Centropolis (Kent & Gladstone) | ? fl | ? m | Completed

[rocketphish]

Introducing... another project by Tega Homes: the Centropolis Condos, at the corner of Kent and Gladstone.

http://tegahomes.com
http://centropoliscondos.com

There's not much information to go on yet, but we do have an initial rendering:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/4466496819_3001926bcc_o_d.jpg

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

So is this going on that corner of Kent and Gladstone with the gas station?

[Ottawan]

Of course, the name of the development is by no means a play on Central, which is a full entire block away.

[jcollins]

Like the design a lot, the height on the other hand, four floors? A little low. They should be going for 8.

[m0nkyman]

No retail on Gladstone? Boo. This needs to help develop the retail nature of Gladstone.

And seeing as how 8 stories would kill some of my sunlight (I'm catercorner from this site) I'm kind of OK with it being low, although I wouldn't fight tooth and nail unless it was ugly. I'll be looking at it for the rest of my life.

[m0nkyman]

Oh and looking out my window I see what looks like a sales trailer on the lot

[AuxTown]

Kind of a busy design. Too many different construction materials for a building only 4 storeys high. Kind of reminds me of Opus in that way.

http://ottawa.ca/residents/planning/downtown/construction_en-32.jpg

[Ottawan]

The design is not bad (other than the crenellation - poorly imitating a castle doesn't seem like a plus in my books), but I agree wholeheartedly that there should be retail on Gladstone, and that ideally the proposal would be for a somewhat taller building.

[adam-machiavelli]

Due to the fact that the building is only 1 floor higher than the maximum height of a wood-frame building and minimum height requiring an elevator, I bet the units will be pretty expensive.

[Dado]

I'm fairly sure that you can build to four storeys with wood frame construction, and in B.C. it's now possible to go to six (though I have no idea what sized lumber would be in use on the lower storeys - 2x8s, 2x10s?). Even if they could only build three storeys, they could always build the first out of concrete and build wood above, but I'm pretty sure this building would be all wood above grade.

If they can build to four with wood, doing a 1+4 arrangement with the first floor out of concrete for retail etc. would be a neat way to go. Either that or steel for the first floor.

[kwoldtimer]

The design is not bad (other than the crenellation - poorly imitating a castle doesn't seem like a plus in my books), but I agree wholeheartedly that there should be retail on Gladstone, and that ideally the proposal would be for a somewhat taller building.

I kind of like the quirkiness of the crenellation - it made me smile (I wonder if the developer will supply a French sentry a la Monty Python?) ;)

[eemy]

I can't really tell if the ground floor units are walk-ups or not. I certainly hope they are. Other than that, I don't think you would want to push the height beyond 6 stories. I think 6 stories is about the maximum you can have before the building becomes too overpowering and it requires setbacks.

As for the limitations of wood-frame construction: I don't think the Building Code has a strict limitation per se, but I am by no means an expert on it. Practically, I had always heard that wood/masonry buildings have a limit of about 6 floors though.

[Mille Sabords]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2738/4466496819_3001926bcc_o_d.jpg

It doesn't look to me as though the ground floor units are walk-ups on either facade, and that's a big mistake. This project has a chance to really be the glue between the first and second blocks of Gladstone from Bank Street, where retail already has a good foothold and feeds off its proximity to Bank. As eye-pleasing as this project may be, at the ground level it cements the discontinuity that exists with the former gas station.

[Ottawade]

I agree with O-Town about the design. Feels like its going to come out looking like the Opus: an awkward collage of some flat components. The building can't really decide if its a castle or a condo. I also the feel that there are going to be too many of these look-a-like buildings; we are witnessing suburban cookie cutter replication on a condo sized scale. A little bit of texture or colour can go a long way.

[umbria27]

I like the crenellation, but much will depend on the construction. They better not look flimsy or lame. I want to be able to hide behind them during a siege. They ought to be stone rather than brick.
Is this intended as a reference to the neo-gothic stylings of the Museum of Nature?

Agree too that it needs two more storeys, but more than that it needs ground floor retail.

