1980 Ogilvie Rd [Gloucester Centre] | 94m | 30f | Approved

[alamgirkhan]

http://webcast.ottawa.ca/plan/All_Im...02-19-0116.PDF

[J.OT13]

Wow! Now we're talking TOD. Direct link to Blair Station to boot. That should add the missing redundant elevator.

Architecture isn't stellar, but more than adequate for the area. We'll be getting a forest of high-rises around Blair within a few years.

Good catch alamgirkhan!

[Soi-Fon]

Typical for Ottawa, but I am glad that there's interest in our market. 7/10.

[OTSkyline]

Great spot for TOD. That's a whole lot of units at Blair. Sucks that Phase 1, Phase 2 and this new tower all look exactly alike though

Also, all these added units and residents by end up saving the mall. That's most likely over 1,000 new potential customers eating out, shopping at WM, doing groceries at Loblaw's, heading to the movies, etc...

[CityTech]

Kinda meh appearance but that's not important out there.

Blair station area is growing up, its exciting.

[kevinbottawa]

Toronto-based First Capital proposes 30-storey apartment tower near Blair LRT station

BY: David Sali
PUBLISHED: Oct 3, 2019 4:02pm EDT

A Toronto-based developer is looking to add to the growing wave of intensification near the new Confederation Line with a proposal to build a 30-storey mixed-use highrise next to Blair Station.

First Capital Realty, which owns the nearby Gloucester Centre shopping complex, recently filed a site plan with the city for a building at 1980 Ogilvie Rd., directly south of the mall and just north of the light-rail hub.

The proposal consists of a six-storey mixed-use podium and a residential tower above containing a total of 356 one- and two-bedroom units. An elevated pedestrian walkway would link the second floor of Gloucester Centre with the new building and Blair Station, currently the easternmost stop on the 12.5-kilometre Confederation Line.

“It’s a first step at some sort of an integrated project between the LRT station and the existing shopping centre,” said Luc Fortin, the company’s vice-president of development for Eastern Canada. “The idea is to make the flow of pedestrians more organized and facilitate that movement.”



The current proposal also calls for nearly 20,000 square feet of retail property and more than 10,000 square feet of office space in the new building’s podium. Two levels of underground parking and two internal levels of parking on the ground floor would provide space for 309 vehicles and 192 bicycles.

Fortin stressed that the proposal is still in its early stages and could change in size and scope depending on the results of market feasibility studies that are now under way.

He also said First Capital is currently looking to join forces with another company to share costs and build out the residential component, adding there is no price tag or proposed construction timeline yet.

“We will need a partner to realize a project of that size and that type,” Fortin said. “It is our desire to do a project like that, but we need to confirm all the data and feasibility and get feedback from the city as well.”

In its site plan application, First Capital called the project “the first stage of a larger redevelopment of Gloucester Centre.” Fortin said the company believes the arrival of the Confederation Line is poised to fuel a burst of transit-related construction near LRT stations.

“We do think the train is something very important to the city and that will transform, in some ways, the city,” explained Fortin, whose firm also owns a number of other local retail complexes, including College Square on Baseline Road and the Merivale Mall.

“We think that transit is very important for the future and densifying around those transit nodes is what we’re trying to do. We do have a lot of sites that are adjacent to major transit nodes, and this is where we are seeing the potential. It would not be the same project (without LRT).”

If it comes to fruition, First Capital’s tower would be just steps away from RioCan and Killam Apartment REIT’s 23-storey, 228-unit highrise that opened earlier this year in a bid to capitalize on the anticipated rising demand for housing near transit hubs.

RioCan and Killam recently started construction on a second 20-storey residential tower right next door, part of a plan that could eventually see up to 1,000 rental suites at the site.

Fortin said he’s not concerned about the area becoming oversaturated with highrise residential units.

“It’s a question of the quality of the project,” he said. “There’s always room for good projects, so the timing may change, but the project should happen.”

https://obj.ca/article/toronto-based...ir-lrt-station

[rocketphish]

1980 Ogilvie Rd | 94m | 30f | Proposed

First Capital Asset Management ULC is proposing to develop the property at 1980 Ogilvie Road. The proposed development is the first of several phases in the contemplated redevelopment of the lands. The first phase proposes the construction of a 30-storey mixed-use high-rise building along the south east edge of the lands. For the purposes of this application, the shopping centre property as a whole will be referred to as the Gloucester Centre Lands, while the portion of the lands subject to the enclosed Zoning By-law Amendment will be referred to as the ‘Phase 1 Site,’.

The proposed development consists of a 30-storey mixed-use building consisting of a six-storey mixed-use podium and a residential tower above. The ground floor will contain active commercial uses animating both internal roadway and the access to Blair Station. Active commercial uses on the second floor will animate a direct pedestrian route via an elevated walkway from Blair Station to the Gloucester Centre Mall. Above the second floor, the podium will be set back slightly, to distinguish the residential part of the podium from the commercial and office uses below. A total of 356 one- and two- bedroom residential units, 1,748.5 square metres of commercial retail space and 1,018.9 square metres of office space are proposed.

