Rideau Centre high-rise gets a yes from planning committee; thumbs down for tower projects in Hintonburg, Rothwell Heights area
Taylor Blewett, Ottawa Citizen
Sep 08, 2022 • 29 minutes ago • 3 minute read
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There were two other high-rise projects considered at committee Thursday, and unlike Cadillac Fairview’s, neither got the response they were hoping for.
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Unlike the Wellington file, staff and planning committee were on the same wavelength in their recommendation that council reject a 26-storey tower project, to include 243 residential units and commercial/retail space, at the northeast corner of Montreal and Blair roads in Gloucester. Located south of the Rothwell Heights neighbourhood, the site is currently home to an autobody shop.
In their report recommending refusal of the zoning amendment sought by the developer, Montreal-based Bertone, staff shared objections including a lack of appropriate transition to the nearby low-rise residential area and a tower footprint and massing that are “excessive for the site and the context.”
Beacon Hill-Cyrville councillor Tim Tierney told his planning committee colleagues they could have seen dozens of public presenters speaking on the file, but delegate Jane Brammer of the Rothwell Heights Property Owners’ Association was acting as the spokesperson for “hundreds of people within the community.” Brammer argued that nine storeys, rather than 26, is what the city has determined is appropriate intensification for the site.
“Although open to intensification at this location,” Tierney stated in his written comments on the application, “this proposal is mammoth for this property parcel and, in no way, fits the character of the neighbourhood.”
All three files are scheduled for council consideration on Sept. 21.
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