General Update/Rumour thread [Archive] - Page 8

c_speed3108

Jan 26, 2009, 4:40 PM

Federal office buildings continue to crumble
By Peter Kovessy, Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Mon, Jan 26, 2009 12:00 AM EST

Lorne Building latest departure driving demand for swing space

Several hundred bureaucrats will be on the move by the summer as the federal government vacates an obsolete 195,000-square-foot Crown-owned office building on Elgin Street, only steps away from East Block.

Formerly home to the National Gallery of Canada, the 48-year-old Lorne Building at 90 Elgin St. is one of several outdated Ottawa office buildings that the federal government is preparing to depart or demolish, leaving real estate watchers wondering where Public Works wants to place the growing number of displaced public servants.

"These relocations and refurbishments will play a major part of Ottawa's commercial real estate activity for the next several years," says Bruce Wolfgram, a vice-president at brokerage firm DTZ Barnicke.

Roughly four out of every 10 square feet of class-A office space occupied by the federal government in Ottawa is more than three decades old, according to office market data provider Altus InSite. As federally occupied buildings continue to age, they become progressively more expensive to maintain and, as in the case of the eight-storey 90 Elgin St., no longer meet government requirements.

"The building systems within the Lorne Building have reached the end of their useful life, and it has become progressively more difficult to maintain accommodation standards for public servants in this building," says Public Works spokesperson Nathalie Betote Akwa, adding the future of the building itself is still being decided.

Several blocks over, Public Works says further systems upgrades are needed in the 900,000-square-foot L'Esplanade Laurier building on top of the previously completed work done to replace the potable water distribution system, renovate the washrooms and upgrade the fire alarm and voice communications system.

The federal government currently leases the 22-storey building that houses several departments, including Finance and the Treasury Board, and is rumoured to be looking to relocate those workers when the lease expires in 2010, even though Public Works has exercised its option to purchase the facility from Montreal developer Rosdev Group.

Outside the downtown core, the aging buildings in the Tunney's Pasture complex are known to need extensive renovations while the historic 431,245-square-foot Sir John Carling Building will be demolished next year.

The "functional performance" of Agriculture Canada's 42-year-old headquarters, located in the Central Experimental Farm, has been rated as "poor" for the past decade as the building systems reached the end of their life cycles and the pre-cast cladding of the building envelope deteriorated.

Some of the 1,240 employees who work at the Sir John Carling Building have already been relocated to Nortel's former Skyline Campus at Merivale and Baseline roads, a process scheduled to be completed by the fall.

Back in the central business district, the public servants currently working in the Lorne Building will be relocated this spring and summer to existing government inventory and newly leased space, says Ms. Betote Akwa.

At least 165 DND employees are moving from the Lorne Building to 110 O'Connor St., where the federal government quickly signed three leases totalling 112,500 square feet of office space, soon to be vacated by Bell Canada.

As expected, the federal government has started snapping up space in the only downtown office tower under construction, Minto's 180 Kent St. Earlier this month, Public Works accepted an offer to occupy 47,700 square feet in the 19-storey tower, beginning in December.

However, the soon-to-be leased space pales in comparison to the federal government's request for information published last month on the availability of more than 3.8 million square feet of office space, starting in 2011.

The extremely tight downtown vacancy rate, currently hovering around two per cent, and the lack of large contiguous tracts of space in the core is likely to force Public Works to look outside into submarkets such as Kanata, where the government recently signed an agreement to lease 66,000 square feet at the former Mitel Networks building at 340 Legget Dr.

If Public Works is willing to pre-lease significant amounts of space, it could also kick off multiple new builds in the core. In Gatineau, Public Works is commissioning two build-to-lease offices totaling roughly 807,000 square feet while several privately held downtown Ottawa lots are ready for development.

The government could even choose to tear down the Lorne Building and construct a new tower on the site and adjacent surface parking lot owned by Public Works, suggests Darren Fleming, a senior adviser and broker at GVA Devencore.

"That would be a great site for them to knock that building down and build a 20-storey tower, another Place Bell," he says.

"I don't think there is anything worth saving, except maybe the steel and the concrete."

---

AGING INVENTORY

* The federal government owns and occupies 3.4 million square feet of office space in downtown Ottawa and occupies an additional 9.2 million square of class-A, B and C space, according to a presentation given last fall by Altus InSite president Sandy McNair.

* More than two-thirds of the roughly 9 million square feet of government-occupied class-A space is more than 20 years old. Approximately 40 per cent of that space is more than 30 years old.

.

waterloowarrior

Jan 27, 2009, 4:53 AM

Public Works makes land bid
(http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Public+Works+makes+land/1220595/story.html)
Provincially-owned property ‘has a huge amount of potential,’ councillor says

BY PATRICK DARE, THE OTTAWA CITIZENJANUARY 26, 2009 11:24 PM

OTTAWA — The federal government has bid on 30 acres owned by the Ontario government at 530 Tremblay Rd., raising hopes that it will use the land to build a major new employment hub in Ottawa.

Public Works and Government Services Canada is not saying much about the transaction except to confirm that the government has made a bid for the property, which is at the southwest corner of the intersection of St. Laurent Boulevard and Tremblay Road.

The site is considered a prime location because it is just south of the Queensway at the St. Laurent exit and is only five kilometres from downtown. The St. Laurent Shopping Centre, just north of the Queensway, is beside a transit station.

Public Works won’t confirm the big price, but Councillor Peter Hume, the city councillor who represents the area, says he understands the price is $24 million.

Mr. Hume, chairman of the planning committee, said the site is a tremendous opportunity for the federal government to improve on its weak record for constructing attractive developments in the capital. He said the federal government has done some wonderful national cultural buildings in the capital region, but that its office buildings have been embarrassingly bad in design and function, looking as if they had been slapped together.

“It’s a huge piece of property. It has a huge amount of potential,” said Mr. Hume. “This takes a commitment to leadership from the federal government that they haven’t to this date shown. Traditionally, the federal government builds a box.”

Ottawa architect Barry Padolsky said the site is a logical place for more intense urban development that links into the city’s transit system. Typically, such developments include buildings of some height.

“It’s a huge opportunity to do the right thing,” said Mr. Padolsky, noting that the city’s official plan calls for more building along transportation corridors such as this one.

Mr. Hume said he doesn’t want to see a repeat of the federal government’s office complex at Tunney’s Pasture, which is a strong location of federal public service jobs, but with virtually no commercial or residential building to create a mix of uses. He said the Tremblay Road development should be a true mixed-use development with strong building design and an attractive landscape buffer with the residential neighbourhood to the west.

The transaction between the Ontario Realty Corporation and the federal government has not closed, which is the main reason the government won’t talk about it. Some private developers were also looking at the property.

An older office building on the property had been the site of several Ontario government operations, including citizenship and immigration, health promotion, tourism and transportation. But when the provincial government moved a lot of its Ottawa operations into a new office building on Preston Street last year, the old building became surplus and was offered for sale, said Jeff Giffen, of the Ontario Realty Corporation.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

Ontario Realty Corp is in the process of selling 530 Tremblay road, at the corner of Tremblay and St. Laurant

http://www.ontariorealty.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?vid=2176

This is a massive site with huge potential (30 acres). ORC is currently seeking OPAs and zoning amendments for an mixed use intensification-type development.

http://wwuploads.googlepages.com/530tremblay.jpg

I hope this doesn't end up in the power centres thread :)

edit: found this plan on FoTenn's site (http://www.fotenn.com/?q=projects/tremblay-road-lands)

http://www.fotenn.com/images/project_tremblay_road.jpg :slob:

Mille Sabords

Jan 30, 2009, 4:19 PM

Looks like the Portrait Gallery site wasn't the only thing they bought... while they were at it, they made it a package deal:

The most notable sale was for five parking lots located at 89 Nepean Street, 185 Metcalfe Street, 383 Albert Street, 287 Lisgar and 260 MacLaren Street. The lots were purchased by Claridge Homes (Centretown) Inc. from Shamrock Parking Limited for a consideration of $18,079,804 or $157/sq.ft. of total site area. At the time of sale, the properties were existing parking lots and the purchaser is attempting to rezone the sites to achieve a higher density for development.

