Municipal board gives OK to Claridge plan for hotel on Dalhousie Street
BY DAVID REEVELY, OTTAWA CITIZEN SEPTEMBER 11, 2013
OTTAWA — The days of the historic but little-loved Union du Canada building on the edge of the ByWard Market are numbered, with its owner Claridge Homes’ having received permission from the Ontario Municipal Board to tear it down and replace it with a hotel.
The building at 325 Dalhousie St. was a monument to a major francophone financial institution until the Union du Canada insurance company went bust and the building was sold. Claridge originally wanted to strip it to its core and “reclad” it as a modern luxury hotel, 60 metres tall. Instead, it plans to demolish the building and replace it with one that has the same number of storeys but lower ceilings; that means it can be just 48 metres tall, only a bit higher than the Union du Canada building is now, and loom less starkly over the neighbourhood.
The plans, which also include a neighbouring condominium tower, were approved by city council but appealed to the OMB, which can overrule city council planning decisions. The case is being heard this week; the question of whether the condo tower is acceptable is still outstanding, but OMB member Marc Denhez ruled Wednesday that the shorter version of the hotel can go ahead.
Both versions of the plan have been acceptable to the city’s heritage experts (the Union du Canada building is on the edge of the ByWard Market and Claridge’s proposal needed heritage approval to make sure it didn’t unduly disrupt the historic character of the neighbourhood) and to its urban planners. The appeal, brought by nearby residents, suffered a setback when a now-retired heritage specialist who used to work for the city, whom the residents called as a witness, testified that the 48-metre version of the hotel would be OK with him.
dreevely@ottawacitizen.com
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and Laura Mueller @LauraEMueller 6h
Negotiated settlement between Claridge/LT res will add 1.5 storeys to Union Du Canada for 48 metres - less than the 60 m the city approved.