[rakerman]

Anything is better than a gas station, and it will be great to get more people along Kent, but seriously, what the hell is that mess of architectural styles? It looks like some random jumble someone stuck together with Legos.

Also they really need ground-level retail. It's great to have more people, but we need more retail too in order to support pedestrian traffic particularly on a car-busy and not-so-pleasant street (off-ramp, really) like Kent.

[c_speed3108]

My understanding is that 4 floors is the limit on wood frame construction in most jurisdictions. BC allows 6 in order to support their lumber industry...

Not sure on minimums on elevators, booster pumps, etc...

[jcollins]

Why the need to do wooden framed construction though?

[blackjagger]

Why the need to do wooden framed construction though?

Why the need?? Do you mean why do wooden framed over concrete or steel frame? It would pretty much come down to cost, you have to add roughly $100 a SF for concrete construction over wood frame. It’s one of the reasons I always laugh when the city cuts a builders proposal from the 8-10 storey mark to 6-7 storey. 6-7 storey still means concrete with elevator with no additional floors to help with the increased costs.
I don’t know how I feel about 6 storey wood frame though like they have in BC, it would help lower the cost for the increase density and would still require an elevator, but the sound deadening is just not there with the wood frame and increased insurance costs for units.

Cheers,
Josh

[ajldub]

Don't know how I feel about this one. The rendering is awkward to say the least, which is usually a good predictor of the final product looking like junk.

[Cntrtwnr]

No Signage, but there's a trailer on-site.
I have to agree..the renderings are not terribly appealing. Tega has some ok looking projects competed..Petrino lofts etc...why the craptastic exterior design on this one?

[Cntrtwnr]

pre-sale opening event....thursday 2-8...any coincedence it is the same day as Central II event....hmmmmm....

[Umpaidh]

I just heard on the radio this morning that the starting price is $118k... did the radio announcer get it wrong?

[Cntrtwnr]

They have a bunch of 315 sq,ft studio's.....

I love this line

The rejuvenation of Centretown will begin in the middle. It will begin with Centropolis.

[AuxTown]

They really need to change the name for this project. Not only is it too close the Central to be called such a similar name, but the name really doesn't reflect the building. When I hear 'Centropolis' I imagine I giant tower....like Megapolis in Panama City:

http://panamamegapolis.com/files/2008/05/image001.gif

This project should have a name with castle in it or something that more reflects the style of the building. Releasing on the same day as Central 2 is a pretty good ploy as well since they'll get some of the overflow business from down the street.

[kwoldtimer]

They really need to change the name for this project. Not only is it too close the Central to be called such a similar name, but the name really doesn't reflect the building. When I hear 'Centropolis' I imagine I giant tower....like Megapolis in Panama City:

http://panamamegapolis.com/files/2008/05/image001.gif

This project should have a name with castle in it or something that more reflects the style of the building. Releasing on the same day as Central 2 is a pretty good ploy as well since they'll get some of the overflow business from down the street.

Interesting example you use to illustrate your point. IMO, it should be renamed "Megalomanopolis" as an example of what happens when urban development goes out of control. As an aside, the small green park shown in the bottom right does not actually exist (yet) - it is the outlet of a small river that is an open sewer - the stench most days is almost overpowering. :yuck:

[Uhuniau]

This project should have a name with castle in it or something that more reflects the style of the building.

What, are all the SOHO names, and "The Residences at [BLANK] [BLANK]" names taken? :)

[Uhuniau]

No retail on Gladstone? Boo. This needs to help develop the retail nature of Gladstone.


really, though... sites like this are screaming for ground-level retail or office/professional uses.

[AuxTown]

What, are all the SOHO names, and "The Residences at [BLANK] [BLANK]" names taken? :)

How about SOHO Former Gas Station or Residences at Architectural Identity Crisis?

I kid though. Hopefully, the next rendering with some sky instead of the jet black and more detailing will make this project look a little more appealing.

[Uhuniau]

How about SOHO Former Gas Station or Residences at Architectural Identity Crisis?

I kid though. Hopefully, the next rendering with some sky instead of the jet black and more detailing will make this project look a little more appealing.

