It could be Stittsville's turn to absorb residential density thanks to proposed 18-storey complex
Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: May 05, 2021 • 2 hours ago • 3 minute read
Tall development could be coming to the village of Stittsville as residents push back against a high-rise proposal that some worry will alter the character of the growing west-Ottawa suburb.
It’s another example of a high-density, big-building projects coming to a community that, until now, hasn’t experienced that kind of residential intensification.
And it likely won’t be the last controversy as the city aims to establish more than half of all new homes in built-up communities, especially around current and future rapid transit stations. Suburban communities, like the inner-urban areas, will need to absorb the density.
Future transit plans for Stittsville are working in favour of Lépine’s development proposal for 5000 Robert Grant Ave.
Lépine Corp. wants a high-density residential development on the two-hectare lot on the east side of Robert Grant Avenue between Abbott Street and Bobolink Ridge. The company envisions 504 rental units on the site, with a goal of situating the tallest building away from the existing neighbourhood on Livery Street.
The units would be in three buildings of six storeys, nine storeys and, the most controversial piece, 18 storeys. Another one-storey building would be used for amenities.
Zoning currently allows multiple nine-storey buildings on the property and about 550 units.
Tanya Hein, president of the Stittsville Community Association, said the organization was against the extra height allowance pursued by Lépine. Opponents don’t believe the transportation network can handle the added volume of vehicles.
“The infrastructure is not in place,” Hein said. “Until Robert Grant extends up to the highway, it’s just going cause a lot more traffic congestion and frustration.”
Hein said there would be a significant transition from the townhomes on Livery Street to the high-rise.
“It does not fit in and it’s going to set a precedent,” Hein said.
Lépine will need a zoning amendment endorsed by planning committee on May 13 before the matter moves to council later this month. City planners are recommending that council approves the application.
The city is eyeing an extension of the LRT system to the Stittsville area as part of a Stage 3 O-Train expansion, but the terminus would be at Hazeldean Road, well north of the Lépine development site. Plus, there’s no timeline for Stage 3.
However, Robert Grant Avenue is intended to have a bus rapid transit route with a station located just north of the site at Abbott Street, providing the rationale for allowing more density on the land.
Few development proposals in Stittsville have attracted the same level of concern.
Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower said he would support the application since Lépine had made concessions, including lowering the unit count and holding off on building the high-rise until Robert Grant Avenue was constructed to Hazeldean Road. The road extension could happen in four to five years or earlier, he said.
“Transportation is an issue for every development application we have out here,” Gower said. “I think there’s a lot of merit to those concerns. We are so far behind for the big transportation projects for Stittsville and the west end of Ottawa.”
Gower said Lépine could have covered the land with nine-storey structures, but, instead, the company loaded up the density near Robert Grant Avenue, away from the adjacent low-rise neighbourhood.
According to Gower, Stittsville is changing just like the rest of Ottawa and the community, too, will need to accept some intensification near transit stations to avoid having to expand development at the edges.
Stittsville is no longer considered a hamlet at the outskirts of Ottawa, he said.
Hein said she rejected any criticism that opponents were simply NIMBYs — not in my backyard — since residents have understood that the property would have a maximum height of nine storeys.
It’s a community, she said, that still thinks of itself as a village.
“It’s not that we don’t want growth,” Hein said. “Growth supports business, it supports all sorts of good things, but I don’t think it has to go this far.”
With city planners and the ward councillor registering support of Lépine’s application, the chances are high that it will receive council’s endorsement. The planning committee meeting will be residents’ last chance to address decision-makers directly about the rezoning request.
jwilling@postmedia.com
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I really like Glen Gower's take on this. From the article:
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