Category: little Italy

little Italy, Preston street

The Luigi

Westsideaction

I note in today’s paper the recent demise of His Tremendousness, Giorgio Carbone, the elected prince of the principality of Seborga — (Bing it!) What caught my interest was the name of the coin of the realm: in addition to the Euro, they had the Luigino. Hmm. Given the popularity of Luigi, spokescharacter for Preston Street, who had locals and tourists alike posing for pictures with his sign likeness, and who enjoyed a certain popularity with the light-fingered, perhaps the Preston BIA should mint its own currency, the Luigi. Make it a 25c or dollar coin, use it for change at … Continue reading The Luigi

855 Carling, Bayview-Carling CDP, infill, intensificatioin, little Italy

Condo mania on OTrain corridor

Westsideaction

The issue of Ottawa Business Journal (OBJ) out this past week has a major story on the development pressures along the Carling-Bayview OTrain corridor, parallel to Preston’s trendy Little Italy. They interviewed me (tiny bit, amongst more illustrious others) following my postings about developments at the Champagne/Hickory/Carling area. You can read their story at http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/295971895949675.php Last week I attended the Civic Hospital Neighborhood Assoc meeting. First item was the new development by Domicile at the corner of Hickory and Champagne Avenue (shown below). The site is now a one storey industrial building, and is zoned for 4 storey redevelopment. A month or so ago, … Continue reading Condo mania on OTrain corridor

infill, little Italy, Preston street

Preston Infill

Westsideaction

This infill on Preston is rapidly being enclosed for winter completion. The window pattern is pleasing. There are two storefronts on the ground floor and six apartments above. The top floor is stepped back from the lower floors, which reduces the building bulk. It doesn’t look like the flat roof on the second floor will be balconies/terraces, though, which seems a missed opportunity. Continue reading Preston Infill

little Italy, Preston street

Who Needs a Building Permit?

Westsideaction

Another stop work order on a renovation on Preston Street. The upstairs has been gutted, new firewalls built, wiring and plumbing … who would have thought a permit was necessary? I gather the old Paradise water garden store will become an Indian grocery store. Do renovators just try to do things without a permit to “beat the cost” of buying a permit? Or is to avoid the “rules” that might be in place (like zoning, permitted uses, FSI, etc) by hoping an as-built will get the go ahead that might not be possible for an application made in advance? Or … Continue reading Who Needs a Building Permit?

little Italy, Preston street

The Little Park that could (n’t?)

Westsideaction

Several previous posts have featured this little garden strip at 301 Preston, immediately north of the Queensway in Little Italy. It was installed several years ago when part of the playing fields at Commerce / Adult HS were removed and paved over as pay parking lot. During the construction of Preston, I have seen giant steel trench boxes, outhouses, lumber, hoses, tools, you name it, all stacked or dumped on the garden. Yet each time the junk was removed, the garden plants (lillies, grass, few shrubs) resurrected themselves.  This last set of damage is more fatal. Whole sections of garden were … Continue reading The Little Park that could (n’t?)

little Italy, parks

Smells like Lawyers

Westsideaction

St Mary school was one of the Little Italy and Civic Hospital neighborhood english-catholic french-immersion grade schools for west siders. My daughter went there (that was years ago…). The school was small, but attracted a local clientele and was not closed in part because the alternative catholic school was not perceived by parents as being an attractive choice. Over time, the board eroded the school, removed the french-immersion program, and eventually managed to kill the school. It is now a teacher ed centre, I think. The building sits on a huge block also occupied by another school building (rented out to … Continue reading Smells like Lawyers

little Italy, Preston street, streetscaping

Landscaping takes root on Preston

Westsideaction

One of the true joys of the new streetscaping on Preston street in Little Italy is the abundance of landscaping. The architect has done a marvellous job of squeezing in hundreds of trees (many of small mature size, to fit into small pockets of space) and generous shrub beds. This bed was installed in the spring 09 on part of the street already rebuilt. The rich green shrubs in the foreground are backed up by bright red taller shrubs in the back. This is a pattern repeated in a number of blocks along the street, and is rich in colour … Continue reading Landscaping takes root on Preston