Oh oh oh, you know what else they should do? Put in some stick-figure pedestrians, and some "green" elements like trees or grass or shrubs or bread mold. As long as it's green and it grows!

[blackjagger]

Website is up with individual units and floor plans. I'm a little disappointed with two of aspects. First no ground floor retail, but I can live with that I guess, probably after Tega's experience in Barrhaven with retail they are shying away from it. The bigger concern that I have is no walk up units. If you are going to have units at grade/ below grade with window wells why not have the units with their own entrances.

Oh well, if successful it will encourage other small builders to bring their game to centretown. At least this will add to the urban line in the sand of Kent St plus it gets rid of an ugly parking lot/gas bar.

Cheers,
Josh

[Cntrtwnr]

I'm fascinated by the studios....anyone have any idea what bachelor apts are renting for in Centretown...by my math, you'd need 770/mo to break even on a minimum down payment

[AuxTown]

I'm fascinated by the studios....anyone have any idea what bachelor apts are renting for in Centretown...by my math, you'd need 770/mo to break even on a minimum down payment

Probably need more than that when you take into account condo fees and property taxes. Bachelor apartments are hard to find in Centretown, but the ones I've seen rent for around 800-850.

[rakerman]

Residences at Architectural Identity Crisis?

Awesome :)

[Cntrtwnr]

My accountant wife ran the numbers...albeit with some unkown numbers like taxes and condo fees...i'll replug the numbers into the spreadsheet and see what comes up.

[rakerman]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4547054812_921d57a954.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/4547054812/)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/4546104229_649325e4de.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/4546104229/)

is the $118k for 315sqft, no parking?

The rooftop deck does look nice, at least it has some coherence, unlike the building exterior.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4546738566_176662fba6.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/4546738566/)

[Mille Sabords]

I paid the sales centre a visit this afternoon. The place was busy, I would say there were about 25 people in there. The board had 34 stickers. I got the price list and it's interesting to see the number of tiny bachelors (295 sq.ft.). Those are in fact the real money makers for the project: at $118,000 that works out to about $400/sq.ft. - add parking and you're up to $500/sq.ft. Condo fees are just $68/month and taxes must be in the $1,200/yr ballpark. Many of those tiny units were spoken for on the sales board.

[kwoldtimer]

I paid the sales centre a visit this afternoon. The place was busy, I would say there were about 25 people in there. The board had 34 stickers. I got the price list and it's interesting to see the number of tiny bachelors (295 sq.ft.). Those are in fact the real money makers for the project: at $118,000 that works out to about $400/sq.ft. - add parking and you're up to $500/sq.ft. Condo fees are just $68/month and taxes must be in the $1,200/yr ballpark. Many of those tiny units were spoken for on the sales board.

Are these the smallest condo units offered so far in Ottawa? Smaller than many hotel rooms. I wonder who is buying them?

[rodionx]

Are these the smallest condo units offered so far in Ottawa? Smaller than many hotel rooms. I wonder who is buying them?

Just speculating, but I imagine a lot of them would be people who maintain a home elsewhere but work a lot in the city and need a place to stay. Over the long run, owning a tiny condo is probably a lot cheaper than staying in hotels, and a better investment than renting an apartment. Some people might buy them for their kids at university. Others would be people that want to own, but can't afford a condo downtown, and don't mind the small space. In Vancouver, they're called micro lofts (http://www.vancouversun.com/City+Small+Condos+Micro+lofts+come+Vancouver/2474576/story.html). Tega might have found itself a sweet little niche market.

[rakerman]

I got the price list and it's interesting to see the number of tiny bachelors (295 sq.ft.). ... Many of those tiny units were spoken for on the sales board.

295? ouch, that's small

[AuxTown]

Glad to hear sales are going well. While I'm not a big fan of the design, this project is not in a prominent location and is a huge step up from the parking lot/gas station that's there now.

A few more renderings from their website www.tegahomes.com:

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/3716/centropolis1.jpg

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/6366/centropolis4.jpg

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/9572/centropolis2.jpg

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/1152/centropolis3.jpg

I'm not sure what they can do to make it better? Possibly lose the yellow brick and stick to two tones, red brick and white stone/precast.

