Westboro Station | ?m | 10fl | Completed (Phase I) | Completed (Ph. 2)

[Kitchissippi]

Phase 2 is supposed to incorporate a public pay garage — the upper level — which provides the required spots for the commercial portion of the building. I think residents will have to go through this public area and then activate another gate inside to get to their private spots.

[waterloowarrior]

1 May 2010 by southfacing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23575605@N08/4568078797/
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/75/4568078797_5c82e861ba.jpg

[Davis137]

Wow, that's a really big pit for this part of the city! Nice photo southfacing!

[waterloowarrior]

http://www.kitchissippiward.com/committee-of-adjustment-summary-of-applications-for-may-19-2010/

APPLICATION FOR CONSENT
Under Section 53 of the Planning Act
To be held on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 starting at 1:00 p.m.

File No. D08-01-10/B-00134
Owner(s): Bourks Property
Management Ltd.
Location: 424 Richmond Road
Committee Panel: 1
Ward: 15
Legal Description: Parts 2-5, Plan 4R-23857
and Parts 1-3,5,6,8 & 13,
Plan 4R-24019
Zone: TM
Zoning By-law: 2008-250
Former Municipality: Ottawa

PURPOSE OF THE APPLICATION
The Owner wants to mortgage a portion of its property in order to construct Phase 2 of the Westboro Station development.

CONSENT IS REQUIRED FOR THE FOLLOWING:
In order to do this, the Owner requires the Consent of the Committee for a Mortgage/Charge. The land to be mortgaged is vacant and shown as Parts 2, 3, 4 & 5 on Plan 4R-23857 filed with the application, will have a total frontage of 223.04 metres on Richmond Road, Byron Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue to a depth of 99.4 metres (irregular) and will contain a total lot area of 4,880 square metres, and is known municipally as 424 Richmond Road.
The retained land, shown as Parts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 & 13 on Plan 4R-24019, will have a frontage of 61.29 metres on Richmond Road to a depth of 42.0 metres (irregular) and will contain an area of 1,923 square metres (located on the ground and second floors of the existing mixed use apartment building) being Phase 1- Westboro Station, known municipally as 401 Golden Avenue.

THE APPLICATION indicates that the Property is not the subject of any other current applications under the Planning Act.

[waterloowarrior]

22 May 2010 Ross Dunn Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/81556146@N00/4629423495/)
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4629423495_7f864a15a3_b.jpg

[Davis137]

WOW that's a BIG hole! Seeing the loader parked down in the corner really puts the size/scope of this development into perspective, and it's awesome to see them starting the footings and pilings for the foundation and basement already!

[RSharpe]

They say construction is now a bit a head of schedule, the parking structure is well on its way, and the construction crane is up.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4767915611_5349664fe6_b.jpg

[Davis137]

Wow, there's been a lot of progress going on there since I last went by...looks great!

[blackjagger]

http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/2927/img2850.jpg (http://img839.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2850.jpg)

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/3185/img2851p.jpg (http://img829.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img2851p.jpg)

Cheers,
Josh

[Davis137]

Wow, there's certainly been a LOT of progress on this site!

[Dado]

Apparently there was flooding yesterday in the commercial/retail components of Phase I (notably the Bridgehead).

[Kitchissippi]

The retail podium is rising up:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4133/4946078111_f9f4a99c8c_b.jpg

[Davis137]

Wow, above grade already...this site is gonna go up fast!

[Skipper]

According to someone in the sales office, tenants for the Phase II and II of Westboro Station include TD Canada Trust, Shoppers Drugmart and Clocktower Pub!

I wonder how many units they have sold to date in Phase III? Their website is not up to date on this.

[c_speed3108]

According to someone in the sales office, tenants for the Phase II and II of Westboro Station include ... Shoppers Drugmart ...



Sigh, what condo complex with be complete without a Shoppers Drug on the ground floor.

:tantrum:

[harls]

Shoppers Drugmart

At first it was a good joke.. this is getting utterly ridiculous.

[Kitchissippi]

I hope the people in Westboro stay loyal to the Pharmasave that has been in the community for long time.

[Dado]

According to someone in the sales office, tenants for the Phase II and II of Westboro Station include TD Canada Trust, Shoppers Drugmart and Clocktower Pub!