Source (http://www.juteaujohnsoncomba.com/ms_december2008.htm)

eemy

Jan 30, 2009, 4:41 PM

Even Claridge is nice than a parking lot.

Tor2Ott

Jan 30, 2009, 5:26 PM

waterloowarrior

Jan 30, 2009, 6:59 PM

also from the Juteau Johnson Comba Inc newsletter

There were seven OFFICE building sales this month with a total value of $8,183,000. 244 Rideau Street was sold by JSM Corp (Ontario) Ltd. to Claridge Homes (Plaza 3) Inc. for a consideration of $3,000,000 or $143/sf. It is improved with a three-storey office building that was constructed in approximately 1980. The building was reportedly only 33% occupied at the time of sale.

rodionx

Jan 30, 2009, 7:42 PM

Interesting. I once wanted to do a series of photos called 'voids of Centretown,' and it would have included a lot of those addresses. I wonder if the Albert Street address includes the whole of the parking lot behind the Glue Pot. Claridge could probably get approval for a seriously tall building there without even having to pretend to build a portrait gallery.

AuxTown

Jan 30, 2009, 9:09 PM

Claridge could probably get approval for a seriously tall building there without even having to pretend to build a portrait gallery.

:haha:

But seriously, that is one spot in our CBD that I think all of us can agree would be suitable for a tall tower. Here is a rendering that I did a while back showing a 35-storey tower where the parking lot adjacent to the Gluepot Pub stands today. Some of you may recognize the tower. I don't think it looks out of scale at all with our skyline and it would be nice to see a bit of height variety in that area.

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/3772/skylinewestlo3.jpg

Jamaican-Phoenix

Jan 30, 2009, 10:20 PM

I agree wholeheartedly.

I hate the fact that our tallest building in Ottawa is a beige and black box, with a nastly beige box on top of it. :yuck:

eemy

Jan 31, 2009, 12:24 AM

It's like a really bad copy of a Mies van der Rohe building.

AuxTown

Jan 31, 2009, 1:23 AM

It's like a really bad copy of a Mies van der Rohe building.

We could be so lucky....

http://www.skyscraper.org/Pics/fav_seagram.jpg

Davis137

Jan 31, 2009, 3:36 AM

waterloowarrior

Jan 31, 2009, 8:47 AM

some aga khan shots

Click on the pictures for full-size:

http://www.akdn.org/images/visits/DII_1_th.jpg (http://www.akdn.org/images/visits/DII_1.jpg) http://www.akdn.org/images/visits/DII_6_th.jpg (http://www.akdn.org/images/visits/DII_6.jpg)

http://www.akdn.org/images/visits/DII4_th.jpg (http://www.akdn.org/images/visits/DII_4.jpg) http://www.akdn.org/images/visits/DII_3_th.jpg (http://www.akdn.org/images/visits/DII_3.jpg)

Jamaican-Phoenix

Jan 31, 2009, 2:36 PM

I still think they should redevelop Tunney's...put parking below grade, replace the sprawling low-rise office buildings with towers, and have more retail setup in that area too...it's irritating to have to go to the west, east, or south ends of the city to do any substantial shopping...

I have a feeling that will happen, regardless of whether Tunney's is redeveloped or not. West Wellington is an up and coming neighbourhood with enormous potential. The whole area around Tunney's is the last spot in inner Ottawa that has yet to see any real Gentrification, but signs of it are happening.

Rathgrith

Jan 31, 2009, 6:41 PM

^Have you never head of Vanier? Now that place has potential.

Jamaican-Phoenix

Jan 31, 2009, 6:57 PM

^Have you never head of Vanier? Now that place has potential.

Already it's happening. Hell, the area between River Road and the parkway is something I didn't expect to find in Vanier of all places.

AuxTown

Jan 31, 2009, 7:21 PM

^Have you never head of Vanier? Now that place has potential.

Vanier has a TON of potential. It's right on the River, has great access to the 417 (via Vanier Parkway), has a well-developed (though a bit rundown) mainstreet, and is closer to downtown than Westboro. Not to mention the fact that is is surrounded by really nice areas on all sides (i.e. Sandy Hill, New Edinburgh, Rockcliffe Park). The only thing that is holding back its gentrification is the many locals left over from Vanier's old days as an independent city who bring a little too much colour to the area for most young professionals and families to handle.

Beatrix

Jan 31, 2009, 10:30 PM

The only thing that is holding back its gentrification is the many locals left over from Vanier's old days as an independent city who bring a little too much colour to the area for most young professionals and families to handle.

Racists.

jk ;)

Mille Sabords

Feb 1, 2009, 2:16 AM

Racists.

jk ;)

Yes, racists. Their loss though, Vanier is much closer and convenient than Hintonburgh, also a former welfare 'hood now fashionable. Less colour there, though, I guess. Just regular white bread welfare. Easier to pretend it's not there.

rodionx

Feb 1, 2009, 4:07 AM

Yes, racists. Their loss though, Vanier is much closer and convenient than Hintonburgh, also a former welfare 'hood now fashionable. Less colour there, though, I guess. Just regular white bread welfare. Easier to pretend it's not there.

'Local colour' is usually a tongue-in-cheek euphemism for crazy people, winos, punks, and anyone who might scare away the bourgeoise. If you ask me, suburban teenagers are way scarier. Anyway, check out Urban Strategies (http://www.geomatics.uottawa.ca/movies/naborhoods/mapindex.html#) for demographic info on all of Ottawa's neighbourhoods. Hintonburg and Vanier actually have very similar demographic profiles, but Hintonburg gets better press. Another run-down neighbourhood with potential is Centretown West, aka Chinatown / Little Italy. It gets no press at all, despite having a thriving, albeit gungy, commercial strip.

Davis137

Feb 1, 2009, 4:26 PM

I won't even sugarcoat it...that Hintonburg still has a lot of Down-Trodden people still inhabiting it's MANY duplexes/triplexes, multi's. Lots of folks with substance issues still around here (or at least we observe them walking past our place to the beerstore, already half-cut before noon, to buy budget tallboys and 6-packs).

After talking to the neighbours though, the general area was VERY scuzzy and/or poor upto as recently as 5-6 years ago, and there has been a slow transformation taking place here, making this area the next up-and coming neighbourhood in this part of town.

harls

Feb 2, 2009, 5:21 PM

The IKEA proposal is online now..

http://app01.ottawa.ca/postingplans/appDetails.jsf?lang=en&appId=__7JX2Y1

what a monster of a building..

Acajack

Feb 2, 2009, 5:56 PM

Yes, racists. Their loss though, Vanier is much closer and convenient than Hintonburgh, also a former welfare 'hood now fashionable. Less colour there, though, I guess. Just regular white bread welfare. Easier to pretend it's not there.

(I am not playing dumb here, just trying to understand...)

Just who are these people being racist against, exactly?