[jcollins]

So looks like parking entrance is off Florance? Am I looking at that right?

Anyone know if they're having to tear down any of the homes on Florence or if they are just using the property that is cleared already for the gas station.

[rakerman]

Glad to hear sales are going well. While Possibly lose the yellow brick and stick to two tones, red brick and white stone/precast.

Ditch the weird crenellation castle effect at the top, and the giant white ?entranceway? thing on Kent.

[Cntrtwnr]

All homes are staying, which is why no fuss from NIMBY's...it abides by the official Centretown Plan...which killed past proposed projects for this lot.

[Kitchissippi]

Ditch the weird crenellation castle effect at the top, and the giant white ?entranceway? thing on Kent.

From where would they pour the boiling oil on to invaders if they did that? :D

[Dado]

Glad to hear sales are going well. While I'm not a big fan of the design, this project is not in a prominent location and is a huge step up from the parking lot/gas station that's there now.

A few more renderings from their website www.tegahomes.com:

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/3716/centropolis1.jpg

Someone must have had in mind one of the dozen or so women in Ottawa with both hair that long and skirts that short when coming up with this illustration. :cool:

[citizen j]

From where would they pour the boiling oil on to invaders if they did that? :D

Thanks for thinking of that. It's always so easy to forget simple principles of condo defence in the design process.

[Kitchissippi]

:previous: It's a reflex one acquires living with the marauding NIMBY hoards of Westboro :D

[kwoldtimer]

All homes are staying, which is why no fuss from NIMBY's...it abides by the official Centretown Plan...which killed past proposed projects for this lot.

Tega seems to have no idea of how developers do things in Ottawa! :D

[waterloowarrior]

'Old hippie’ discovers he has no right to light
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Egan+hippie+discovers+right+light/3217878/story.html

BY KELLY EGAN, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN JUNE 29, 2010 10:51 PM BE THE FIRST TO POST A COMMENT


The city is undergoing an infill explosion. Old neighbours are waking up to new dust, and a dark truth.

There is no such thing as “the right to light.”

Those favoured spots — in the garden, on the patio, at the breakfast table — can fall to newly tall shadows, without much recourse. Your sunlight, essentially, can be stolen.

It has struck Paul Couvrette quite profoundly.

The commercial photographer, now 59, has a studio on Gladstone Avenue and a house round the corner on Florence, just east of Kent Street.

The house, a classic three-storey brick built in 1912, has been something of a life’s work. He bought it for less than $40,000 in 1975 — in shambles.

Over the course of 35 years, he has renovated, updated, expanded, enhancing the property as he built a reputation as one of Ottawa’s most honoured photographers.

More than a house, it was once his principal studio. In 1982, he finished an unusual addition to the rear.

An “old hippie,” Couvrette researched the potential of passive solar heat — even employing a solar “architect” — before creating a four-metre-high wall of triple-glazed glass, facing south.

“In November and December, it gets so warm in here you wouldn’t believe it,” he said during a tour Tuesday

Well, maybe not Decembers evermore.

Tega Homes is proposing a 102-unit condo called Centropolis for the corner of Kent and Gladstone, now the site of a gas station and a used-car lot.

In photos, it is an attractive building, with a mix of sizes and prices, starting as low as $118,000 for the so-called pod-units, and is now 60-per-cent sold.

It is exactly the kind of inner-urban density the city of Ottawa is encouraging, it conforms to zoning and, in fact, is not overpowering in terms of height.

Yet Couvrette is quite sure that his passive solar potential is going to be significantly reduced — possibly by as much as half — when the five-level condo is erected.

(It is five floors, but the first is half-submerged.)

When he appealed to his city councillor, Diane Holmes, who forwarded a city hall legal opinion, Couvrette was stunned to discover this: As a property owner, he has no “right” to a specified level of sunlight.

None.

“This is the part that surprises me,” he said. “How, in this day and age, can they not have thought this through?”

Couvrette has designed the yard and the home with the sun in mind.

There are shade trees to cool in the summer heat, a high fence for privacy and to buffer sound, a stone patio, a play house for the kids.