The proposed distribution of commercial spaces, publicly accessible amenities and pedestrian/cycle pathways on the site is intended to engage and invite residents, transit users and visitors to engage with and move through the site. While the specific commercial uses for the ground-floor and 2nd storey commercial spaces are still to be determined, these spaces will create active frontages facing the existing mall entrance, Blair Station, and the elevated walkway. Improved sidewalks will be provided along the western face of the building, improving north-south pedestrian connectivity along the internal drive aisle.

The proposed development has been designed to be engaging and permeable to residents and employees, as well as those who are passing through, whether they are transit users, cyclists or pedestrians. In addition to the elevated catwalk, the at-grade route from Blair LRT station to the Gloucester Centre shopping mall building passes through a 1,200 square metre publicly-accessible at-grade amenity space and wraps around the south end of the building, which is animated by residential and commercial entrances, as shown in Figure 6. Communal amenity area for building residents is proposed to be provided at the 7th storey in the form of 430-square metre outdoor terrace and 674 square metres of interior amenity rooms. This communal amenity area is supplemented by 1,650 square metres of private amenity area in the form of private decks and balconies.

The proposed development is the first stage of a larger redevelopment of Gloucester Centre. As the portion of the lands closest to Blair Station, the Phase 1 Site is the most appropriate location for the first phase of development. The 30-storey tower will mark the entrance to Blair Station, while adding a transit-supportive uses at transit-supportive densities.

Architect: Guess who!

Development application:
http://app01.ottawa.ca/postingplans/...appId=__BNF8ID

Site:






Renderings:


















Ultimate use of lands:

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Great spot for TOD. That's a whole lot of units at Blair. Sucks that Phase 1, Phase 2 and this new tower all look exactly alike though

Also, all these added units and residents by end up saving the mall. That's most likely over 1,000 new potential customers eating out, shopping at WM, doing groceries at Loblaw's, heading to the movies, etc...

I could see the foodcourt picking up a better coffee shop maybe (combined with the LRT traffic), but I am not sure it will really change the current dynamic with outward facing and detached businesses (Loblaws, Walmart, LCBO, etc) doing fine and the interior space being quite downmarket. Maybe I am not creative enough, but I can't think of a potential new inside store that could survive on a 1000 person catchment.

[CityTech]

Interesting that the ultimate vision includes the demolition of the central part of the mall.

Between this and RioCan's project next door there's going to ultimately be around 5,000 people living in these high rises.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by CityTech

Interesting that the ultimate vision includes the demolition of the central part of the mall.

Between this and RioCan's project next door there's going to ultimately be around 5,000 people living in these high rises.

So that's Big Rig, CIBC and Bulk Barn. I suppose they could all move into the tower's podium.

[Harley613]

This is hugely ambitious. Gloucester will have it's own skyline soon if this all comes to fruition.

[Kitchissippi]

It's too bad the plan does not seem to address the issue that Gloucester Centre is an island of development. Like St Laurent, it remains difficult and unpleasant to walk to from the surrounding communities

[CityTech]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

It's too bad the plan does not seem to address the issue that Gloucester Centre is an island of development. Like St Laurent, it remains difficult and unpleasant to walk to from the surrounding communities

The ultimate plan does make walking out to the intersection of City Park & Ogilvie a lot nicer than it is now.

[waterloowarrior]

Heard a good talk from a Riocan rep at a recent conference. Challenge for redeveloping many of these sites is leasing, especially anchor tenants like Walmart or Loblaws. They will have ironclad leases with hundreds of specific parking spaces guaranteed in front of the store, specific view corridors protected from major roads, discounted rates, tenant option to renew after 20 years with no ability for landlord to refuse etc.

CRUs/strip plazas are a challenge because the leases usually all expire at different times... easiest to develop is pads but they still need negotiate a buyout in many cases. You can see how the Loblaws and Walmart parking lots are all preserved in the concept plans.

[silvergate]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

It's too bad the plan does not seem to address the issue that Gloucester Centre is an island of development. Like St Laurent, it remains difficult and unpleasant to walk to from the surrounding communities

The surrounding communities are just unpleasant for walking in general. I think that's an issue the city should really start dealing with.

[Dundas]

Are these going to be condos or apartments?

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by CityTech

The ultimate plan does make walking out to the intersection of City Park & Ogilvie a lot nicer than it is now.

Beyond this building and the linked remaining half of the mall, I don't really see anything in the plan that facilitates walking to and from the LRT station from the outside. I would have expected a stronger pedestrian-priority axis out to Ogilvie towards CSIS/CSEC.

I was out biking there to check out the new MUP along Ogilvie from Montreal Road to Blair and the plan does seem to continue it but falls short of creating better links other than the long route around the side via Blair. So while this is being touted as an example of "TOD" it remains a very car-centric plan where pedestrians are still dodging cars and wading through a sea of parking lots and blank facades even just to get to the adjacent apartment towers being built.

[mykl]

As someone who works on the second floor of the Gloucester Centre and is already annoyed with going up then down then up from the LRT, this direct connection from LRT to mall can't happen fast enough!

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Dundas

Are these going to be condos or apartments?

In this area, I would assume rentals as are the RioCan Towers just west of the station. However, if the condo market picks up, that could change.

[Dundas]

It be nice if it was a condo. I like the fact that there's a direct link to the mall. My wife who doesn't drive could easily walk to Walmart and Loblaws to do groceries.

I wonder if it was a condo how much a 2 bedroom would go for. 450,000$?