A new condo in Ottawa’s Wellington West neighbourhood would have to be taller than currently allowed in order to pay for the cleanup of the site, its developer said Thursday.

Speaking at a public meeting, Toronto developer Sam Mizrahi said because he has to pay for the cleanup of the former car wash site at the corner of Wellington Street West and Island Park Drive, means his proposed 75-unit building would have to be 12 storeys tall.

That would be six storeys more than what’s normally allowed under the community design plan and three storeys more than nine allowed under “special circumstances.”

“This site was really abandoned over the last decade, many developers had come to the site… put in an application then pulled it, it was clearly understood the project could not be done in the nine or six storeys,” he said.

The mixed reaction to this proposal differs somewhat from the solid opposition to other similar projects in the area.

Resident Kate Fildes said she appreciates the way Mizrahi has collaborated with the community on the proposal.

“He’s bent over backwards to accommodate everything we’ve asked for, not even him proposing things but we ask for them and he went back and submitted new plans to us,” she said.

Mizrahi said he has the blessing of local community groups and would include a small park and mature trees on the property.

Still, others said just because it would look nice, doesn’t stop it from being too tall.

“A 145 parking spaces here is way too much, the building is too high, it’s too much — regardless of the wonderful design,” said Gerard Lavelle.

“(Even) if Michaelangelo and Bernini had designed it, it does not mitigate the fact it’s too big a project for our neighbourhood.”

Mizrahi said he plans to keep working with the community on his plan before formally submitting it to the city in February or March.