Wow. Having the Clocktower Pub would be great. They can put it under the faked out bell the builders were going to put there...

But just as interesting is the mention of the TD CanadaTrust. There's a branch at Richmond and Churchill right now, so one would assume that that branch will move to Westboro Station. That means that the site of the current branch would possibly be available for redevelopment since it's not much right now.

[Dado]

Sigh, what condo complex with be complete without a Shoppers Drug on the ground floor.

:tantrum:

Ashcroft is probably pissed they won't be able to get one at the Convent site.

Then again...

[McC]

But just as interesting is the mention of the TD CanadaTrust. There's a branch at Richmond and Churchill right now, so one would assume that that branch will move to Westboro Station. That means that the site of the current branch would possibly be available for redevelopment since it's not much right now.

Maybe, but TDs seem to cluster on the west-side: there's also TD branches at Holland and Scott and at Holland and Wellington.

As for the SDM, I'm really only surprised it's taken them this long to open a store on the west side. There's an SDM on Richmond out in Lincoln Fields, but none on Somerset-Wellington-Richmond anywhere east of there (although the one at Westgate isn't too far off, I suppose).

I'll look forward to a Kolsh in the spring and Bytown Brown in the fall at that new Clocktower!

[Ottawan]

Maybe, but TDs seem to cluster on the west-side: there's also TD branches at Holland and Scott and at Holland and Wellington.


That's a bit different though - the one at Scott and Holland serves the office workers and businesses of Holland Cross (and potentially Tunney's), but I highly doubt anyone from the neighbourhood uses it - the one at Wellington is a neighbourhood branch with a completely different clientelle/purpose. Having two so close in the Westboro stretch of Richmond doesn't make the same kind of sense, as they would both be drawing from the same client base (neighbourhood resident, or Westboro strip shopper).

[McC]

I highly doubt anyone from the neighbourhood uses it

I use it, for some reason it's open on weekends even though everything else in Holland X is shuttered... on a related point I would have thought the two Bridgeheads in Westboro were too close together, but they're both thriving... meanwhile the LCBO had to close the Hintonburg location because it was too close (2 neighbourhoods away!) to the big one in Westboro. sigh.

[waterloowarrior]

Looks like it`s on the third storey or so.

[Kitchissippi]

Actually, they've finished the fifth floor of one tower. They're averaging about a floor a week so it should top off in a month.

[Davis137]

Will have to go and check some of these projects out sometime...

[Kitchissippi]

A couple more floors to go on the first building.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5086/5230270485_db5a7cb5d0_z.jpg

[Davis137]

Holy crap! That's a lot of progress since I last looked at this project...

[Kitchissippi]

First building is topped off and the second is almost there. They've also started to put brick up.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5247/5376684016_dd51018d4c_b.jpg

[Davis137]

Wow, at the rate things are going in that portion of Westboro, I'd say that the development and increased density along Richmond rivals that of, dare I say it, Centertown...

It's great that they've got this much done on this site. I always liked tracking the progress of the first tower, and I like seeing they almost have the other phases topped out.

[AuxTown]

Wow, at the rate things are going in that portion of Westboro, I'd say that the development and increased density along Richmond rivals that of, dare I say it, Centertown...

It's great that they've got this much done on this site. I always liked tracking the progress of the first tower, and I like seeing they almost have the other phases topped out.

Westboro is doing a great job gentrifying, but they are nowhere near Centretown. They have one strip along Wellington-Richmond with highrise condos surrounded by a sea of single family dwellings and a few townhouses sprinkled in for good measure. Centretown has 5 or 6 streets with the same number of towers as Westboro plus the lower density residential is quite dense compared to Westboro. We better watch our backs though....

[McC]

Westboro is doing a great job gentrifying, but they are nowhere near Centretown. They have one strip along Wellington-Richmond with highrise condos surrounded by a sea of single family dwellings and a few townhouses sprinkled in for good measure. Centretown has 5 or 6 streets with the same number of towers as Westboro plus the lower density residential is quite dense compared to Westboro. We better watch our backs though....

Wellington isn't in Westboro.