There is a reference to the pre-merger independent city of Vanier. Though demographics started to change rapidly in the few years prior to the merger, for most of its existence Vanier (and its predecessors) was largely working-class French Canadian. It wasn’t really that rich but it wasn’t a high-crime area either. I never lived there but I had many friends in Vanier and spent many Friday and Saturday nights as a teen hanging out in that area. I don’t think my very paranoid mom would have allowed me to do that had it really been that dangerous and notorious for crime.

Then, towards the end of the independent city’s existence and since the merger with Ottawa, most of Vanier has transitioned to something of a low-rental area where fairly recent immigrants (most of whom are visible minorities) who are struggling to get by rub shoulders with a lot of Ottawa’s riff-raff (of all origins of course) that has settled there.

So once again, which groups are we talking about here? The working-class old stock francophones or the struggling immigrants?

Mille Sabords

Feb 2, 2009, 7:21 PM

Just who are these people being racist against, exactly?

There is a reference to the pre-merger independent city of Vanier. Though demographics started to change rapidly in the few years prior to the merger, for most of its existence Vanier (and its predecessors) was largely working-class French Canadian. It wasn’t really that rich but it wasn’t a high-crime area either. I never lived there but I had many friends in Vanier and spent many Friday and Saturday nights as a teen hanging out in that area. I don’t think my very paranoid mom would have allowed me to do that had it really been that dangerous and notorious for crime.

Then, towards the end of the independent city’s existence and since the merger with Ottawa, most of Vanier has transitioned to something of a low-rental area where fairly recent immigrants (most of whom are visible minorities) who are struggling to get by rub shoulders with a lot of Ottawa’s riff-raff (of all origins of course) that has settled there.

So once again, which groups are we talking about here? The working-class old stock francophones or the struggling immigrants?

You've probabvly hit the nail on the head on both counts Acajack. Same as you, I played ball hockey on the streets of Vanier with friends I had there without it ever being a concern for my parents. What I referred to in an oblique way I realize is the perception of Vanier "out there", probably found among those who've never been there or simply rely on that kind of hearsay, that Vanier is either too French, or too scuzzy, or has too many immigrants, or is run down, or has all these doped-out spaceballs - all of which make it "not a nice place to raise a family", with all the bagage loaded onto that expression. I have to say that the media gleefully plays right into this. Wasn't there a big series of articles about Émond Street and its crack houses a while ago?

One way or another, there is a perception "out there", unspoken of course, but you can sense it and piece it together by reactions and subtle suggestions or double-entendres. Such as: Vanier's postal code is KILL (K1L).

harls

Feb 2, 2009, 7:33 PM

What I referred to in an oblique way I realize is the perception of Vanier "out there", probably found among those who've never been there or simply rely on that kind of hearsay, that Vanier is either too French, or too scuzzy, or has too many immigrants, or is run down, or has all these doped-out spaceballs - all of which make it "not a nice place to raise a family", with all the bagage loaded onto that expression. I have to say that the media gleefully plays right into this. Wasn't there a big series of articles about Émond Street and its crack houses a while ago?

Replace Émond with St-Rédempteur and Vanier with Hull, and your statement still rings true. The island of Hull gets a bad rap, undeservedly so.

Acajack

Feb 2, 2009, 7:58 PM

You've probabvly hit the nail on the head on both counts Acajack. Same as you, I played ball hockey on the streets of Vanier with friends I had there without it ever being a concern for my parents. What I referred to in an oblique way I realize is the perception of Vanier "out there", probably found among those who've never been there or simply rely on that kind of hearsay, that Vanier is either too French, or too scuzzy, or has too many immigrants, or is run down, or has all these doped-out spaceballs - all of which make it "not a nice place to raise a family", with all the bagage loaded onto that expression. I have to say that the media gleefully plays right into this. Wasn't there a big series of articles about Émond Street and its crack houses a while ago?

One way or another, there is a perception "out there", unspoken of course, but you can sense it and piece it together by reactions and subtle suggestions or double-entendres. Such as: Vanier's postal code is KILL (K1L).

I get it.

To be totally honest, the last municipal administration of Vanier also asked for a lot of trouble. Since it was almost completely built-out and only one square mile in area (my friends used to like to say: just like Vatican City!), with almost no industry and not much commercial development either, it was too heavily reliant on property taxes.

At the time (pre-merger), social housing was handled by the regional municipality of Ottawa-Carleton, which I believe negotiated (cash in hand) with municipalities in order to determine where to implant social housing. Rich municipalities like Kanata, Gloucester and Cumberland could afford to say “no thanks” and also pretend they didn’t have any poor people. Of course, no social housing meant no poor people, and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy: "I swear, man, there are NO poor people in (insert suburb name)".

But for Vanier, accepting social housing meant a much-needed infusion of extra cash.

Mille Sabords

Feb 2, 2009, 9:05 PM

But for Vanier, accepting social housing meant a much-needed infusion of extra cash.

There's that, and then there was the failed attempt by the former City of Vanier to annex part of Ottawa (and the mayor of old Ottawa at the time had a belly laugh and told the Vanier Mayor to go jump in the Rideau River - I think they ended up giving Cummings Island to Vanier and called it annexation).

And there's also the plain fact that the housing stock in Vanier is of a certain vintage, like most older inner neighbourhoods. It has a high proportion of rental units, and buildings that lend themselves to be rented out (even if they're single-family homes) because they're smaller and cheaper.

Which, in a way, is exactly the reason why it'll gentrify. It is at the right juncture to let a younger wave of people come in (singles, artists, couples with no kids), buy low, fix up, get rental income in the case of the hundreds of duplexes and triplexes... in Quebec they called this "la petite bourgeoisie décapante" (little yuppies who strip old paint from ornate wood trimmings in old houses) - the Plateau Mont-Royal area of Montreal is where the term was coined, if I'm not mistaken.

Acajack

Feb 2, 2009, 9:15 PM

Which, in a way, is exactly the reason why it'll gentrify. It is at the right juncture to let a younger wave of people come in (singles, artists, couples with no kids), buy low, fix up, get rental income in the case of the hundreds of duplexes and triplexes...

I agree that it will gentrify. It’s already starting I think in western areas close to the Rideau River, and also the area south of Beechwood and in the eastern zone around Granville/Pauline Charron/Shakespeare.

Ryersonian

Feb 3, 2009, 2:12 PM

highdensitysprawl

Feb 3, 2009, 4:32 PM

I just read an old article that was funny; it said that they had to examine using a boat across the canal instead of a bridge. Does anybody know where I can find a copy of this Environmental Assesment...I gotta see this.

No idea where the EA document is, but you can be sure that some engineering firms in this City would study the idea as long as the clock was running and not question the validity of the request.

Ottawade

Feb 3, 2009, 7:36 PM

I noticed some rough outlines of the 287 Lisgar application by Clairidge are up on the city website:

http://app01.ottawa.ca/postingplans/appDetails.jsf?lang=en&appId=__68IN9M

18 stories...

waterloowarrior

Feb 3, 2009, 7:57 PM

^ there's a thread on p. 2
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=156239

Ryersonian

Feb 4, 2009, 2:31 PM

TransitZilla

Feb 4, 2009, 3:03 PM

I have friend at work that doesn't believe me that we are getting a T and T Supermarket at Hunt Club and Riverside. I swear I remeber seeign a drawing for it somwhere...does anybody know where I saw it?

Power Center thread. There is a sign up at the site.

More info here: http://www.brentcomrealty.com/flyers/Huntclubplace.pdf

waterloowarrior

Feb 5, 2009, 4:36 AM

double post

waterloowarrior

Feb 5, 2009, 4:38 AM

Municipal board hears praise for backyard turbine

Expert finds structure safe and certifiable under Ontario’s building code

BY BRENDAN KENNEDY, THE OTTAWA CITIZENFEBRUARY 4, 2009 11:01 PM

OTTAWA — The Ottawa man trying to put a miniature wind turbine in his backyard is the first person to make such an application in Canada, and possibly North America, an Ontario Municipal Board hearing heard Wednesday.

