Committee approves Charles Billings heritage house partial demolition

Ottawas planning committee has recommended to city council a planto partially demolisha heritage home once belonging to a prominent Ottawa family.

The 160-year-old Charles Billings home on Billings Avenue once belonged to the son of Ottawa pioneers Bradish and Lamira Billings, whose estate a few blocks away is a national historic site.

Last week the citys heritage subcommittee narrowly approved a staff recommendation to demolish 20 per cent of a wing of the storey-and-a-half white clapboard home and add a large addition.

"When did we cross that line? If you have a new foundation, some new siding, new windows, how are we saving a building if there's very little left of what it originally was?"said Sandy Smallwood, a developer and citizen member of the subcommittee, who voted against the plan.

Subcommittee chair and city councillor Tobi Nussbaum voted in favour of the plan, saying the homes historic character will remain.

"The addition was clearly demarcated from the actual building through a breezeway, that meansthe original house sits on its own and has its own visual character and impact,"he said Monday in advance of Tuesday's vote.

Wittthe approval of the planning committee, the proposed partial demolition will next go to city council.

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Committee approves Charles Billings heritage house partial demolition