Overview
The Birch Homes are the southern entry way into Larch Park. The building, landscaping and streetscape will be of the same high standard as the rest of the neighbourhood.
About a third of the lots back onto adjacent ravine/park areas. All are a short walk from the Top of Bank Trail.
Sidewalks are proposed on the west side of the roadway in this area. In addition to the main entry boulevard, a landscaped island is proposed at the end of Mead Court.
Features & Amenities
- Direct access to ravine trail system
- Close to potential future school site
- Quiet local road
Guidelines Specific to These Areas
Note: These Guidelines do not include the RF4 (duplex) zoned lots, #37 thru 62.
Architectural Styles
Capital Modern and Craftsman styles are permitted in this area. Both suit the quality custom design which this area demands.
Front Setbacks
The setbacks have been determined based on a careful consideration of lot depth, lot shape, house type and garage location and are listed in Table 1.
Table 1
| Lot | Front Yard (m) |
Driveway Location |
Garage Type |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block 7 | North of May Road | |||
| 1 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 2 | 6.0 | S | 3 Side | |
| 3 | 6.0 | W | 2 Front | |
| 4 | 6.0 | E | 3 Side | |
| 5 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 6 | 6.0 | W | 2 Front | |
| 7 | 6.0 | E | 2 Front | |
| 8 | 6.0 | W | 2 Front | |
| 9 | 6.0 | E | 2 Front | Walkway |
| 10 | 6.0 | W | 2 Front | Walkway |
| 11 | 6.0 | E | 3 Side | |
| Block 6 | South of May Road | |||
| 1 | 6.0 | S | 2 Front | |
| 2 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 3 | 6.0 | S | 2 Front | |
| 4 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 5 | 6.0 | S | 2 Front | |
| 6 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 7 | 6.0 | S | 2 Front | |
| 8 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 9 | 6.0 | S | 2 Front | |
| 10 | 6.0 | S | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 11 | 6.0 | N | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 12 | 6.0 | S | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 13 | 6.0 | N | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 14 | 6.0 | S | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 15 | 6.0 | E | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 16 | 6.0 | W | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 17 | 6.0 | E | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 18 | 6.0 | W | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 19 | 6.0 | E | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 20 | 6.0 | W | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 21 | 6.0 | E | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 22 | 6.0 | W | 3 Side | Rear overlooks ravine |
| 23 | 6.0 | E | 3 Side | Walkway; Rear overlooks ravine |
| 24 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | Walkway |
| 25 | 6.0 | S | 2 Front | |
| 26 | 6.0 | E | 2 Front | |
| 27 | 6.0 | E | 3 or 2 Side, or 2 Front | |
| 28 | 6.0 | NE | 3 or 2 Side, or 2 Front | |
| 29 | 6.0 | SW | 3 or 2 Side, or 2 Front | |
| 30 | 6.0 | NE | 3 or 2 Side, or 2 Front | |
| 31 | 6.0 | SW | 2 Front | |
| 32 | 6.0 | E | 3 or 2 Side, or 2 Front | |
| 33 | 6.0 | W | 3 or 2 Side, or 2 Front | |
| 34 | 6.0 | E | 3 or 2 Side, or 2 Front | |
| 35 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 36 | 6.0 | N | 3 or 2 Side, or 2 Front | Walkway |
| Duplexes | ||||
| 37 | Walkway | |||
| 38 | ||||
| 39 | ||||
| 40 | ||||
| 41 | ||||
| 42 | ||||
| 43 | ||||
| 44 | ||||
| 45 | ||||
| 46 | ||||
| 47 | ||||
| 48 | ||||
| 49 | ||||
| 50 | ||||
| 51 | ||||
| 52 | ||||
| 53 | ||||
| 54 | ||||
| 55 | ||||
| 56 | ||||
| 57 | ||||
| 58 | ||||
| 59 | ||||
| 60 | ||||
| 61 | ||||
| 62 | ||||
| 63 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 64 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 65 | 6.0 | S | 2 Front | |
| 66 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 67 | 6.0 | S | 2 Front | |
| 68 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 69 | 6.0 | S | 2 Front | |
| 70 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 71 | 6.0 | S | 2 Front | |
| 72 | 6.0 | N | 2 Front | |
| 73 | 6.0 | S | 2 Front | |
Side Yard Setbacks
The minimum side yard setbacks for all lots in this area shall be 1.5m.
Massing and Building Height
To satisfy the vision of lower-profiled homes in a treed setting, the intent of this guideline is to have the upper floors of multi-story homes contained within a large sloping roof.
- Craftsman homes shall have a primary eave line within 4.0m of grade.
- Capital Modern homes shall have a predominant horizontal element within 4.0m of grade. The massing shall be broken into smaller offset planes to reduce the overall presence.
- On walkout lots, the rear elevation shall contain a primary eave line within 7.0m of the rear grade. Unbroken three storey elevations are prohibited.
- Floor areas above front turned garages must be fully contained within the roof line of the garage. In general, floor areas above garages are discouraged; they are energy inefficient due to the large envelope surface area.
High Visibility Elevations & Walkout Lots
- Rear elevations and side elevations fronting public space shall be designed to the same level of detail as the front elevation, including handrails/guards, stonework, etc.
- Support posts for elevated decks shall be consistent with design character of the house and should generally be 10” or greater in dimension. Cantilevered decks are not permitted.