“I can only imagine that the decision made in this process is going to be looked at quite closely by others,” said Jyoti Zuidema, OMB vice-chair, who presided at the hearing.

Graham Findlay’s application to skirt the city’s zoning bylaws to erect his 10-metre-tall wind turbine at the edge of his backyard at 70 Iona St., just east of Island Park Drive in Wellington West, was rejected by Ottawa’s committee of adjustment in October.

That made Wednesday’s appeal to the provincial board Mr. Findlay’s last hope to get his turbine up and running in order to sell power back to the grid.

At the hearing, Mr. Findlay called several expert witnesses to support his appeal, including a city planning consultant, a structural engineer and a planner from the City of Ottawa, who all spoke in favour of his application.

The city committee that rejected Mr. Findlay’s application in October did so because they said Mr. Findlay did not present sufficient evidence of the turbine’s structural integrity to allay the concerns of abutting neighbours that the turbine might fall onto their properties.

In the rationale for its decision, the committee specifically mentioned Mr. Findlay’s lack of certification from a structural engineer as an obstacle to their consent.

Wednesday, Michael Cleland, president of Cleland-Jardine Engineering, testified that his company was retained by Mr. Findlay to provide certification and that he found the structure to be safe and certifiable under Ontario’s building code.

John Earl, whose 177 Faraday St. home backs on to Mr. Findlay’s backyard and is opposed to Mr. Findlay’s application, cross-examined Mr. Cleland and asked if the structure could withstand a catastrophic event, such as a tornado.

“We don’t design for things that don’t happen,” said Mr. Cleland.

“It’s not going to fall under the requirements of the Ontario Building Code.”

Mr. Findlay, 54, who promotes and develops large-scale commercial wind farms for a living, is asking the board to exempt his turbine from two zoning bylaws governing the height and location of accessory structures on an individual’s property.

The bylaws in question limit accessory building structures — which wind turbines are classified as — in residential areas to 4.5 metres and require that they be set off from property lines at a distance equal to their height.

Mr. Findlay’s turbine, the Energy Ball V100, stands 10 metres high — about three storeys — and he wants to install it in the very back corner of his backyard, 13 centimetres from his rear property line and 2.1 metres from his side property line.

After Mr. Findlay presented his case, Ms. Zuidema adjourned the hearing. It will resume March 25, when those opposed to Mr. Findlay’s application will present their case.

aesthetic

Feb 11, 2009, 6:23 AM

Phoenix proposes two 31-storey residential towers (http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/293768214077426.php)

An Ottawa developer has reactivated its plans for a residential development just east of the Bayview Transitway station, but has returned with a significantly taller proposal.

DCR Phoenix has submitted a site plan application to build a pair of 31-storey, 338-feet high-rise apartment buildings and a four-storey office building on a 5.35-acre site at 801 Albert St. (map), formerly known as 801 Wellington St., according to city documents.

The proposed development would create 466 dwelling units and 478 surface and underground parking spaces. The property would have to be rezoned to accommodate the increased density.

A rezoning application was initially submitted in 2003 to allow for a residential development consisting of townhouses, stacked townhouses and an apartment.

The development was to be incorporated into a light rail station as part of Ottawa's since-cancelled north-south rapid transit line, an individual familiar with the file said on background.

"It all came to a halt with the death of the north-south light rail and then it got put on hold for two or three years as water mains were being built through the site," he said.

In September 2007, the developer requested its application be reactivated and proposed two 19-storey towers.

The developer's most recent application has not yet been deemed complete by city planners, but is being circulated for early public review.

DCR Phoenix's manager of planning could not be immediately reached for comment.

fireicedog

Feb 11, 2009, 7:27 AM

At least every time they propose something for this site, it gets taller. Anyone know what experience they have in building highrises?

Jamaican-Phoenix

Feb 11, 2009, 12:09 PM

I would LOVE to see some 31 storey tall towers around Bayview. Provided they looked decent at least...

Aylmer

Feb 11, 2009, 12:46 PM

GASP!

Could it be happening?

:omg:

AuxTown

Feb 11, 2009, 11:52 PM

Sweet! That is all.

Davis137

Feb 12, 2009, 12:49 AM

Build it Build it Build it! Will transform "City Centre" and the surrounding area, and will likely entice future redevelopment in the north end of the city...

highdensitysprawl

Feb 12, 2009, 1:33 AM

At least every time they propose something for this site, it gets taller. Anyone know what experience they have in building highrises?

None, AFAIK...they have built SFR's, TH's, and commercial developments, I believe.

I find it telling that the last line in the newspaper quote is that the Director of Planning was unavailable for comment.

Cre47

Feb 18, 2009, 2:33 PM

Sounds like plans for a 12-story long-term residence facility and two new 10-story towers on Carling/Kirkwood. I think this was mentionned a long time ago about a project in this vicinity. Here's the document from the P&E committee and there is a rendering at the end of the document. Sorry about the angle of the image.

http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/pec/2009/02-24/2-ACS2009-ICS-PLA-0030%20-%201420%20and%201424%20Carling%20Ave%20.htm

http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/pec/2009/02-24/2-ACS2009-ICS-PLA-0030%20-%201420%20and%201424%20Carling%20Ave%20_files/image004.jpg

waterloowarrior

Feb 18, 2009, 4:56 PM

1420 Carling (http://apps104.ottawa.ca/emap/?emapver=lite&LAT=45.383479&LON=-75.739054&featname=1420+Carling+Avenue&lang=en) @ Kirkwood - 12 storey mixed used building
planning app page (http://app01.ottawa.ca/postingplans/appDetails.jsf?lang=en&appId=__6A5CZB) - nothing up there except for the description so far

The entire subject lands have an area of approximately 1400 square metres and are proposed to be rezoned as Arterial Mainstreet AM H(34), to help facilitate the construction of a 12-storey mixed-use long-term residential care facility, with commercial uses on the ground floor and residential uses above. The proposed building will be part of the adjacent Embassy West Retirement complex, which is to consist of the existing five-storey building on the property and two new 10-storey towers, one at each end of that site.

http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/pec/2009/02-24/2-ACS2009-ICS-PLA-0030%20-%201420%20and%201424%20Carling%20Ave%20_files/image002.jpg

Here's a rotated version of the imagr

http://wwuploads.googlepages.com/carling-kirk.jpg

harls

Mar 2, 2009, 9:02 PM

Here we go again.

Feds restart Gatineau office tower process

By Peter Kovessy, Ottawa Business Journal Staff

Mon, Mar 2, 2009 12:00 AM EST

Shift in Quebec-Ontario office ratio would allow new Ottawa builds, observers say

Public Works has relaunched its procurement process for two build-to-lease Gatineau towers that will create 751,000 square feet of federal office space when completed by October 2012.

This is the second go-round for the projects after the federal government rejected the three proposals it received last year to build an office tower in Gatineau's central business district.

"They've got to get it right (this time)," said Kelvin Holmes, managing director at brokerage firm Colliers International.

"People had invested money into preparing (responses last year) and nothing has come of it. Now (the government is) going out again and doing it all over."

A Public Works spokesperson told OBJ in December that none of the received proposals fully met its requirements, but that the government was still evaluating proposals for a separate project to build an office tower on a Crown-owned vacant lot at 455 de la Carriere Blvd., adjacent to Lac de la Carriere and Autoroute 5.

