minimum of $400,000 per year in tax revenue due to unbuildable land

Unbuildable

Land Expropriated
for sewage and
water systems

2014: Out of adversity come new community oriented ideas:

A gathering place for Chelsea residents.

A refurbished streetscape based community oriented shops and services
A diversity of housing solutions
A Public transportation hub
A walkable neighborhood
A gateway to our much loved ski trail
Community Gardens

Open air train platform

performance stage

Community Gardens

Covered train platform

performance stage

A Park and Gathering place

Ski/Bike Chalet Inspiration

Heritage market

New commercial buildings

Existing buildings

New Bus Station

Refurbishment of existing
buildings

Diverse affordable housing solutions:

A few examplesBut we can do better

Example of the the look and feel of our

new homes

Architectural Details to suit the community

and the neighborhood

Setbacks from existing buildings

to provide harmony of scale

Ground level
accessibility
Elevations Cascading down
to single-family home scale.

Underground Parking to
Reduce impact of cars on the site.

walking paths to local

services and amenities
Architectural detailing and
features to break up expansive
elevations

Landscaping close to
building to reduce
perception of size.

Design integrity on all

four elevations

Putting it all together:

Affordability, Walkability, Accessibility, Livability, Diversity
Community Gardens

Community Gardens

Train Track Walking

Trail???, or.
New commercial buildings
Existing buildings

Gateway to a refurbished steam train or

Recreational trail

Train track ski trail at the

back door.

New Bus Station

Walking paths to
Freshmart and other local
services and amenities

Housing solutions for a broad spectrum

of our community

Floor plans for a

multitude of housing needs

In harmony with the neighborhood.

Unbuildable
Land

Apple
Orchards

Community
Gardens

In harmony with the surrounding community

Economic Engines supporting the neighborhood : Past, present, and future

Chelsea Village
The Gateway to Chelsea and the Gatineau Hills

A considerable improvement of the

local economy will be required if
this dream is to become reality
(Its happening in Old Chelsea
Why not here? )

A Dream Future for the Chelsea Village

Local Economic Engines supporting the

neighborhood.
Past
Gilmour Mills
Highway 105: entry point to Chelsealost to
Highway 5.
Original commuter train
Harkys garage
Steam train and proposed station development.
lost to land instability.
Present
Freshmart
CLSC building and its businesses
Small businesses: Restaurants, Freshmart,
Hardware store, Auto repair businesses
Local Population.
Future
Synergy provided by an influx of new residents and new businesses into the area willprovide a significant economic engine for
the future of our neighbourhood

BUILDING AND DEVELOPMENT DETAILS

Zoning and Land Stability

A zoning change requested to increase the density of zone 202 in
order to make up for the density lost
in adjacent un-buildable zones

Site Survey

PARKING:
Underground:114
Exterior: 22
Total: 136

Topographical

Sustainability
Social

Environmental

Economic

Diverse housing options to ensure

an ongoing diversity of our socio
economic fabric

Walkable, village environment

with close proximity to public
transit.

Transfer of housing units from unbuildable to buildable land retains the economic value of Municipal taxation base.

Housing options to enable multigenerations of families to continue

to live in the community.

Concentration of density from

unbuildable to buildable lands
allows for additional parkland

Planning and design, including the

creation of a vibrant Main Street
which promotes opportunities for
social casual interaction between
residents.

Goods and services and recreational opportunities with walkable distance

The economic engine of residential

housing supports the provision of new
goods and services for the local population , which in turn supports general investment and beautification of the village, including the creation a financially
viable main street environment.

(85 Applicants for 12 lodging units in the

Farm Point senior home would seem to indicate that we have gone beyond the point of
sustainability)

Multi-unit, low-rise residential

format tends towards fewer cars
per household.

(Old Chelsea s economic engines

include the
Park and the Spa, which support the provision of
services to primarily tourists, which in turn provide the economic incentive for beatification and
improvement of the neighborhood.)

Samples of Community Reaction

Concerns

Community Performance Stage will be a huge disturbance

What types of people will live there?
The size and scale of the project will be a detriment to the community. 40 homes is OK 120 is two much
I would prefer that it was not so close to our house but I understand the need for this type of housing.
If I had my way nothing would be built at all. It would be best as a field - exactly as it is.

Support
Im getting older and I want to stay in the community. Your project will give me that option
Vinyl Village in Wakefield is a great place to live despite what people say about the look and feel.
Im taking a huge chance on this neighborhood and I think that your plans will improve the neighborhood
and thereby improve my chances of success
Community Gardens would be an amazing addition to the community
Could I buy One Dad? I want to stay in this community

Conclusions
Housing diversity is needed to support the socio economic diversity of our community
Housing density will provide an economic engine to support improvments to the
neighborhood
Community planning documents define the needs and provide a guide
If it is truly good for the community, then the community will return its support .

