320 Lees Ave | 2x89m + 2x102m | 2x28f + 2x32f | U/C

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

A friend told me that the Iranian Cultural Center , near the Sandy Hill Arena, was sold to a Montreal Developer and that he intends to build a student residence on the land.

It is the first I have heard of it. Does anyone else know any details about this?

[FutureWickedCity]

I believe this is the development you're referring to. There is a thread on here somewhere but searching this site is too frustrating to bother. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...king-1.5438117

[kwoldtimer]

Not sure, but I don't think that's it. There are several apartments proposed for further in along Robinson. I think at least one is already under construction, no?

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Originally Posted by FutureWickedCity

I believe this is the development you're referring to. There is a thread on here somewhere but searching this site is too frustrating to bother. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...king-1.5438117

No --that is about four small buildings on Robinson Av. The former Iranian Center is nearby ---near Mann and Lees and the Sandy Hill Arena. I went by it this morning and the building has been torn down. Here is a photo of the site before the building was torn down.

[Spoonsy]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

A friend told me that the Iranian Cultural Center , near the Sandy Hill Arena, was sold to a Montreal Developer and that he intends to build a student residence on the land.

It is the first I have heard of it. Does anyone else know any details about this?

Can't find the official application on Ottawa.ca but I found this PDF on Action Sandy Hill website for a community consultation held June 2020

And according to this "confidential" but easily found on Google legal document, purchased by 11172765 Canada Inc., an affiliate of Place Doree Real Estate Holdings (headquartered in Montreal) for $26.5M. That's one million less than the U of O offered but Place Doree had fewer conditions. Other bids made by Shenkman, Minto, and Regional

[RideauRat]

I think Ottawa developers are only capable of counting to 28.

[kwoldtimer]

Wow, that's a lot of student residence. It would have quite an impact.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Wow, that's a lot of student residence. It would have quite an impact.

Yes---No wonder that uOttawa feels that they can tear down the old residences on campus.This one should fill their needs for a long time to come.

[rocketphish]

A few early details:


Architect: rla Architecture


Total Residential Units = 1,587 Units
1BR Units = 1,004 Units
2BR Units = 5 83 Units

Total no. of parking spaces = 6 45 Spaces


Location:






Siteplan:






Renderings:

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Note the area between Lees Av and Robinson Avenue, called Robinson Bowl, used to be owned by the City, but now is owned by uOttawa.

And uOttawa has been hoping to get the Sandy Hill arena lands from the NCC to build a new athletic complex.

[Harley613]

I honestly feel like screaming into a pillow. Roderick Lazy and his magical clone stamp tool strike again.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Originally Posted by Harley613

I honestly feel like screaming into a pillow. Roderick Lazy and his magical clone stamp tool strike again.

Blame the developers who keep hiring him. They could hire someone else.

Sometimes I think that I should defend Rod because we have the same last name--and because I am retired and Lazy.

[Multi-modal]

Originally Posted by Harley613

I honestly feel like screaming into a pillow. Roderick Lazy and his magical clone stamp tool strike again.

"This is just the massing, this isn't the finished product" -> Changes almost nothing for the site plan submission.

It is kind of different in its massiveness, like a statement against subtlety. It reminds me somehow of a communist palace... or like a giant hand sticking out of the ground with 27-storey fingers.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Multi-modal

"This is just the massing, this isn't the finished product"

That's what he always says, but the design remains unchanged 90% if the time after final submission (5% gets better, 5% becomes far, far worse).

Overall terrible proposal. At the very least, the City should demand some sort of more direct link to Lees Station.

[OTSkyline]

The overall design is not bad, this looks like Lees 2.0 (but obviously newer and better looking). It's a lot of units but I'm sure they'd be able to rent all if not most of these, there's a lot of pent-up demand for student housing or housing close to OttawaU.

Sure it's all 27 stories but this is next to the 417 and won't add anything to the CBD or "downtown" skyline anyway...

My only questions;
Would it kill them to vary the heights of the towers a bit? 22, 26, 30, 34? or something?

Transit, this would have no easy access to transit being in the middle between Lees and uOttawa stations. Not sure everyone will be pleased to walk 1km+ to class or across 417 overpass to access Lees Station. Since this is a lot of units, this should be addressed.