Inside, the windows sit between cedar beams. They can all be shaded with blinds. He also installed a ventilation system that sucks out warm air and redistributes it to colder areas of the house.

Beneath the floor of the addition sits a metre of solid concrete, all insulated. On the second floor, a large window to the bathroom opens to the condo lot, giving views right into the jacuzzi.

“In the winter, I’ll have a big, black wall 30 or 40 feet off the end of my building.”

A legal opinion from the city only deepened the sense that the issue has been woefully overlooked.

“Since the 19th century in Ontario, there has been no guaranteed right to sunlight. This principle is contained in the Real Property Limitations Act, section 33 which states:

33. No person shall acquire a right by prescription to the access and use of light or to the access and use of air to or for any dwelling-house, work-shop or other building, but this section does not apply to any such right acquired by twenty years use before the 5th day of March, 1880.”

One wonders the pickle Couvrette would find himself in had he installed actual solar panels that produce electricity, the very initiative Ontario is encouraging residents to consider.

Councillor Christine Leadman has run into similar issues before and discovered that existing laws aren’t much help.

“There is little strength in our planning and zoning bylaws that provide protection or guidance in the energy conservation field.”

Spyros Dimitrakopoulos is the president of Tega. He points out Centropolis conforms to the zoning bylaw and is lower than some city staff suggested.

He argues he is trying to transform an unremarkable lot with an old gas station, a bunch of used cars and some “junk” into an attractive, modern development.

“Isn’t that what we want from our cities?”

The development is actually lower on the Florence side, he said. The only way to satisfy Couvrette’s request, he said, is “not to build the whole building.”

Couvrette, meanwhile, says he’s getting legal advice about possible injunctions.

“The city has to address it. I’m just one person and, look, within a block, I’m being surrounded by three condo projects.”

The icing on the cake, possibly, is irony: a celebrated photographer being relieved of his light.

[kwoldtimer]

I thought everyone already knew this. Same goes for views, no? I tend to fault the homeowner here - he built in expectation of direct sunlight but seems not to have given any thought to what might eventually be built to the south of him.

[Brainbug]

Sure he has a right...the right to apply to re-zone his property and build a 6 story building in order to regain his "lost" light

It's not like a 14 story building is going up next door...damn NIMBYs

(I might be in a bad mood because a neighbour across the street wants me to move my green bin from my front step "Every morning I look out my front window and see your compost bin. The look of it cheapens the area and offends me". Sorry for the off-topic rant)

[McC]

always so smug... really, you can't sympathize with the guy at all? it seems to me that the prospects of a big building going in his backyard like this was virtually zero for over 25 of the 35 years he's lived in that house. I don't blame him for being a little cheezed off now. (e.g., most gas station lots in this city remain empty, even in prime parts of town like O'Connor and Gloucester, Main St, Bank and Riverside, etc., and prior to Central there was no developer interest anywhere on Gladstone). so it's not as if the possibility of this development in his backyard was obvious. and on top of that, it's not as if this is a great building (as planned so far) that's going to add a ton of benefits and amenities to the area. but sure, go ahead and beat up on this guy behind his back, he's only a small business owner who's been (by the sounds of it) working hard for longer than I've been alive to help make this part of Centretown -- a part that has often been pretty sketchy -- a nicer and more desireable place to live.

[Brainbug]

I've been jaded by all the complaints against change.

Everywhere I've been there is a group of people who do not want something in their neighbourhood because it interferes with something which is only of their interest.

Why should 102 people who want to move to an area to reduce their commute be stopped by one man who doesn't want to live in the shadow of a building? The city of Ottawa is trying to discourage urban sprawl, the population is increasing so they have to live somewhere. Again, it appears to me that this isn't out of proportion to the rest of the area, it isn't 14 stories and it isn't a Casino/Strip Club/Garbage dump.

102 people pay roughly 102x the tax to the city than he does.

Is he unlucky that the developer chose this specific abandoned gas station, yes. Is it likely that the other abandoned gas stations will be developed in the next 25-35 years, I'd bet on it.

