A rendering of the proposed nine-storey condo development project at 340 McLeod St.
A parking lot in Centretown is one step closer to becoming a nine-storey condo and retail development, but the close vote by a heritage committee reveals some concern about such a large development in the heritage district.
The Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee, whose responsibility is the conservation of heritage sites in Ottawa, approved the development in a 4-3 vote on in mid-September.
Currently, 340 McLeod St. is a parking lot. Cars are parked between faded lines, weeds grow between cracks in the gravel and old cement blocks crumble apart.
“This is a marked improvement on what was there before,” says Chris Mulholland, chair of the heritage committee.
Mulholland adds even those who opposed the project agreed the site was in need of a makeover.
“The membership certainly felt that a lively place – a new place for people to live and to work . . . is an improvement over a parking lot, both visually and certainly for the life of the community,” says Mulholland.
At the same time, Mulholland says one of the concerns was whether the sidewalk would be wide enough to accommodate both the large development and the pedestrians.
Elizabeth Zdansky, heritage committee member, voted against the proposal. She describes the building as “monolithic,” not fitting in with the character of the neighbourhood.
“It’s the beginning of a cookie-cutter development,” says Zdansky.
Zdansky adds that while she finds the building and its architecture interesting, if the city designates the neighbourhood a heritage district, then the buildings should be built in keeping with the style of the community.
The developers, Urban Capital Property Group, describe the new development on its website. “Central 2,” as it is called, will have 140 loft-style units and retail space for a “large, urban format grocery store” at ground level. There will also be a courtyard with a reflecting pool and an outdoor dining area.
Urban Capital also highlights the fact that the Canada Green Building Council registers Central 2 as a LEED Silver Building. LEED is a green rating system that assesses a building’s environmental sustainability.
The heritage committee’s decision came a month after city staff released a report recommending city council approve the construction of the new development.
The report stated the condominium complex met all the requirements such that it will be contemporary in design but will maintain the historic flavour of the neighbourhood.
Brian Casagrande, senior urban planner at FoTenn, consultants for the project, says achieving this balance is a challenge.
“(We’re) trying to design for a character that exists,” says Casagrande, describing how the new buildings will blend into the neighbourhood. He discusses that while there will be large windows, the choice to use red brick was to match the current style of brick in the neighbourhood.
He adds that people on the project are excited to develop on a parking lot – a spot that Casagrande describes as “a missing tooth within a smile.”
This is the second phase in a rejuvenation project on Bank Street between Gladstone and McLeod for FoTenn and Urban Capital Property Group.
The first phase of this project, which also includes condos and businesses, is known as “Central 1” and is currently under construction.
The Central 1 project was mired in controversy, as that development was to be built where the Metropolitan Bible Church once stood.
In 2008, the city’s heritage committee said it was against the project. Jay Baltz, committee chair at the time, referred to the development as the “kiss of death” for the heritage district.
Casagrande says the final plans of Central 1 will incorporate the facade of the church into the construction.
However, this controversy has not affected construction on a location that has been a parking lot since 1964.
Zdansky, on the other hand, says that a parking lot is a “blank canvas” and that anything could have been built on the lot.
She says that while she has no problem with Central 1, having two large buildings next to each other clashes with the area if the city wants to maintain the heritage district.
“If we’re going to keep the character of Bank Street, then this is out of character,” says Zdansky.
The community, which was designated the Centretown Heritage Conservation District in 1997, is protected by various laws including the Ontario Heritage Act says the city staff report. Development projects are subject to a number of approvals before construction can begin.
The application, brought forward by the developers last March, will go to the city’s Planning and Environment Committee on Oct. 4. If approved, it will go forward to city council.