Garages
Design garages to minimize their visual impact from the street. Two types of garage configurations are permitted:
Turned 90 degrees to the street:
- shall have the front facing elevation detailed in a manner consistent with the main body of the home,
- shall have the front elevation articulated with a window, bay, or other architectural feature,
- are limited to those lots indicated in Table 1 above,
- shall be limited to two cars except where Table 1 permits 3 cars. In such instances, the third door shall be set back a minimum of 0.5m from the other two.
Parallel to the street:
- shall be flush, recessed or within 5’ from the main body of the house or the front face of a roofed front porch,
- shall only have two bays, though double depth or tandem garages are permitted, and are limited to those lots indicated in Table 1 above.
We will consider alternatives on a case-by-case basis but generally only when creative efforts are made to minimize the visual presence of the garage.
Driveways
Driveways are to be designed to limit their visual presence from the street:
- Permitted materials: exposed aggregate concrete, cobblestone-like pavers, stamped or patterned, or brushed concrete with a minimum 0.3m border of stone.
- Curvilinear forms are required.
- Only one access point to the street per house.
- Located as per Table 1 above.
Driveways for garages:
- Shall taper to 5.5m at the property line
- May flare out to a maximum 6.0 at the curb
Front Fences
- We encourage and would like to maintain an open feel across the lots. As such, front yard fences are not permitted.
- To maximize the perception of space between houses, side yard fences will only be permitted to start at midway of house, extending to the rear yard.
Rear Fences Provided
In order to enhance the quality of public spaces backing onto lots, the developer will provide 1.8m high black wrought iron fences along all rear or side lot lines backing onto a public reserve, private reserve or park.
Solar Ready
- All homes in these areas shall be solar ready.
- The builder shall offer a solar panel option as an upgrade option.
Maximum House Size
The maximum house size, in square feet, of houses in Birch Homes shall be:
- Bungalow: 2300 sf
- Two storey:
- up to 2 bedrooms: 2500 sf
- 3 bedrooms: 2800 sf
- more than 3 bedrooms: 3200 sf
Walkout level floor areas and bedrooms on the walkout level shall not be included in the above calculations.
Lot Specific Requirements:
Block 7 (North of May Road)
Lots 1 and 5
Lots 1 and 5 shall have:
- porches on the southwest and southeast corners respectively, and
- have equal elevation treatment to the south facing side elevations as per the front.
Lots 6 thru 9
Lots 6 thru 9 have long lots, ranging from 155’ to 163’ deep. They shall:
- have 2m of additional planting in the front setbacks along the boulevard edge, and
- have wide, welcoming front porches.
Lots 9 and 10
Lots 9 and 10 are situated adjacent to inter-subdivision walkways. They shall:
- consider porches on corners facing a walkway and street, or two street faces,
- have an upgraded elevation treatment to these side elevations,
- have larger windows on this side elevation, and
- have ample landscaping in these side yards.
Block 6 (South of May Road)
Lots 1 and 73
Lots 1 and 73 are both corner lots on the main entry road. They shall:
- have a minimum 2.0m deep wrapping porch on the corner facing the entry road, and
- have their garage access of off Mead Court.
Lots 23, 24, 36 and 37
Lots 23, 24, 36 and 37 are situated adjacent to inter-subdivision walkways. They shall:
- consider porches on corners facing a walkway and street, or two street faces,
- have an upgraded elevation treatment to these side elevations,
- have larger windows on this side elevation, and
- have ample landscaping in these side yards.
Lots 31 and 63
Lots 31 and 63 are corner lots that will be highly visible as one navigates this neighbourhood. The homes on these lots shall:
- have corner wrapping porches on the street facing corners,
- consider garage access of off Mead Place,
- have equal elevation treatment to the street facing and rear elevations.
Lots 10 thru 23
Lots 10 thru 23 back onto the ravine. They shall:
- have equal elevation treatment to the front and rear elevations.
Lots backing onto Mactaggart Drive
Lots 1 (blk 7), 24 – 26, 34 - 36 (blk 6) back onto Mactaggart Drive. They shall:
- have upgraded elevation treatment to the rear elevations.
Common Landscape Plan
There is a common landscape plan for the area between the curb and the first 1.5 to 3.0m of each lot. The developer will plant the roadside part of each planting module; builders or homeowners are responsible for the part of each planting module that falls within the lot property line.
Planting List C outlines the plant requirements and also contains illustrations of each module. Ideally, all of the modules will be installed shortly after completion of the asphalt to establish the landscape vision as early as possible.
Builders are responsible for protect any new and existing trees and bushes at all times during construction. Install a protective fence around such trees and remove it only when all construction is complete.
Additional Landscape Requirements
Homeowners will be responsible for any landscaping beyond the modules. Additional landscaping in the front yard area should be from the planting module Planting List C.
The sod area of the front yard shall not exceed 50% of the total front yard landscape area. In lots with side facing garages, the maximum width of sod between the street side of the garage and the shrub beds at the property line shall not exceed 3 meters. Walks built of permeable material may be installed in that area.
In addition to the required planting modules above, the homeowner shall provide the following landscaping:
- A minimum of 4 coniferous or deciduous trees
- A minimum of 2 trees coniferous or deciduous trees in the front yard. Trees shall be 60 mm to 75 mm caliper in size.
- A minimum of 35 coniferous or deciduous shrubs.
- Coniferous and deciduous trees and shrubs species are to be from Planting List D.
- On lots with street facing garages, trees planted in front yards should be staggered within the lot at different setbacks from the gas easement line.
- All planting beds are to be mulched with 75 mm wood chip mulch.
- The area between two adjacent driveways will be planted with perennial groundcovers or low shrubs as noted in Planting List D.