Grocery store/amenities. Surely they can't expect all students to sign up to the meal plans and to my knowledge the closest grocery store would be on Rideau Street (a few km away), would be nice to see space set aside for this kind of retail.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Transit, this would have no easy access to transit being in the middle between Lees and uOttawa stations. Not sure everyone will be pleased to walk 1km+ to class or across 417 overpass to access Lees Station. Since this is a lot of units, this should be addressed.

Grocery store/amenities. Surely they can't expect all students to sign up to the meal plans and to my knowledge the closest grocery store would be on Rideau Street (a few km away), would be nice to see space set aside for this kind of retail.

Transit access really isn't bad. It's about 400 metres to Lees, and the bridge isn't bad to walk on since it's been redone and has wider sidewalks and bike lanes.

Grocery stores are tougher. I think the closest is probably Loblaws on Isabella, and that is just under 2 km. The organic grocer on Main is a bit closer, but not a full grocery store.

[J.OT13]

Disappointed with the location of the TPSS. It seems the Confed Line was sppeciecifically designed to prohibit any sort of improvement to the RoW and stations.

Worse yet is the proposed design at 2 Robinson. No regard for design esthetics or urban planning. Cheaper to produce one architectural plan for 4 buildings I guess.

[Nowhere]

I guess I'm the only one that don't mind these Soviet style buildings. The giant glass walls of Toronto and Vancouver aren't architectural marvels either. At least our concrete buildings are more energy efficient.

The Loblaws and Walmart at Blair would be pretty easy to get to.

[J.OT13]

You're right, that's not a TPSS. The nearest is between Lees and uOttawa stations.

[J.OT13]

Seems this horrendous proposal will be residential, not student housing.

This to me is the equivalent of the slab towers of the 70s. The cheapest, most basic, utilitarian crap you can build. I certainly hope that the rents (or prices) reflect the absolute garbage this truly is. If that's the case it may be worth it, but I'm sure they will charge the same as, say, the far better proposal near Cyrville Station.

Montreal developer files five-building plan for former Iranian Cultural Centre site in Sandy Hill

OBJ Staff
January 29, 2021


Montreal developer Place Dor​ée Real Estate Holdings has filed a proposal to build about 1,600 residential units on the site of the former Iranian Cultural Centre in Sandy Hill.

A Montreal company wants to build more than 1,600 residential units as part of a five-tower development at the former site of the Iranian Cultural Centre in Sandy Hill.

Place Dor​ée Real Estate Holdings has filed an application with the city for a plan that would see four highrises of 30 storeys each as well as a nine-storey building at 2 Robinson Ave.

Located near the intersection of Nicholas Street and the Queensway, the wedge-shaped, 5.7-acre plot of land used to be the home of the Iranian Cultural Centre. The facility closed in 2012 after the federal government under then-prime minister Stephen Harper expelled Iranian diplomats from Canada.

Squatters later occupied the boarded-up building, which was damaged by two fires and eventually torn down.

Now, Place Dor​ée is seeking to redevelop the property with two pairs of 30-storey buildings on the south side of the site, each connected by a six-storey mixed-use podium. The four highrises would contain a total of 1,380 suites, while an L-shaped nine-storey building at the north end of the property would feature 243 units.

The proposal also calls for 934 underground parking spaces, 823 of which would be reserved for residents. The developer is also planning to create a half-acre public park on the southwest corner of the site along Lees Avenue.




The application doesn’t specify whether the units would be rental apartments or condos.

However, the property is located less than half a kilometre from the University of Ottawa’s main campus, and development plans for other nearby properties have proposed rental projects aimed at students.

In its application, Place Dor​ée notes that the university’s master plan includes a potential student housing highrise next door at 1 Robinson Ave. that could accommodate up to 1,180 units with more than 4,000 beds as well as ground-floor commercial and retail space.

The builder is requesting an amendment to the current secondary plan, which limits buildings to 20 storeys on the southern portion of the site and six storeys on the north side. The current zoning rules would also need to be amended to accommodate various changes to setback requirements and a slight reduction in the minimum separation between towers.

Noting that the property is within 400 metres of the Lees LRT station, the application says the plan offers “a significant opportunity for redevelopment of an underutilized property” near the downtown core.

“Providing high-density residential uses, the development will promote the use of transit and increase housing options,” the builder adds. “The proposed development has been designed in a manner that will further support increased pedestrian and cycling infrastructure in the area.”

Place Dor​ée did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

https://obj.ca/index.php/article/rea...anian-cultural