However, new requests for information were published last week for both projects, restarting a process first initiated last May. Along with reducing the size of the two towers by a combined 56,000 square feet, the federal government has also pushed back its occupancy date by 13 months.

There are believed to be at least three leading development sites for the central project.

Officials with Multivesco and Westcliff both confirmed they will respond to the most recent RFI with their respective properties at 30 Victoria St. and 207 Promenade du Portage, along Hotel de Ville.

Broccolini Construction project manager Anthony Broccolini declined comment last week, but has previously publicly discussed plans to build a 12-storey office building on its site in the block bounded by Eddy, Wellington and Saint-Jacques streets and Promenade du Portage.

An Arnon official said the company's property at 121 Notre Dame would likely not fit the government's requirements and would not be submitted in response to the latest RFI.

The two office development projects were initially announced last year by then-public works minister Michael Fortier, who said the initiative was part of the government's goal of locating 25 per cent of its National Capital Area office space in Quebec.

As of last month, the ratio stood at 76.5-23.5 between Ottawa and Gatineau, respectively, said Public Works spokesperson Nathalie Betote Akwa.

Mr. Holmes said the Gatineau builds could bring the ratio closer to the government's desired level and allow Public Works to launch new developments in Ottawa.

"The kind of growth that they are probably looking at having to do on the Ontario side is driving the RFI on the Quebec side," he said.

"They can't do anything else in Ottawa, I believe, until they have something going on in Gatineau."

Both RFIs close on March 26. Public Works will then gauge whether there will be sufficient interest in the current market for these types of projects to ensure competitive processes, said Ms. Betote Akwa.

---

NEW SPECS

Office building in the central business area

(boundaries of Laurier Street, Alexandre-Tache Boulevard, Montcalm Street and Victoria, Laval and Wright streets)

400,400 square feet (down from 430,500 square feet in the initial request)

25-year lease commencing Oct. 1, 2012 (was Sept. 1 2011 in the initial request)

Office building at 455 de la Carriere

350,900 square feet (down from 376,700 square feet in the initial request)

25-year lease commencing Oct. 1, 2012 (was Sept. 1, 2011 in the initial request)

http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/340743156465492.php

waterloowarrior

Mar 3, 2009, 6:15 AM

waterloowarrior

Mar 3, 2009, 4:46 PM

Feds buy major St. Laurent/417 development site for $25M
By Peter Kovessy, Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Mon, Mar 2, 2009 4:00 PM EST

The federal government has purchased a prime 29.6-acre development site at St. Laurent Boulevard and Highway 417 from the province for $24.75 million, a deal which could transform the area into a new employment hub.

The site is located at 530 Tremblay Road, just south of the St. Laurent Shopping Centre, and could accommodate between one million and two million square feet of office space, said Bruce Wolfgram, a vice-president at brokerage firm DTZ Barnicke. By comparison, the 19-storey office tower that will be built for Export Development Canada at O'Connor and Slater streets will have 403,000 square feet of office space.

The acquisition should give Public Works some breathing room as it relocates a substantial number of public servants in the coming years while it renovates its existing aged office inventory in the National Capital Region.

More than two-thirds of the roughly nine million square feet of government-occupied class-A space in Ottawa is more than 20 years old, according to a presentation given last fall by Sandy McNair, president of office market data provider Altus InSite. Approximately 40 per cent of that space is more than 30 years old.

"This (purchase) would put (the federal government) in a position to plan their growth over the next 25 or 30 years in a reasonable manner, as opposed to trying to manufacture opportunities that just aren't there for a development opportunity in the downtown core," said Michael Church, a vice-president at brokerage firm Avison & Young.

"There is a very large space crunch in the downtown core and we don't have anywhere to put them while they do the renovations."

Public Works officials were unable to immediately comment on the federal government's plans for the property. However, Public Works Minister Christian Paradis suggested in a statement that a significant number of bureaucrats will end up working at the site.

"This is a great location, close to existing public transit. It will help us take pressure off the downtown core and will play an important role in our strategy for accommodating public servants in the National Capital Region," said Mr. Paradis.

The site's amenities, such as access to the Queensway interchange, proximity to major retail centres and transit access make it "a perfect location" for a new federal complex, said Mr. Wolfgram, adding it will also be a significant boost for area businesses.

"Something like this could really spur on development and profitability for a lot of those retailers," said Mr. Wolfgram.

The property had been owned by Ontario's Ministry of Transportation since 1959, according to the provincial government's real estate arm, the Ontario Realty Corp.

In August 2006, the provincial government announced five ministries, including the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Culture, would be moving from 530 Tremblay Rd. to Sakto Corp.'s Preston Square Tower III in Little Italy.

The move was part of a $10-million initiative, completed last April, that consolidated almost 500 provincial employees from 11 ministries at nine sites across Ottawa under a single roof.

The provincial decommissioning of the Tremblay Road site began with the demolition of underutilized buildings while ministry tenants were still on site and continued with a complete environmental clean-up once the site was vacated, according to the province. The property was sold in a competitive process managed by BMO Capital Markets Real Estate Inc. and Cushman & Wakefield LePage.

Mr. Wolfgram estimated it will take up to two years for any construction of any new federal buildings to get underway. Once shovels are in the ground, construction could last upwards of two years, depending on the nature of the buildings they plan to construct, he added.

kwoldtimer

Mar 4, 2009, 1:17 AM

:previous:

Time will tell but perhaps development on that site could spur some improvements to St Laurent generally. I never get used to how downright shabby it is from Montreal Rd heading south to Industrial. Bad even for suburban strip development.:yuck:

Jamaican-Phoenix

Mar 4, 2009, 6:51 PM

Here is my rough plan for Ottawa's version of Dundas Square. I said I'd find it, so here it is. :P

This would be at the intersection of Bank and Laurier.

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/4270/picture175.th.jpg (http://img80.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture175.jpg)

waterloowarrior

Mar 6, 2009, 9:52 PM

from the westboro ca (http://lovewestboro.wordpress.com/)

Redevelopment of McRae Avenue
March 2, 2009
On Wednesday March 11, a group called the Westboro Collection will be hosting a public meeting to discuss the redevelopment of McRae Avenue.

Up for discussion: condos, retail, office space. Anyone can attend the meeting.

For a few more details, view this PDF (http://lovewestboro.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/westborocollection.pdf) of an ad which is to appear in the next issue of the Kitchissippi Times.

http://westborocollection.com/

I did a WHOIS search on the domain name, and it was registered by Brad Hutt (an architect) who spoke during the CDP process on what I assume is these lands

Brian Cassagrande, FoTenn Consultants, accompanied by Brad Hutt, spoke on the broad development interests of Ashcroft in the Westboro area and site-specific interests of the Unsworth Family (1976 Scott, 319 McRae, 320 McRae).

With regard to 1976 Scott Street, the site presents a unique opportunity for redevelopment of industrial lands. The site is currently used as a used car dealership across from a transit station, the Metropole and the trailhead facility. The CDP envisions a mixed-use development for the lands, also planned by the Unsworth Family. As the site is across from a transit station, Mr. Cassagrande advanced that the City and the CDP should be open to opportunities to capitalize on intensification and height at that location. He indicated the project is in its infancy and the community will be invited to participate in an open and inclusive process, resulting in an exciting development.

Mr. Hutt, an architect and project manager also representing the Unsworth Family, commented that the family is not interested in selling the property to a large developer; instead, the estate wishes to develop the land in a conscientious way, respecting the family legacy and the community of which they have been a part of for many generations.