[phil235]

The property in question is a surface lot on the corner of two major arterials in the core of the city. Of course it was going to get developed.

There have been a couple of proposals for the site that I can remember involving tall residential towers. This guy should be happy that the building is only 4 1/2 stories tall.

[AuxTown]

This guy is just fortunate that the lot has not been developed in all that time living next door. As a result, he has gotten used to his view and now feels he is getting cheated. He should feel lucky it sat under-developed for the last 35 years. If you don't want to live in the city then get the heck out....there's plenty of cheap real estate in Barhaven!

[citizen j]

No sympathy. When he bought the house in 1975, it was in the middle of the city. By then, Centretown had already seen a fair share of mid- to high-rise in-fill redevelopment, so to feign surprise several decades later than something over 2 storeys is being built in the area is disingenuous. It's 2010, and that house is still downtown. The project conforms to current zoning. No contest. As others have said, if what he wants is some sort of sunlight guarantee, he might want to move to a neighbourhood with different zoning. Like Chelsea. Or Perth. Or ...

[rakerman]

If he wants guaranteed sunlight, I suggest he invest in some land on the top of a mountain, not in a house downtown.

Is it a shame that he invested in eco-design for his house that the condos will mess up? Sure, I suppose. In future, individuals doing personal home eco-design might want to not include an assumption that absolutely nothing around them will change forever.

[kwoldtimer]

.........(I might be in a bad mood because a neighbour across the street wants me to move my green bin from my front step "Every morning I look out my front window and see your compost bin. The look of it cheapens the area and offends me". Sorry for the off-topic rant)

Also off topic, but trust the suggestion you offered in reply involved pounding a quantity of rock salt!

[Feduplurker]

Used to live in Ottawa and have been lurking around here for a while. Thanks for the pics and updates, everyone.

That Citizen article above really p*ssed me off. It's not just the mindset that thinks one-storey buildings are normal in the middle of major cities, as others have said. It's the faux environmentalism that gets me.

If he's an old hippie, he'd welcome more urban intensification because it means less car-based sprawl. If he's an environmentalist, he'd get that the 102 smaller carbon footprints would outweigh his solar panel, if indeed the light were blocked. We're talking four storeys.

Ottawa has more than its share of these folks. Hopefully plopping more buildings next to them will dilute their drivel. Keep up the good work.

[Cntrtwnr]

As someone who lives on Florence between kent and lyon and on the south side of the street, i also don't have too much sympathy for Courvette....I currently have a 30ft cinderblock wall at the back of my backyard (alek's bodyshop on Gladstone), but am fully aware and have always been aware of the possibility of development on Gladstone interfering with my property. I've always chaulked this up to the chance you take having a single family home in Centretown....you take the good with the bad, and let's face it...the good far outweighs the negative.

Courvette and Savasta both were instrumental in stopping 2 proposed developments on that site that i'm aware of...in the 7yrs i've been in the hood. (tim horton's drive thru / esso...and the 7-9 story condo tower).....so he's been aware for awhile something would happen there. This one may prove impossible to stop.

[kwoldtimer]

I still have no sympathy, but I salute him if he successfully opposed a Tinnies drive-through.

[waterloowarrior]

site plan application (http://app01.ottawa.ca/postingplans/appDetails.jsf?lang=en&appId=__73EVAO)

[waterloowarrior]

some good background on the site
http://urbsite.blogspot.com/2010/11/main-garage.html

[Cntrtwnr]

Garage is coming down...was half down last night.

[rakerman]

Site is cleared and the pile driver thing is hammering poles into the ground.

[m0nkyman]

Excavation is well underway. This one should be marked under construction now. I'll post pics sometime soon when there isn't as much snow blocking my view.

[rakerman]

about a storey below grade in places now

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5265/5584690959_fe7f11e754.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/5584690959/)IMG_1062 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/5584690959/) by rakerman (http://www.flickr.com/people/rakerman/), on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5030/5584691385_917ca9bbb2.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/5584691385/)IMG_1068 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/5584691385/) by rakerman (http://www.flickr.com/people/rakerman/), on Flickr

[m0nkyman]

http://aptenobytes.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83453cce269e2015431e73c76970c-pihttp://aptenobytes.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83453cce269e2015431e73c33970c-pihttp://aptenobytes.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83453cce269e201538e14155f970b-pi

Can this be changed to under construction now?

