Stationary Noise Assessment Orléans Gardens Ottawa, Ontario REPORT: GWE15-053 Stationary Noise Prepared For: Prepared By: Michael Lafortune, Environmental Technologist Joshua Foster, P.Eng., Associate June 22, 2015 127 Walgreen Road, Ottawa, Ontario K0A 1L0 T (613) 836-0934 www.gradientwind.com
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This document describes a stationary noise study performed for a proposed commercial development comprising a tenant fit-up for one commercial retail unit, Starbucks coffee shop, in the existing Orléans Gardens Shopping Centre at 1615 Orléans Boulevard in Ottawa, Ontario. The site is located near the intersection of Orléans Boulevard & Jeanne d Arc Boulevard. The primary sources of noise from the tenant s operations are from rooftop heating and air conditioning equipment, as well as a proposed drivethru. Figure 1 illustrates a site plan with surrounding context. The assessment is based on: (i) theoretical noise prediction methods that conform to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOE) and City of Ottawa requirements; (ii) noise level criteria as specified by the City of Ottawa s Environmental Noise Control Guidelines (ENCG); and (iii) architectural drawings provided by Scoler Lee + Associates Architects Inc. Our stationary noise assessment for the Starbucks coffee shop at Orléans Gardens shopping centre indicates that provided equipment selections and locations are similar to the assumptions in this report, noise levels at nearby points of reception are expected to fall below the City of Ottawa s Environmental Noise Control Guidelines (ENCG). Since the noise levels will be below ENCG criteria, the proposed development is expected to be compatible with the existing noise sensitive land uses. Orleans Shopping Centre Inc. Starbucks, Orléans Gardens: Stationary Noise Study i
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. TERMS OF REFERENCE 1 2.1 Assumptions 1 3. OBJECTIVES 2 4. METHODOLOGY 2 4.1 Perception of Noise 2 4.2 Stationary Noise Source Assessment and Criteria 3 4.3 Determination of Noise Source Power Levels 4 4.4 Stationary Source Noise Predictions 4 5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 5 6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 6 FIGURES Orleans Shopping Centre Inc. Starbucks, Orléans Gardens: Stationary Noise Study ii
1. INTRODUCTION Gradient Wind Engineering Inc. (GWE) was retained by Orleans Shopping Centre Inc. to undertake a stationary noise assessment for a proposed tenant fit-up for a Starbucks coffee shop in the Orléans Gardens Shopping Centre at 1615 Orléans Boulevard in Ottawa, Ontario. This report focuses on the noise impacts from tenant operations, and includes rooftop mechanical equipment and a drive-thru, on nearby residential areas. This study is based on architectural drawings provided by Scoler Lee + Associates Architects Inc., surrounding street layouts obtained from the City of Ottawa and recent site imagery. 2. TERMS OF REFERENCE The site is located near the intersection of Orléans Boulevard & Jeanne d Arc Boulevard, and is surrounded primarily by Residential land use. The closest points of reception are residential housing to the east of the development along Cedar Mills Road. Figure 1 illustrates a complete site plan and surrounding context. A tenant fit-up of a commercial retail unit (CRU) is being proposed to house a new Starbucks coffee shop at an existing shopping plaza. The CRU is located at the north end of the shopping centre. The height of the building is approximately 6.3 meters (m) above local grade to the top of a 1.9 m tall parapet. A proposed drive-thru is located immediately north of the building. The tenant will be serviced by the existing rooftop equipment, which consists of two heating and ventilation units and one air conditioning unit The expected operating hours of the business are during daytime hours, between 07:00 and 22:00; however, it was assumed that all rooftop equipment would continue to operate during nighttime hours as well, between 23:00 and 07:00. Figure 2 illustrates the location of all mechanical equipment for the Starbucks coffee shop. 2.1 Assumptions Existing mechanical information for the development has been provided by Orleans Gardens Shopping Centre Inc., including roof plan details with unit locations and sizes. Sound data for mechanical equipment was based on similarly sized Trane and ICP units. The expected drive-thru operating conditions were provide by Starbucks through The following assumptions have been included in our analysis: (i) The quantity and locations of rooftop units has been specified as per roof plan detail provided by Starbucks, Orléans Gardens: Stationary Noise Study 1