little Italy, Preston street, streetscaping

LaRoma patio

Westsideaction

La Roma restuarant on Preston Street in the heart of Little Italy applied to the committee of adjustment to open a patio on the small rear upper deck of the premises, facing the residential portion of the side street. It was approved by the CofA for a 12 seat deck, provided they put up a higher fence (the original metal railing is visible) and allow patron access only from the interior, not the firestairs. Meanwhile, millions of dollars of your water bill payments are being spent to redo Preston Street at the front of the building, where the restuarant has … Continue reading LaRoma patio

little Italy, Preston street, streetscaping

Specimen Testing on Preston Street

Westsideaction

I know an Olympic medal triathlete who complains not about the training, the odd hours, the inhospitable facilities, etc, but about the random pee tests. The testers come any day, any time, although she thinks they have a preference to come Saturday nights right after she has just had a potty break. Then they get to sit around for an hour in her apartment while she drinks water until they can observe her fill a specimen bottle. Sidewalks and curbs on Preston Street also undergo specimen tests. Here are three containers of concrete taken from sidewalk pours on Preston at the … Continue reading Specimen Testing on Preston Street

little Italy, Preston street

“Cafe” update on Preston

Westsideaction

The house conversion at 424 Preston to a “cafe” continues. Notice that since the pictures last week, the front foundation wall has been insulated and back filled, and insulation placed on top of the new floor. The presence of rebars suggests that concrete stairs and and concrete floor are to poured in place. This foundation finishing work has all been done since the photo posted last Friday which clearly shows the paper in the front window. The paper in the window is a city “stop work” order, as the renovation lacks building permits, approvals, etc. A portion of the interior … Continue reading “Cafe” update on Preston

intensificatioin, little Italy, Preston street

Infill Mixed Use development

Westsideaction

Watching construction on Preston Street itself is further complicated by the similtaneous construction of this infill mixed-use development. There will be storefronts along the Little Italy widened sidewalk, and six apartments (rentals) above. The building is steel frame with wood construction. Along with the camera-person, there was the usual collection of sidewalk superintendants out all day, every day, ensuring that someone else gets to work. And there is lots to see. This photo shows a three-wheeled fork lift that came piggy-backed on the long flatbed truck, it has picked up a load of floor trusses and is carrying them over … Continue reading Infill Mixed Use development

little Italy, Preston street

Another house becomes a “cafe”

Westsideaction

The conversion of residences to commercial continues in Little Italy. This house has had its front yard blown out and an enlarged basement put in. Presumably some new building will appear on top of the new foundation. I hear it will be another “cafe”, a number of which exist already on Preston Street. I am especially amused by the cafe’s that do so little visible business during the day but draw curtains over the windows and seem to be busy well into the night. In the picture above, the black landscaping fabric is being installed in excavations being dug for tree planting … Continue reading Another house becomes a “cafe”

little Italy, Preston street, streetscaping

More Concrete Progress on Preston Street in Little Italy

Westsideaction

On the residential portions of Preston Street the streetscaping is less fancy. A monolithic (one piece) concrete sidewalk + curb is poured in one go using wooden forms that were pegged in place a few hours before. The old lampposts are now in the middle of the new sidewalk. They won’t be pulled out until the new lamp posts with efficient “shoebox” overhead light fixtures and lower level decorative lighting fixtures are connected and working. Until then, the missing concrete squares will be filled with temporary asphalt patches. Then in Spring 2010, at the same time as the crosswalks are … Continue reading More Concrete Progress on Preston Street in Little Italy

little Italy, Preston street

Preston Street

Westsideaction

Until those new sidewalks are completed, pedestrians take their life in their hands to pick their way through the muddy construction sites to reach their homes or schools. I am constantly amazed at how fast drivers go through the utter chaos that is Preston Street — one lady I saw yesterday was actually dialing her cell phone while driving too fast through the Gladstone-Preston intersection which was being dug up for the 45th time this year. Continue reading Preston Street