[waterloowarrior]

26 Jan 2011 David Tyner flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tyner/5391596445/sizes/l/in/photostream/

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5134/5391596445_688b0f2a06_z.jpg

[waterloowarrior]

2 feb from childfree blog http://childfree.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/westboro-more-pics/

http://childfree.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/dsc02634.jpg?w=450

[Davis137]

That's starting to look really nice now...

[RSharpe]

Does it look like construction has slowed down? Occupancy has been pushed back from May to September.

[harls]

I was there yesterday and it looks like everything is topped off. Still a lot of work to do though.

[rde84]

Wow!! It's obviously been awhile since I was along there. Great progress on a nice looking project!

[AuxTown]

I love the brick, glass, and spandrel combination they chose for this project. Claridge could really take a lesson from them. Lebreton and CP1&2 are just barely built and already look about a decade out of date.

[Exewau]

Looking south-west from across Richmond Rd

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5140/5586706652_3c8d62068b_b.jpg

[waterloowarrior]

ross dunn @ flickr (24 march 2011)
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5556123177_6f26ca41b7_z.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rdb466/5556123177/sizes/z/in/photostream/

phase 1
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5299/5556717418_b8a428b819_z.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rdb466/5556717418/in/photostream/

[Dado]

There's a large sign draped from the storefront on the northeast corner (i.e. @ Roosevelt) advertising that the Shoppers Drug Mart will open there on the 16th of August. I also received notice in the mail from TD CanadaTrust that they will be moving their branch to their new location at Westboro Station at the end of November. From the mock-up diagram in the lobby of the current branch, I would guess that the TD branch will be immediately next to the Shoppers Drug Mart.

[Kitchissippi]

:previous: Which opens up an interesting question: what will go in the old TD location? it's a prominent corner of Richmond and Churchill.

[citizen j]

Bank of Shoppers Drug Mart?

[McC]

Bank of Shoppers Drug Mart?

it's working for Loblaw and CT...!

[m0nkyman]

Drove by today and saw signs for the Clocktower Pub that say they'll be opening there in the fall...

edit - Westboro Station that is, not the TD Bank location...

[RSharpe]

Does anyone have any new picture updates?

[Davis137]

This development looks great in person, and blends nicely with the exsisting mid-rise buildings that now line Richmond...

[RSharpe]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6061/6100420175_4caafbffe6_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6100964514_7eecd0a846_z.jpg

[waterloowarrior]

Thanks for the update (missed this one over the long weekend). Interesting look for the Shoppers....

[waterloowarrior]

great shot by southfacing @ flickr jan 2012
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23575605@N08/6751464259/in/photostream/

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7156/6751464259_b88577332d_z.jpg

[Dado]

Got to love those Phase II façades on Byron and Roosevelt... and they have lots of grass, too.

[Uhuniau]

Look at all the people being killed by the wind tunnel!

[McC]

Got to love those Phase II façades on Byron and Roosevelt... and they have lots of grass, too.

PhaseII at street level on the Richmond side is pretty disappointing too, it feels like walking past the Superstore, with massive, set back and raised up storefronts, the opposite of the intimate village feel you get on Richmond just one block to the east. This streetfront issue is doubly disappointing to me because I find the towers are very successful at giving space, light and air to the street-level.

[Kitchissippi]

The entrances to the stores definitely lack definition. The door into the Shoppers Drug Mart is almost hard to figure out and has no sensible indent or overhang to shield from the elements. The exit door automatically swings out onto the sidewalk, a potential hazard for pedestrians and has gotten stuck in snow several times. The focal point on that stretch is the entrance to the parking garage elevators. Even the facade of the Clocktower pub is cold, plain and boring, quite a contrast from the collection of eclectic and classic storefronts that were demolished.

[Dado]

PhaseII at street level on the Richmond side is pretty disappointing too, it feels like walking past the Superstore, with massive, set back and raised up storefronts, the opposite of the intimate village feel you get on Richmond just one block to the east. This streetfront issue is doubly disappointing to me because I find the towers are very successful at giving space, light and air to the street-level.