(ii) (iii) (iv) Sound power of the rooftop units has been approximated based off similarly sized Trane and ICP units All rooftop units are assumed to operate continuously and concurrently 24-hours a day Based on information received from Starbucks through, a reasonable worst-case modelling scenario is four cars idling continuously in the drive-thru queue. This represents the maximum amount of sound output of cars in the queuing lane averaged over any one hour period The equipment considered in the model comprised: (i) (ii) 2 3 Ton HV Unit (Trane Model YCC036ASH0AA) (HV1, HV2) 12.5 Ton MAU (ICP Model PGB060GISC) (AC) 3. OBJECTIVES The main goals of the work are to assess the anticipated noise impacts from rooftop mechanical equipment and drive-thru on nearby sensitive receptors, and, where necessary, describe noise control measures to ensure the development can operate in the area in compliance with the City of Ottawa s ENCG. 4. METHODOLOGY The impact of the external stationary noise sources on the nearby residential areas was determined by computer modelling. Stationary noise source modelling is based on the software program Predictor-Lima developed from the International Standards Organization (ISO) standard 9613 Parts 1 and 2. This computer program is capable of representing three-dimensional surfaces and first reflections of sound waves over a suitable spectrum for human hearing. The methodology has been used on numerous assignments, and has been accepted by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOE) as part of Environmental Compliance Approvals applications. A total of six receptor locations were chosen around the site, as illustrated in Figure 2. 4.1 Perception of Noise Noise can be defined as any obtrusive sound. It is created at a source, transmitted through a medium, such as air and intercepted by a receiver. Noise may be characterized in terms of the power of the source or the sound pressure at a specific distance. While the power of a source is characteristic of that source, the sound pressure depends on the location of the receiver and the path that the noise takes to reach the Starbucks, Orléans Gardens: Stationary Noise Study 2
receiver. Its measurement is based on the decibel unit, dba, which is a logarithmic ratio referenced to a standard noise level (2 10-5 Pascals). The A suffix refers to a weighting scale, which represents the noise perceived by the human ear. With this scale, a doubling of sound power at the source results in a 3 dba increase in measured noise levels at the receiver, and is just perceptible to most people. An increase of 10 dba is often perceived to be twice as loud. Stationary sources are defined in the City of Ottawa s ENCG as: all sources of sound and vibration, whether fixed or mobile, that exist or operate on a premises, property or facility. The combined sound and vibration levels of which are emitted beyond the property boundary of the premises, property or facility, unless the source(s) is (are) due to construction. 4.2 Stationary Noise Source Assessment and Criteria The equivalent sound energy level, L EQ, provides a weighted measure of the time varying noise levels, which is well correlated with the annoyance of sound. It is defined as the continuous sound level, which has the same energy as a time varying noise level over a selected period of time. For stationary sources, the L EQ is calculated on an hourly interval, while for roadways, the L EQ is calculated on the basis of a 16- hour daytime / 8-hour nighttime split. Noise criteria taken from the ENCG apply to outdoor points of reception (POR). A POR is defined under ENCG as any location on a noise sensitive land use where noise from a stationary source is received. A POR can be located on an existing or zoned for future use premises of permanent or seasonal residences, hotels/motels, nursing/retirement homes, rental residences, hospitals, camp grounds, and noise sensitive buildings such as schools and places of worship. According to the ENCG, the recommended maximum noise levels for a Class 1 area in an urban environment at a POR are outlined in Table 1 below. The site is considered to be an a Class 1 area noise environment as it is located at the intersection of two arterial streets suggesting ambient noise levels are dominated by human activity. Starbucks, Orléans Gardens: Stationary Noise Study 3