little Italy, Preston street, streetscaping

Concrete Progress on Preston Street in Little Italy

Westsideaction

In the commercial parts of Preston Street the sidewalks will consist of pavers and concrete squares, so curbs are poured first and the walks built later. Where parking insets are provided, the drainage continues to catch basins along a “flat curb” that helps define the travelled portion of the street (sometimes streets with bulb outs get visually confusing to motorists), and keeps water accumulation away from the sidewalks and snow-blocked road edges. Metal stakes with a string are placed with the aid of survey equipment. The curb placement will be about 2m outside the string line. The new streetscaping will provide … Continue reading Concrete Progress on Preston Street in Little Italy

DOTT, LeBreton Flats, little Italy, LRT, Preston street

DOTT plans affect west side residents (i): Preston St

Westsideaction

The city will hold an open house on Monday afternoon for the “final” recommended plan for the downtown Ottawa transit tunnel and LRT line from Tunney’s to Blair. It has a number of modifications and changes from previous editions of the plan. As somewhat expected but never expressed in previous versions of the plan, it has proven too difficult to keep the Booth/transitway intersection open during the construction period. Recall that the new station will be directly under Booth Street. The new Booth  will be elevated onto an overpass that crosses the LRT line and the aquaduct. It is simply not … Continue reading DOTT plans affect west side residents (i): Preston St

infill, little Italy, Preston street

Foundations when ground is soft

Westsideaction

Preston Street is the former runoff route from Dow’s Great Swamp down to the Ottawa River at Nepean Bay, until Colonel By built the dam that QE Driveway runs along the top of. This means significant portions of the ground along Preston are peat or soft materials. At the site of a new three storey infill on Preston (six apts above 3 retail) crews bored supporting pipes deep into the ground. The pipes were cut off at the same level down in the future basement. A concrete “box” was poured in place on top of each post. Gravel was poured … Continue reading Foundations when ground is soft

little Italy, Preston street

Philip Craig, artist

Westsideaction

While reading the October 09 issue of Cdn House and Home magazine, I noticed in their article on redecorating an historic showhome in Toronto there was a painting hung above a fireplace that looked vaguely familiar. I may never have seen the painting before, so it was probably the style of the artist. Sure enough, the sidebar credited the painting to Philip Craig. He has his studio just off Beech Street in Little Italy. If you visit his studio, the entrance is off the to left side of the building in an alleyway. The artist’s loft is everything a loft … Continue reading Philip Craig, artist

Dalhousie, little Italy, Preston street, sewage and drains

Recall all those “raw sewage in the River” stories?

Westsideaction

The media has had a field day with stories of raw sewage being dumped into the Ottawa River from ancient sewer control points, a number of which date from the late 1800’s. Typically, the focus is on the obvious: raw sewage. Ignored is why those sewage facilities are over a hundred years old. My view is that successive councils have favoured glamorous higher profile spending projects that buy them favour with select voting groups. The go for the glitz, they delay and postpone the core civic expenditures. Hello Walkerton, decades of not-upgraded water works, cosy featherbedding, porkbarrelling, etc. At the corner … Continue reading Recall all those “raw sewage in the River” stories?

Dalhousie, little Italy, somerset street

The Grapes are Coming

Westsideaction

Life in Dalhousie is never dull. As seen on Somerset Street, just west of Preston, another tractor trailer load of California grapes is unloaded by Silvano Musca, owner of Musca Wine Supplies. The grapes are crushed into juice on the premises, and sold directly to customers to ferment into artisanal wines. Some grapes are kept in huge drive-in refridgerated rooms for use later. Wine making is especially popular with the many Italian families that have traditional ties to Dalhousie and the Little Italy neighborhood, most obviously along Preston Street. Continue reading The Grapes are Coming