Mr. Cassagrande summarized that the secondary plan appears to be removing the ability that currently exists within the Official Plan (OP) for the City to consider development with greater height and density when the location and design of the project mitigate the impact and promote broader City and provincial objectives, such as intensification and public transit. He suggested OP policies and guidelines allow for unique development applications to be considered without the requirement for an OP or Secondary Plan Amendment.

He suggested wording changes to Section 1.2 (objectives), Principle 5, point 3, second sentence, to begin with: “Higher buildings will be considered on sites …” He also advanced that the ability to support public transit at these locations should be a strong consideration and added to the sentence. Section 2.7 of the appendix, which offers additional criteria for evaluating intensification, should refer to the criteria outlined above (height and flexibility).

Specifically at 1976 Scott Street, Mr. Casagrande advised that the maximum height of four to six storeys should be revised, as a greater height of 10 or more storeys is appropriate. The site is slightly deeper than shown on the map and immediately across a transit station and an existing 30-storey building. He also expressed concern with Scott Street’s ability to develop as a main street with the Transitway running on one side. He advanced that the City should focus on achieving reasonable density targets on Scott.

With regard to 319 and 310 McRae, Mr. Cassagrande requested Section 1.4 of the appendix be revised to provide more flexibility with regard to the hydro corridor. With regard to the GM zone applied to the eastside of McRae, two provisions are of concern: the FSI limit of 2.0 and stepping of height (11 metres permitted within 20 meters of the residential zone, which is more restrictive than the angular building plane contemplated in the TM zone).

In response to a question from the Chair, Tim Marc, Senior Legal Counsel confirmed the Traditional Mainstreet designation on Scott Street was upheld at the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

Mr. Spicer indicated it is the first time these concerns have been brought to the attention of staff. For the properties along McRae, he indicated the existing building heights and rear yard set back provisions were carried forward in the new GM zone, because the lots on the west side of McRae, adjoining a low-rise residential area, are shallow. The public advisory committee did involve FoTenn, which made representations on other sites.

Mr. Cassagrande indicated that he would present his arguments in writing.

I guess this is the site? (adjacent to Trailhead)

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=rjzdzd8pmqc7&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=32867745&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

highdensitysprawl

Mar 6, 2009, 10:29 PM

I did a WHOIS search on the domain name, and it was registered by Brad Hutt (an architect) who spoke during the CDP process on what I assume is these lands

I guess this is the site? (adjacent to Trailhead)

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=rjzdzd8pmqc7&style=b&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=32867745&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

Brad Hutt also shows up here. What is a WHOIS search and how do you do such a search

Westboro Station, with two floors of proposed commercial space topped by eight storeys of condos, plays on its location near the old Westboro train station, with names of famous trains around the world for its 16 apartment models: Royal Scot, Orient Express, Northern Star, Trans-Siberian Express, Indian Pacific, to name a few.

"We've got a good global variety of names," says Brad Hutt, the architect in charge of sales in the presentation centre. As people examine the floor plans on the walls, they recall past holidays. "People get a kick out of it. There's a lot of interest in the history of it."

This is from an Ottawa Citizen article about Bourk Ignition and Westboro Station.

waterloowarrior

Mar 7, 2009, 12:10 AM

Brad Hutt also shows up here. What is a WHOIS search and how do you do such a search

WHOIS lookup finds who owns a domain name (in this case westborocollection.com) and what company registered it

http://www.whois.net/

Dado

Mar 7, 2009, 12:15 AM

I can't say I approve of using the presence of a 30-storey building that was approved under exception circumstances as justification for building a 10-storey building... and it's on the other side of the Transitway anyway. They ought to be able to justify it on other grounds and its own merits.

At any rate, I wondered why that site was zoned so low in both the OP and the CDP. The powers-that-be decided to effectively stir up a pot of trouble by talking of 6 and 8 stories along Richmond while practically ignoring the much better opportunities for intensification on Scott Street around Westboro Station (it's going to take a REALLY LONG TIME to build up Richmond Road, in no small part due to a general lack of undeveloped land and plenty of healthy commercial space - in sharp contrast to Scott which has plenty of empty lots). Across the road from Westboro Station we now have a 5-storey mixed-use building and a little further west we'll be getting a 4-storey condo. It's loopy that such low buildings are going in right next to a Transitway station.

It'll be interesting to see what the community reaction is to this. I imagine the residents right near by won't be too happy, but I have my doubts that the community as a whole are going to get too excited about anything much here, though by having the meeting on Carling isn't the best of moves from a PR PoV. The concern has usually been about Richmond Rd turning into a canyon, not anything much on Scott.

I'd be interested in the possibility of seeing a market square put along McRae somewhere, probably on the east side, which would help stitch Scott and Richmond together a bit better. Not that they can control this, but when LRT comes the station will need extending for the longer platforms and that extension should probably be done towards the east/McRae with a new pedestrian walkway lining up with McRae. Right now when one emerges from Westboro Station the default way to get to Richmond is along the unsidewalked Tweedsmuir Avenue. In future the main portion of the station could be at McRae, which would be the main route to Richmond. Pushing the centre of the station eastwards would also bring it closer to the high-density residential to the north and east without putting it any further from the high-density residential to the northwest.

Davis137

Mar 7, 2009, 3:13 PM

They should widen Scott Street to 4 lanes past Island Park. More and more traffic on that street all the time. I agree that it's kind of a waste to build 4-5 storey mixed use and condo buildings right near the Westboro transitway station...they should have gone with 10-12 floors. I know people in that neighbourhood would perhaps disagree with such buildings, but honestly, are/would they be any more of an eyesore than the "Shadetree Mechanic" type Car lots and other buisnesses that line Scott Street's west end?

waterloowarrior

Mar 7, 2009, 4:06 PM

I'm looking forward to seeing what they have proposed. It's in a great location! Most of the large site redevelopments in the area seem to be townhomes and duplexes - I'd like to see some midrise buildings with underground parking/parking garage.

Westboro Resident

Mar 7, 2009, 11:59 PM

As a resident that borders the proposed McRae development, we are very interested to see what the Westboro Collection has to offer. We are very concerned about height restrictions, privacy, shadow impact, noise and increased traffic. We hope that any developer will be sensitive to the impact to adjacent homes and existing residents and be open to our suggestions to preserve the wonderful neighbourhood that we live in.

Dado

Mar 8, 2009, 4:25 AM

They should widen Scott Street to 4 lanes past Island Park. More and more traffic on that street all the time.
Umm, why? Where are these 4 lanes of traffic going to go? Other than for on-street parking, there's no point. Churchill only has 2 lanes and it's not getting any more, ever, and any time I've seen Scott Street backed up so is Churchill. It's like that zany proposal - still in the TMP unfortunately - to widen Richmond to 4 lanes all the way from Carling to Golden, only to run into the 2 lanes through Westboro Village.

It makes perfect sense to reduce Scott Street to 2 lanes at Island Park since that street is where much of the traffic further east on Scott comes from/goes to.

waterloowarrior

Mar 8, 2009, 4:36 AM

rocketphish

Mar 9, 2009, 5:42 PM

I guess this is the site? (adjacent to Trailhead)

According to the City of Ottawa's online property mapping system, this is the extent of the properties potentially involved in this plan (the Unsworth Family lands at 1976 Scott, 319 McRae, 320 McRae). Interestingly, while 319 & 320 McRae are designated properties, 1976 Scott appears to be only a postal address on the 320 McRae site.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2588/3664581711_5acc234a36_o_d.jpg

You can see at the far right edge of this rendering from the City's Richmond Road/Westboro Community Design Plan how the planners envision that these properties will fit in to the overall plan (though I don't like that they have also replaced the charismatic Trailhead building with another 6-story building).

http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/planning/community_plans/completed/richmond_westboro/images/view7_lg.jpg

harls

Mar 9, 2009, 6:08 PM

what the hell.. I thought that was a hockey rink on top of the transitway for a second. :laugh:

waterloowarrior

Mar 10, 2009, 4:10 AM

Developer sells church on green

Project touted as an ‘earth embassy’

BY JENNIFER GREEN, THE OTTAWA CITIZENMARCH 10, 2009 12:01 AM

OTTAWA — Christ Church Anglican Cathedral is on the brink of a green-themed development deal on its prized site between Queen and Sparks streets.