[rakerman]

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6051/5870104958_a13576771b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/5870104958/)
DSC04526 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/5870104958/) by rakerman (http://www.flickr.com/people/rakerman/), on Flickr

[S-Man]

Looks like Tega has a problem on its hands with its excavated pit.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Tenants+ordered+unsafe+Ottawa+apartment+building/5032004/story.html

With all the Leda clay under the south end of Centretown and the recent storms, I'm not surprised nearby properties are starting to slump.

[reidjr]

What could happen is there a chance this porject will have to be canned?

[m0nkyman]

Looks like Tega has a problem on its hands with its excavated pit.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Tenants+ordered+unsafe+Ottawa+apartment+building/5032004/story.html

With all the Leda clay under the south end of Centretown and the recent storms, I'm not surprised nearby properties are starting to slump.

I'm catercorner from this development, and I don't think that those two properties are the only ones affected. :irked:

[S-Man]

You'd think for a building that's only going to be 3.5 - 4.5 storeys, they'd have progressed (in terms of construction) a bit more than this by now. Much deeper pits have been dug and filled in shorter periods of time. How hard would it be to pour a concrete foundation around the perimeter of the pit to hold back the clay? Central was much deeper, went through much more clay, and Bank Street didn't fall into a hole.

[McC]

Central was much deeper, went through much more clay, and Bank Street didn't fall into a hole.

...yet ;-)

[waterloowarrior]

aerial of site from southfacing (flickr)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23575605@N08/5891404635/

[rocketphish]

I saw several segments of a tower crane being delivered to the Centropolis site this evening. You crane aficionados should watch for it to be erected this weekend.

[m0nkyman]

I saw several segments of a tower crane being delivered to the Centropolis site this evening. You crane aficionados should watch for it to be erected this weekend.

Tonight. Apparently they got a noise bylaw exemption so they'll be going overnight. Which won't help my sleep, or the sleep of my 20 month old.

[rakerman]

Construction caused a big crack in adjacent house

http://yfrog.com/kj3qa4j

Now patched over

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6026/5922621736_a9955edd7d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/5922621736/)
DSC04560 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/5922621736/) by rakerman (http://www.flickr.com/people/rakerman/), on Flickr

crane is up

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6129/5922058177_eb7f9971d6_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/5922058177/)
DSC04563 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/5922058177/) by rakerman (http://www.flickr.com/people/rakerman/), on Flickr

[S-Man]

Well, with the crane there it shouldn't be long before that thing is above ground. Too bad it didn't get there a few weeks earlier to prevent the cracking of adjacent buildings....

[rakerman]

I would have taken pics of the excavation progress but they now have the site completely, totally boarded in.

So I took a pic of the house that's falling into the hole they dug instead

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6112759964_36ac76c9c5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/6112759964/)
DSC05918 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/6112759964/) by rakerman (http://www.flickr.com/people/rakerman/), on Flickr

[citizen j]

Construction caused a big crack in adjacent house



What? Construction caused adjacent property to turn into a crack house? I knew this would happen! The Councillor Holmes was right; developers ARE the anti-Christ.

[S-Man]

'crack' house, indeed! Considering there's only one underground level, you'd think this project would have risen above grade by now.

[Badlands]

Everyone who is pro-development should be concerned that this happened and should demand answers. This is reason why we have the "NIMBY"s. If it was my backyard I would be upset.

[S-Man]

To be perfectly fair, I've never heard a NIMBY complain that their house would fall into a hole - this type of occurrence is regrettable and should lead to compensation on the part of the homeowner, but it is a rare occurence that doesn't factor into neighbourhood battles like we've seen.

[McC]

To be perfectly fair, I've never heard a NIMBY complain that their house would fall into a hole - this type of occurrence is regrettable and should lead to compensation on the part of the homeowner, but it is a rare occurence that doesn't factor into neighbourhood battles like we've seen.

how would you define "rare"? Richcraft's hole for the Galleria collapsed too.