APPENDIX

Affordability:
There has been considerable confusion over the term affordable. Without picking up a dictionary let me take a shot at this:
Affordable : If we were to analyze the social economic spectrum of our community we could determine the profile of the average
Chelsea resident , and from that we could establish what is both affordable and acceptable to that person. Then, if we were able
to build a housing option whereby the average unit was both affordable and acceptable to the average Chelsea resident , then I think
we will have accomplished our commitment to building affordable housing for this particular community.
Of course this does not preclude us from building housing options on both sides of the average including homes that are both affordable and acceptable to people of much lesser, and greater, means than the "average" person. The studio suitable for the young single
guy for example, or the 4 bedroom penthouse unit , with all the frills for that crazy investment banker that weve come to love over the
years. To do otherwise would not only be discriminatory to the unaverage but it would also remove the flavor of diversity from the
community.

The term acceptable used in this assessment is important in the following the sense: I could build a housing unit which would be
both affordable and acceptable in Calcutta India , which would certainly be affordable to a Chelsea resident but clearly would not be
acceptable. Similarly I could build a housing unit in Chelsea that would be both affordable and acceptable to an average Chelsea resident, which would certainly be affordable to a resident of Rockliffe Park but would probably not be acceptable. This is where size
comes in to the equation. People the world over accept a reduction in house size in order to live in an affordable living space in a given
location. That is why you have micro apartments in Tokyo japan, That is why the Smart House development is being proposed in Ottawa, That is why a massive micro chalet condo is being proposed for Mont Tremblant. More importantly that is why I am proposing a
building format which will allow me to offer small units which will be both affordable and acceptable to people who want to live in Chelsea, including but limited to our Children and our seniors , and people who just cant afford to anything else in Chelsea.
Of course there are options other than my proposal. Four-plexes, eight-plexes, etc, etc, but this particular options allows me to offer
units to the largest possible spectrum of our community in balanced way, which is in itself a definition of community is it not?

So there you go, thats my best shot at affordable and that is what we are endeavoring to do with this project. In fact, we would like to
go a bit further by building the average unit a bit under average, in terms of affordability , because we think that over the past few
years average has gotten a bit too rich - and I think that average Chelsea resident might agree with us on that point.

Traffic

Density Placement Comparisons

120 houses on 1/4 acre lots spread over 30

120 condominium apartments

What do the residents of

Chelsea want ??
Most Chelsea residents see the future of
their historic villages grounded in their
past as small rural villages, and are not
looking for radical changes to this small,
rural village character.
Residential and commercial development
must be of a sufficient density for a walkable village.

The scope of the visioning process was

very large, and it did not arrive at consensus on a more detailed level. In particular, densities for the various zones
remain at a conceptual level rather than
recommend specific numbers or ranges.
The results of the visioning process invite further work to move from a broad
vision to more specific directions.
More detailed work would examine feasibility from a sustainable development
perspective, including economic, social
and environmental considerations not
only for the study area, but for the larger
municipality.

A greater diversity of lodging is needed especially for

Young Families
Persons Living alone
The elderly
New developments should respect the existing
heritage and character without excluding the possibility for creativity in design

An area recommended for increased housing

diversity is the lands owned by Innovation Chelsea
Allow cluster developments where development
densities respect overall density allocations

Zone 2: Chelsea Village

The Residents' village
Village Appropriate density
Mixed use
Public park space
Accommodations
Range of housing options including seniors housing
Pedestrian and Cycling friendly
Architectural quality and heritage preservation
Traffic control at intersection

This is a living Document which has and will continue to be revised over time
as conditions changeas evidenced by the updates to date
Update #7 incorporated the landslide risk mapping. This appendix should, ideally, have also included mitigation measures for reclaiming lost housing density, such as the ability to cluster between zones in the affected areas.
While some may view the lost density as a benefit or an opportunity to retain
natural green space, others see it as a lost opportunity to build divers housing
in an important central village land mass.

Options for smaller multiple , smaller, buildings

Why show this when I

have already provided
this information to the
publicespecially when
it is from Brigil

SKIING SKATING AND BIKE CHALET

Markhauser Buildable
Land

Markhauser
Unbuildbable Land

Markhauser
Land

Markhauser unbuildable Land

Major/Meredith
Unbuildable land

New municipal road

with water and sewer
pipes ready to be tapped
accessed for future
development

Major Meredith
Unbuildable land

New Bus Station