TABLE 1: EXCLUSIONARY LIMITS FOR CLASS 1 AREA Time of Day Outdoor Points of Reception Plane of Window Day (07:00 23:00) 50 50 Night (23:00 07:00) 45 45 4.3 Determination of Noise Source Power Levels Sound power of the rooftop units has been approximated based off similarly sized Lennox units. Table 2 summarizes the sound power of each source assumed in our analysis. Source ID Description TABLE 2: EQUIPMENT SOUND POWER LEVELS (dba) Frequency (Hz) 63 125 250 500 1000 2000 4000 8000 Total S1 HV1, HV2 51 69 70 75 75 72 67 58 80 S2 AC N/A 66 72 73 74 71 66 58 79 S3 Drive-Thru (/car) N/A N/A N/A N/A 82 N/A N/A N/A 82 4.4 Stationary Source Noise Predictions Four individual noise sensor locations were selected in the Predictor-Lima model to measure the noise impact at points of reception (POR) during the daytime (07:00 23:00) and nighttime (23:00 07:00) periods. POR locations included outdoor points of reception (OPOR) and the plane of windows (POW) of the residential properties surrounding the study site. Sensor locations are described in Table 3 and illustrated in Figure 2. All units were represented as point sources in the Predictor model. Air temperature, pressure and humidity were assumed at 10 C, 101.3 kpa and 70%, respectively. Ground absorption over the study area was determined based on topographical features (such as water, concrete, grassland, etc.). An absorption value of 0 is representative of hard ground, while a value of 1 represents grass, and similar soft surface conditions. Existing and proposed buildings were added to the model to account for screening and reflection effects from building façades. Starbucks, Orléans Gardens: Stationary Noise Study 4
Receptor Number TABLE 3: RECEPTOR LOCATIONS Location Height Above Grade (m) R1 POW 1560 Cedar Mills Road 4.5 R2 OPOR 1560 Cedar Mills Road 1.5 R3 POW 1574 Cedar Mills Road 4.5 R4 OPOR 1574 Cedar Mills Road 1.5 R5 POW 1576 Cedar Mills Road 4.5 R6 OPOR 1576 Cedar Mills Road 1.5 5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Results of the study indicate that the equivalent sound pressure levels at nearby residential properties will fall below ENCG criteria as shown in Table 4. The sound levels listed in Table 4 assume the worst-case operating scenario; all mechanical equipment is at full operation during the daytime and nighttime periods. The drive-thru is at full operation during the daytime hours. Receptor Number TABLE 4: UNMITIGATED NOISE LEVELS FROM STATIONARY SOURCES Receptor Location 1-HR L eq (dba) ENCG Criteria (dba) Day Night Day Night Meets ENCG R1 POW 1560 Cedar Mills Road 46 42 50 45 Yes R2 OPOR 1560 Cedar Mills Road 41 37 50 45 Yes R3 POW 1574 Cedar Mills Road 49 45 50 45 Yes R4 OPOR 1574 Cedar Mills Road 50 45 50 45 Yes R5 POW 1576 Cedar Mills Road 48 44 50 45 Yes R6 OPOR 1576 Cedar Mills Road 50 45 50 45 Yes Noise contours at 1.5 m above grade can be seen in Figure 3 and Figure 4 for daytime and nighttime conditions. The main contributor of noise at these locations is drive-thru vehicle queue located to the north of the retail store. Since the noise levels are below ENCG criteria, the proposed development is expected to be compatible with the existing noise sensitive land uses. Starbucks, Orléans Gardens: Stationary Noise Study 5
FIGURE 3: DAYTIME NOISE CONTOURS (1.5 METERS ABOVE GRADE) 80 85 db 75 80 db 70 75 db 65 70 db 60 65 db 55 60 db 50 55 db 45 50 db 40 45 db 35 40 db 0 35 db Starbucks, Orléans Gardens: Stationary Noise Study 9
FIGURE 4: NIGHTTIME NOISE CONTOURS (1.5 METERS ABOVE GRADE) 80 85 db 75 80 db 70 75 db 65 70 db 60 65 db 55 60 db 50 55 db 45 50 db 40 45 db 35 40 db 0 35 db Starbucks, Orléans Gardens: Stationary Noise Study 10