[reidjr]

Everyone who is pro-development should be concerned that this happened and should demand answers. This is reason why we have the "NIMBY"s. If it was my backyard I would be upset.

The thing i would say 85% of ottawa nimbys complaints are not what i would call legit they range from peopel upset the new building is blocking the sun to some feel they by a house they assume nothing will or should be built around them.

[gjhall]

To be perfectly fair, I've never heard a NIMBY complain that their house would fall into a hole - this type of occurrence is regrettable and should lead to compensation on the part of the homeowner, but it is a rare occurence that doesn't factor into neighbourhood battles like we've seen.

I've definitely heard this before.

[Ottawan]

Everyone who is pro-development should be concerned that this happened and should demand answers. This is reason why we have the "NIMBY"s. If it was my backyard I would be upset.

I agree. There can be no good of a development negatively affecting the actual (not perceived, like "blocking sunlight") property rights of its neighbours. Bad developments/developers (and I increasingly feel that Tega fits in this category) sour things for the rest. I am truly disgusted by the destruction of this formerly sturdy brick structure, which could and should have been avoided.

[S-Man]

So two holes out of dozens dug in the last year. I think that puts it in the 'doesn't often happen' category, or whatever you want to call it. If it was 20% of the time, then that would be 'commonplace'.

That's all I'm saying. And yes, it is bad and should be avoided.

[Uhuniau]

The thing i would say 85% of ottawa nimbys complaints are not what i would call legit they range from peopel upset the new building is blocking the sun to some feel they by a house they assume nothing will or should be built around them.

Or "That house is going to be eight inches taller than my house; WHY CAN'T YOU THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN?"

[rakerman]

I have never seen a site as tightly locked up and blocked as Centropolis. Every board in the hoardings is tightly fitted together so not even a crack of light shows through. For the entire site, there is a single small viewing hole on Kent.

The sidewalk on Kent is going to need to be replaced too, it's all cracked up to hell.

The site sign says only 3 units left.

Just as a side note, are the 295sqft units in Centropolis the smallest condos to go up for sale so far in Ottawa?

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7009/6527823483_b281dc8ee8_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/6527823483/)
DSCF1611 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/6527823483/) by rakerman (http://www.flickr.com/people/rakerman/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6527824911_9fdba7a399_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/6527824911/)
DSCF1613 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/6527824911/) by rakerman (http://www.flickr.com/people/rakerman/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6527827451_679d8317d2_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/6527827451/)
DSCF1618 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/6527827451/) by rakerman (http://www.flickr.com/people/rakerman/), on Flickr

[S-Man]

I drive by this site about once a week and have been wondering what's going on with this project? Why isn't it above ground by now? The smallest condo project in Centretown is either really slow, or is stalled. What gives?

[Skipper]

Please someone tell me how big the building this builder wants to build by the Parkdale Market again.....

wonder how many centuries it would take them to complete

[waterloowarrior]

neighbours pursuing damages
http://ottawa.openfile.ca/ottawa/slideshow/tega-condo-neighbours-pursue-damages

[S-Man]

They should pursue damages, absolutely.It wasn't a big hole.

Drove by this tonight and there was actually wood showing above the boarding. They're actually getting going on this.

[reidjr]

neighbours pursuing damages
http://ottawa.openfile.ca/ottawa/slideshow/tega-condo-neighbours-pursue-damages

Do you think this will delay this project or will it keep going?

[Ottawan]

:previous:

These will be the sorts of cases (I use the plural, because it sounds as though three seperate neighbours may take action) that will result in money changing hands, but won't cause a construction delay. That said, Tega seems to be taking its time with this development in any case.

[rakerman]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6702162985_dd20a8ac69_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/6702162985/)
IMG_0018 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/6702162985/) by rakerman (http://www.flickr.com/people/rakerman/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7012/6702166057_1c5afca53b_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/6702166057/)
IMG_0020 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rakerman/6702166057/) by rakerman (http://www.flickr.com/people/rakerman/), on Flickr

[S-Man]

Slooooowwwwwly rising.