Neighbours fear taller building will dwarf former monastery
Developer behind Greystone Village in Old Ottawa East asking for 9 storeys
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- Council approved the six-storey building on April 24, 2019.
- The planning committee approved the six-storey, mixed-use, mid-rise building on April 11, 2019.
- A decision about a second building was deferred as the developer seeks an official plan amendment.
Some residents of Old Ottawa East are fighting a recommendation by city planners to allow three extra storeys on a building going up in front of a former monastery.
Until now, residents say the developer has respected their community's design plan, which theoretically restricts building heights to six storeys, as it redevelops a large property between Main Street and the Rideau River that was once owned by the Fathers of the Oblate Order.
But now The Regional Group, under its Greystone Village Inc. subsidiary, is asking for permission to add an extra few floors to one apartment building. The 119-unit building would stand behind another six-storey building on Main Street with commercial tenants on the main floor and 125 rental units above.
Community 'quite upset'
"The community is quite upset about that change," said Ron Rose, who watches planning files closely for the Ottawa East Community Association.
At public meetings last year, the city heard from residents who were concerned the buildings will cast long shadows and create a wind tunnel effect.
But Rose said he's most concerned that the taller building on the former lawn of the Deschâtelets building will diminish the heritage structure behind it.
"[The heritage building] is the focal point of this development. The early plan was that buildings in front of the Deschâtelets were going to be substantially lower," he said.
Rose isn't as concerned about the nine-storey River Terraces II condominium because it's being constructed beside the Deschâtelets building, not in front of it.
Concern over precedent
The community association does worry about the precedent the rezoning request might set for any new development at the site of a nearby convent recently vacated by an order of nuns.
Capital ward Coun. Shawn Menard noted in a city report that the nine-storey request represents a "departure from the collegial work" that the community and developer have so far enjoyed, adding that residents who bought new condos across the street did so expecting a six-storey neighbour.
Both the city's planners and Greystone Village Inc. believe the request is in line with city planning policies.
The planning committee will deal with the matter on March 28.
