atty's Pub has submitted an application to the city's Committee of Adjustment for a minor variance to allow them to establish a 78-seat patio in the front half of the adjacent parking lot on the north side of the building. Readers will recall that the pub has a licence from the Ontario Alcohol and Gaming Commission for a 90-seat patio granted last summer after a public hearing where a number of residents opposed the application. This licence - with restrictions prohibiting live entertainment and music on late openings - was contingent on the owner obtaining permission from the city to open the patio.
The proposal does not conform to the current city by-law governing such patios, which explicitly prohibits patios within 30 metres of a residential zone. The applicant is requesting a minor variance from the Committee of Adjustment to reduce the required distance between the patio and the residential zone to 15 metres, a reduction of 50%.
The application is scheduled to be heard at the Committee of Adjustment on Thursday, August 2. In effect, OSCA received just two weeks notice where 6-8 weeks appears to be more typical.This timing and short notice are unfortunate to the say the least. A number of the residents involved in this issue are away on holiday.
OSCA will proceed as follows: As a first step, we will appear at the Committee of Adjustment on August 2 to request a delay in the consideration of the item for the following reasons: 1) The item was controversial and has a long history going back to the spring of 2000; 2) It's the summer holidays and many residents involved are away; 3) The proposal is different from the one originally presented last year; and 4) It is at short notice. We understand that in normal circumstances the committee will grant a delay, probably for about a month (i.e. first week of September), but there is no guarantee.
Second, if no delay is granted we will support the resident's case as presented last summer on the following grounds, among others:
If a delay is granted, OSWATCH will encourage a meeting between the proponent and the residents to allow a full exchange of information. OSCA and the affected residents are fortunate to have the support of councillor Clive Doucet on this issue.
On May 3rd, a fire in the neighbourhood started by an unattended barbecue and strong winds damaged six homes on Aylmer and Carlyle and left over a dozen people homeless. Thanks to the efforts of board member Jennifer Tipper and executive director Deirdre McQuillan, OSCA sprang into action. After talking with several of the fire victims, it became apparent that immediate lodging and cash were the two most pressing problems facing them. With this in mind, OSCA called on the area distributors of the OSCAR to ensure that a pamphlet was inserted into the May edition calling on OSCA residents for assistance.
All told, the community raised over $6,000 to assist the fire victims. Well over half of this amount came from three sources: the Fire Bash organized by Joan and Pat Garvey; a Pansy Avenue street party, and a donation by the OSCA board. That said, we received dozens and dozens of individual donations from residents throughout the community. The community's generosity is just another reason why so many of us would not live anywhere else in the city.
We have now identified the individuals who were affected by the fire (both owners and tenants) and have distributed the funds collected in equal shares.This meant that each person affected by the fire (fourteen individuals in total) received $434. Again, many thanks to all who donated money or helped in other ways. And thanks as well to the Toronto Dominion Bank at Bank and Glen for waiving any bank charges connected with the fund.
Concerning the problem of vehicles driving the wrong way on Cameron Avenue, Board member Rob Burr reported that the solution preferred by City staff is to construct a small median at the intersection of Cameron and Bank with signage on the median warning of a one way street. The objective is to continue the bike lane while discouraging vehicle traffic moving the wrong way on Cameron. The OSCA Board concurs with this recommendation and wrote to the City to communicate its support. In early July, the City Transportation and Transit Committee considered the staff recommendation and agreed with it. OSCA will continue to monitor the situation.
The OSCA web committee, chaired by Sue Potter, received board approval to proceed with the first phase in redeveloping the OSCA website. The board allocated up to $5,500 to achieve a new navigation and site design; an automation of the site to remove the need for a web master; an e-mail list function; an events calendar that community members can contribute to themselves; and a listing of businesses in the community.
Future phases of the redevelopment of the site will include among other things the possibility of on-line registration for OSCA courses, digitization of OSCAR back issues with a search capability and a rewriting of the Essential Guide to Old Ottawa South. We will be looking to a variety of funding sources to accomplish all of this including the city and both federal and provincial governments.
A community-based web developer, Dave Little, will be the contractor for the first phase of work with the web committee consisting of Sue, Robert Burr, Jake Morrison, Carolyn Calvert and Karen Fuller providing overall direction.
We hope to achieve closer co-ordination of the OSCAR and the web site in the short term with a possible fusion, at least in managerial terms, of the two media in the longer term. Convergence will soon be hitting Old Ottawa South!
At its June meeting, the OSCA board confirmed Norma Reveler as the new editor of OSCAR, effective this August.
Of the 10 candidates, Norma was the unanimous choice of the selection committee made up of Doug Stickley, Peggi McNeil and myself. An hour-long interview, a review of written work, reference checks and a short editing and grammar test all made up a rigourous selection process.
On behalf of the board and indeed the whole Old Ottawa South community, we wish you every success, Norma, in this new endeavour. We are proud of our paper and are confident you can make it even more dynamic and interesting.
And finally, I would like to extend to the retiring editor, Peter Hecht, a warm and appreciative thank you for the service you have done for the community over the past nine years as editor of the OSCAR. Peter has graciously agreed to assist Norma for an edition or two as she settles in to her new post.