If approved, the project will be an “earth embassy,” says Jonathan Westeinde of Ottawa’s Windmill Development Group.

Stores that exemplify green living would open onto the street level. Key facts, like global warming rates, could flash from large electronic displays, like an earth-friendly take on New York’s Times Square. Inside, offices would accommodate environmental agencies such as the Sierra Club in a working hub “so they’ll be co-operating together with less division,” says Westeinde. The development will likely include other offices, conference areas and some living space.

Windmill would build the structures with state-of-the-art environmental methods, as it has in other projects, such as The Currents on Wellington Street, where condos share space with the first-floor Great Canadian Theatre Company.

Both Westeinde and Shane Parker, the dean of the cathedral, caution that the deal is far from final, meaning the cost, square footage, start date, layout and number of units are all still fuzzy.

Both sides hope further meetings this month will result in a final deal by June.

“It’s been a long process and we’re not there yet,” says Westeinde. “But we’re at the handshake point, so the prospect is good.”

City planners will still have to approve the complex project. The site is lovely but tricky with several heritage buildings, an overall heritage designation, and, of course, the gracious stone cathedral built in 1896.

The cathedral itself will not be touched, nor will Lauder Hall, built in 1902. But Cathedral Hall, built in 1958, might come down and some heritage buildings might be moved. Roper House, the 1893 mansion on Bronson that now houses the bishop’s offices, has sweeping, space-gobbling lawns looking west over the Ottawa River.

Under the Ontario Heritage Act, the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee has a word on any demolition, new construction and moving buildings in heritage areas. Then the city reviews the heritage recommendations as well as the regular site plan, re-zoning and other applications under the Planning Act.

For more than two decades, the cathedral has searched for a way to realize some money without infuriating neighbours or congregants who feel the church should be above purely pecuniary concerns.

In 1988, it floated the idea of moving Roper House across Bronson to NCC property and building a 19-storey residential tower in its place.

Area residents were outraged, especially since that Christ Church’s neighbours, St. Peter’s Lutheran, had just torn down a heritage house at Bay and Queen streets, apparently unaware that the city had not approved the move.

In 2007, senior clergy tried again, offering about 8,000 square metres of land for lease, in a deal that would at least cover the costs of running the cathedral, roughly $150,000 a year, not including restoration and repairs.

Parker says the Westeinde deal works for the church both financially and as an example to the community of responsible, sustainable development.

“It works for both parties,” says Westeinde.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

harls

Mar 10, 2009, 12:48 PM

Is this the house they're talking about?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2226/2263503252_8b7bddb6a7_b.jpg

kwoldtimer

Mar 10, 2009, 10:58 PM

ajldub

Mar 10, 2009, 11:15 PM

Here is a graphic that gives a better idea of the lot in question, with Roper house visible. Harls, I think you took a photo of a beautiful young Ottawan in a bikini around this area a while back...

m0nkyman

Mar 10, 2009, 11:24 PM

Is this the house they're talking about?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2226/2263503252_8b7bddb6a7_b.jpg

I'm thinking it's this one (http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=rk2m7s8pqvkg&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=32853349&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&where1=ottawa%2C%20canada&encType=1).

ajldub

Mar 10, 2009, 11:43 PM

http://www.ottawa.ca/city_hall/ottawa2020/official_plan/vol_2a/former_ottawa/central/index_en-10.html

harls

Mar 11, 2009, 1:35 PM

Ah ok. thanks guys.

Just for ajldub :

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1250/1418946438_8cbe625a77_b.jpg

Tor2Ott

Mar 11, 2009, 2:14 PM

Harls, the picture is stored in your hard drive huh? :D

Dado

Mar 12, 2009, 2:58 AM

According to the City of Ottawa's online property mapping system, this is the extent of the properties potentially involved in this plan (the Unsworth Family lands at 1976 Scott, 319 McRae, 320 McRae). Interestingly, while 319 & 320 McRae are designated properties, 1976 Scott appears to be only a postal address on the 320 McRae site.

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/0/5/5/3/3/1/webimg/238928719_o.jpg

I went to this open house, so here we go...

At the 1976 Scott site they've got a 16 storey building (ground floor retail, condos above) that gradually terraces up from the south and west sides to about 12 storeys at the corner, then heads straight up from there. I imagine this will get pulled back down to 12 or so in the end - the lack of terracing further up would make such a compromise easy to carry out.

The 320 site is slated for a 4 storey building with ground floor retail and stacked townhouses above.

The 319 site will have ground floor retail as well with 6 storeys total closest to McRae. Behind that will be a private courtyard above the second storey and at the back but still some distance from the property line are 4-storey stacked townhouses (the back edge lines up with the back edge of Trail Head). At Wilber (the cul-de-sac off Clifton) will be a pedestrian connection through the development and a bit of small square on the McRae side, but I couldn't discern the particulars of the connection since the building still appeared to occupy the space vertically (perhaps an 'underpass' of some sort).

There will be one or two storeys of underground parking throughout (one on the west, two on the east, probably two or so at Scott). The traffic engineer didn't expect too much downtown-destined car traffic on Scott at peak periods due to the proximity of Westboro Station.

The general intention is to turn the hydro corridor portion into a walkway of some sort, with a new connection across the Transitway to link up with the walkway beside the Metropole.

Other than knocking a few stories off the top of the cornerstone building, I expect this will probably go through largely as is.

rodionx

Mar 12, 2009, 4:33 AM

"Earth embassy", indeed. Perhaps the embassy to the planet Westeinde exists on. The developer hype that accompanies each new, usually mundane Ottawa project proposal gets a bit hard to take sometimes.

Yeah, it's just a commercial development. Retail space for all the condo dwellers would be much better for that area. I liked the bit about the sign flashing global warming rates. A sign flashing the current time and date would be marginally more exciting.

waterloowarrior

Mar 12, 2009, 5:03 AM

Nice update Dado. Sounds like a good proposal. that hydro corridor makes the site a little awkward

Dado

Mar 12, 2009, 2:48 PM

Nice update Dado. Sounds like a good proposal. that hydro corridor makes the site a little awkward

That it does... but the cross section diagrams of the street depicted the use of the single tubular pole style of transmission line support structure rather than the open pyramid towers currently in place (you can see the style of what I'm talking about on the Cumberland hydro corridor). That would free up a lot more space at ground level around the bases of the current towers while reducing the visual clutter. That style structure might also be more amenable to mitigation - i.e. lamp standard clusters and/or outward-facing circular benches, etc.

Oh yes, and the idea is not to turn the corridor into a great big lawn but to have patio spaces and street trees.

highdensitysprawl

Mar 12, 2009, 5:02 PM

I went to this open house, so here we go...

Other than knocking a few stories off the top of the cornerstone building, I expect this will probably go through largely as is.

Dado, I admire your optimism that this will go through largely 'as is'....this is in Westboro which is rivalling the Glebe in its drawbridge NIMBY attitude to density and anything different.