The entrances to the stores definitely lack definition. The door into the Shoppers Drug Mart is almost hard to figure out and has no sensible indent or overhang to shield from the elements. The exit door automatically swings out onto the sidewalk, a potential hazard for pedestrians and has gotten stuck in snow several times. The focal point on that stretch is the entrance to the parking garage elevators. Even the facade of the Clocktower pub is cold, plain and boring, quite a contrast from the collection of eclectic and classic storefronts that were demolished.


I'm glad someone else raised these points. I've been meaning to go out there and take some photos, in particular to compare as-built with the drawings earlier in this thread of the proposed. In response to McC's point though, that segment of Richmond does have a fairly substantial grade change along it that we never really noticed before but now it has become quite apparent; Richmond east of Roosevelt is a lot more level. Still, as the renderings below show, I think that grade change could have been handled a lot better than it ultimately was.

The Shopper's Drug Mart entrance looks like it has been moved from what was originally supposed to be a corner location entrance in the oldest renderings:.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/2634247659_b050ca628a_o.jpg

The TD CanadaTrust unfortunately has railings outside of it protecting people from a major drop, where early renders had steps.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/2634753368_b51096bff4_o.jpg

The tree line has now been moved closer to the street, which probably makes more sense from an access-to-sunlight perspective and also I believe that some of the trees were already there from the ~2000 era Westboro spruce-up.

[ajldub]

If you guys think these frontages are a letdown, just wait until the convent development goes up...

[McC]

If you guys think these frontages are a letdown, just wait until the convent development goes up...

That can't be a let down, because my expectations are already so low. That said, having subbasement low expectations for Ashcroft developments allowed me to be pleasantly surprised by 101 Richmond's at street impression (preliminary, still vacant) at least they managed to keep the sidewalk open most of the time, unlike the a-holes building the Wellington at Island Park, who have closed the sidewalk for something like 4 months now.

[Dado]

:previous:

Agreed, whereas Westboro Station Phase II is quite a letdown compared to both its earlier renderings and the realized form of Phase I.

[McKellarDweller]

I walk by this one multiple times a week. I agree with everyone saying that the Shopper's entrance is poor in its finished form, and that the pedestrian entrance to the parking garage fronting on Richmond Road is a design fail.

I like how Phase II turned out, but the eastern elevation of Phase 3 facing Roosevelt is a let down, from top to bottom. It was treated as if no one would look at it and it would be blocked in the short term, which it wont be.

[Dado]

I don't know for what reason, but this past Sunday at Westfest the stretch of Richmond Rd in front of the Westboro Station development was a deadzone.

That's quite the contrast to previous years where this area was always quite busy.

Granted, the stage is no longer set up at Golden, but I can't help but wonder if it has more to do with the fact that the eclectic mix of stores that were razed to make way for the condo are no longer there.


I don't know what it was like on Saturday, which had much more miserable weather, but the Westboro Farmers' Market operates in the tramway park just west of Golden on Saturdays so there might have been more activity.

[Ted]

I don't know for what reason, but this past Sunday at Westfest the stretch of Richmond Rd in front of the Westboro Station development was a deadzone.

That's quite the contrast to previous years where this area was always quite busy.

Granted, the stage is no longer set up at Golden, but I can't help but wonder if it has more to do with the fact that the eclectic mix of stores that were razed to make way for the condo are no longer there.


I don't know what it was like on Saturday, which had much more miserable weather, but the Westboro Farmers' Market operates in the tramway park just west of Golden on Saturdays so there might have been more activity.

I though it was lame too - no street presence from Shoppers or TD - the downside of big corporate stores. Running room however appeared to have a good tent set up.

[McKellarDweller]

I noticed the space formerly occupied by the Michael Gennis gallery has a
"LEASED" sign in the window. Anyone know who the new tennant will be?

[gjhall]

I though it was lame too - no street presence from Shoppers or TD - the downside of big corporate stores. Running room however appeared to have a good tent set up.

Shoppers is a locally owned and operated franchise. The pharmacist is the owner and lives in the neighbourhood.

[JackBauer24]

Shoppers is a locally owned and operated franchise. The pharmacist is the owner and lives in the neighbourhood.

I'm not supporting their decision not to participate in this community event, but Shoppers would still have franchise rules and regulations to follow that may prevent them from participating, even if the franchise is locally owned.