Wellington West condo needs fewer storeys or more 'wow': OMB

An Ottawa developer must either reduce its controversial Wellington Street condo development from 12 to nine storeys or else do more to make it a "landmark" with "an element of wow", the Ontario Municipal Board ruled last week.

Mizrahi Developments had taken its case to the OMB after the city rejected its request to approve the 12-storey height for the proposed 75-unit building at the corner of Wellington Street West and Island Park Drive.

The community design plan normally limits buildings to six storeys or nine storeys under special circumstances.

In a May 7 ruling, the OMB sided with the city but gave the developer room to adjust its proposal, saying Mizrahi could go above nine storeys if its building was both "a landmark" and "scenic."

'Well-designed' building not enough

"If the developer claims that the extra storeys qualify for exceptional treatment, because they contribute to 'landmark' status, then it must prove it. The focus here is not the landmark features of the rest of the building, but specifically the landmark contributions of the top," the board said in outlining some of the criteria needed.

"It is not sufficient for the project to be 'well-designed.' Landmarks must additionally be 'very distinctive.' Granted, they need not be 'extraordinary.' They must nonetheless 'stand out' from the background 'by virtue of their design.' The Board has referred to this aspect as 'an element of wow,'" the ruling noted.

Mizrahi had argued the added costs of cleaning up the site — part of which was once home to a car wash — meant the building had to be 12 storeys to make the investment worthwhile.

The developer also made a failed bid to get the city to help with the clean-up costs.