I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

waterloowarrior

Mar 13, 2009, 6:45 AM

at the WCA Website a commentator said that this firm is the architect for westboro collection

http://www.hotsonbakker.com/index2.html

c_speed3108

Mar 13, 2009, 4:00 PM

Claridge files site plans for 18-storey Lisgar condo tower
By Peter Kovessy, Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Fri, Mar 13, 2009 10:00 AM EST

Claridge has revised its plans for a condominium building at 287 Lisgar St., between Bank and O'Connor streets, that adds two additional storeys, but decreases the number of residential units.

A previous zoning amendment proposed a 16-storey, 136-unit condominium. Recent city documents call for an 18-storey, 121-unit building.

The land parcel currently contains a surface parking lot with approximately 28 spaces, according to a site plan proposal summary prepared by the city. The subject property also contains a three-storey apartment building at 293 Lisgar St.

The property must also be rezoned to increase the height and density to accommodate the 18 storeys, according to the city.

City planning staff hope to reach a decision on the application by June 30.

Companies involved so far:

# Douglas Hardie Architect Inc.;

# Novatech Engineering Consultants (servicing brief, stormwater management report, transportation impact study);

# Paterson Group Inc. (phase I-II environmental site assessment);

citizen j

Mar 13, 2009, 6:03 PM

^Er, good luck with that.

harls

Mar 25, 2009, 3:32 PM

I'm sure there was a thread on this somewhere, if someone knows where it is let me know..

http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/83055897686300.php

Spy frames: EllisDon to build $69.5M CSIS expansion

By Peter Kovessy, Ottawa Business Journal Staff

Mon, Mar 23, 2009 12:00 AM EST

http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/temporaryimages/bp26655.jpg
Artist's rendition of CSIS's new building. (Image supplied)176,500-square-foot building to be completed by early 2011

EllisDon Corp. has bested nine other firms invited to submit tenders to build a new five-storey tower for Canada's spy agency at its headquarters campus at Blair and Ogilvie roads, according to a government spokesperson.

Earlier this month, a $69.5-million contract was awarded to EllisDon to construct the LEED-silver building, which will give the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) an additional 176,500 square feet of space.

"We're growing," says CSIS spokesperson Manon Berube.

"The service's evolving needs require it to build additional capacity for its employees."

The new building has been in the works since the fall of 2007 and was designed by a joint venture of Stantec and J.L. Richards and Associates Ltd., says Ms. Berube.

The first phase of the expansion was completed last summer, which included building a construction access road off Blair Road, as well as the installation of stormwater, sewage and gas lines to service the work site, says Ms. Berube.

Design-bid-build tenders closed last October, with the final proponent selected for its lowest valid bid, she says, adding the request for tenders specified that there could be no substitute subcontractors.

The main CSIS building, reportedly built in 1995, will remain in operation even after the new tower is completed.

The service employs approximately 2,450 people, including those outside the National Capital Region.

highdensitysprawl

Mar 25, 2009, 4:17 PM

I'm sure there was a thread on this somewhere, if someone knows where it is let me know..

http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/83055897686300.php

Thanks for the update....

As an aside, is 'bested' really a word....if not, that is terrible writing by the OBJ.....if it is, I've learned something new every day.

Somehow, with the two engineering heavy firms involved in the design of the facility, it doesn't strike me as the type of building that Rhys Phillips would like. Those firms are more likely to design sewage pumping stations.

eemy

Mar 25, 2009, 5:17 PM

As an aside, is 'bested' really a word....if not, that is terrible writing by the OBJ.....if it is, I've learned something new every day.

According to dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/best) it is.

harls

Mar 26, 2009, 8:18 PM

the RFI's close today for the proposed office tower in downtown Gatineau.. so I guess that means there will be an announcement soon as to which location they're going to choose.

I'm hoping for Broccolini's proposal. That empty lot on Eddy/du Portage is an eyesore and needs to be filled.

waterloowarrior

Mar 31, 2009, 7:09 AM

http://westsideaction.blogspot.com/2009/03/soil-remediation-preston-at-carling.html

Soil Remediation, Preston at Carling
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qVgnHDIZ3_w/ScrCJoyCo8I/AAAAAAAAACc/6p80ToMDUno/s320/DSCI0228.JPG

Work crews have been busy this week at the former gas station lot located on the southeast corner of Preston and Carling. If one can guess from the signs on the trucks, its for soil remediation. Once all the oil and gas and other gunk is out of the site, it can be sold for development. It is a prime condo site, facing Commissioners' Park and Dow's Lake, and opening right onto the soon-to-be-glamorous Preston Street.

highdensitysprawl

Mar 31, 2009, 12:16 PM

http://westsideaction.blogspot.com/2009/03/soil-remediation-preston-at-carling.html

Pedantic mode on...I think it is the north east corner of Preston/Carling...the SE corner is parkland near Dows Lake.

Rathgrith

Mar 31, 2009, 2:10 PM

Looks like the Tommy and Lefebvre store on Bank Street is going to be redeveloped and rebuilt.

harls

Mar 31, 2009, 2:32 PM

^ yeah I heard about that fire this morning. Bank from Catherine to Somerset was closed.

Jamaican-Phoenix

Mar 31, 2009, 3:20 PM

Dang, that sucks about the fire. Do you think they'll move or will they stay at that location?

waterloowarrior

Apr 1, 2009, 4:52 AM

Sell ballpark to developers: councillor (http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Sports/Sell+ballpark+developers+councillor/1449611/story.html)

With no baseball, profit could be spent on Lansdowne, Monette says

BY PATRICK DARE, THE OTTAWA CITIZENAPRIL 1, 2009 12:02 AM

OTTAWA — The city's baseball stadium should be sold to the highest bidder and the proceeds plowed into the city’s football stadium at Lansdowne Park, says the councillor for Orléans.

With the end of the Can-Am League’s interest in playing at Ottawa Stadium, the city needs to move quickly so that it at least has one stadium running, Bob Monette said.

He said the city should be looking at selling the Coventry Road stadium and land to a developer who would build a large office tower.

That sale would bring millions of dollars — perhaps

$20 million — which could be put toward the proposed redevelopment of Lansdowne Park, Monette said.

“We have two stadiums — two stadiums that are sitting empty,” he said. “Having the status quo is not a solution.”

Monette said he has been a strong supporter of baseball in Ottawa but it’s clear the city is struggling to support a professional team despite having one of the best stadiums in the sport.

He said unused stadiums deteriorate quickly, so council needs to act.

Monette is a strong supporter of Lansdowne Live, the proposal of four Ottawa businessmen to redevelop Lansdowne Park — which was the home of the famed Ottawa Rough Riders in the Canadian Football League — and have the city reconstruct the football stadium.

The businessmen, John Ruddy, Bill Shenkman, Roger Greenberg and Jeff Hunt, have received a franchise from the CFL that is conditional upon completing a stadium deal with the city.

Next week, city councillors are to receive a staff report that is supposed to recommend whether to go with Lansdowne Live, an alternative soccer stadium in Kanata proposed by Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, or neither one of the stadium proposals.

Ottawa’s baseball stadium, opened 16 years ago, was built at a cost of $16.9 million.

The true cost of the project, however, was higher because the city did the project through a land exchange with the National Capital Commission, in which the city agreed to maintain certain NCC properties such as Colonel By Drive.

Crowds initially packed the 10,000-seat baseball stadium for games of the Ottawa Lynx Triple-A minor-league team, however, interest in the sport waned and many games in recent years at the stadium saw stands nearly empty before the Lynx left town.

Now the lower-level Can-Am league team has failed, too.

Councillors are to hear from city staff about their options for Ottawa Stadium on April 8.

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