The Centretown Citizens Community Association fears a planned condo tower at 89-91 Nepean St. could create a “canyon of buildings.”
The Centretown Citizens Community Association is concerned about the overwhelming effect a large building could have on pedestrians if the Claridge Homes plan for a 27-storey tower at 89-91 Nepean St. goes through.
“This development is on a lot the size of a postage stamp and aims to reduce all the setbacks so that it will butt right up against neighbouring lots,” says Charles Akben-Marchand, association president.
According to Akben-Marchand the proposed tower is more than twice the height of the 12-storey limit the city has put on downtown buildings, something that could influence other developments around it to soar higher.
This is a dangerous trend that could lead to a “canyon of buildings,” argues Akben-Marchand.
But Neil Malhotra, vice-president of Claridge Homes, disagrees and says there is no better place to put a tall building than the proposed location.
“Nepean Street is probably one of the more logical places in the city where we’re going to have height since it’s on the edge of the downtown core,” says Malhotra.
Height is not the only problem with the plan for Akben-Marchand. He says the size of the planned building also poses a problem for parking.
Claridge has proposed a seven-floor underground parking lot that would leave hardly any room for visitor parking, the CCCA says, insisting the parking problem would create a headache for residents of the area.
The parking plans are "repeating the problem faced by Laurier Avenue condo owners whose visitors have to compete with other road users for parking space in the public realm,” Akben-Marchand states.
However, Malhotra contends there will be adequate visitor parking at the site, saying the number of required visitor parking spaces has tripled over the last couple of years.
Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes says replacing existing surface parking lots is one of the proposal’s benefits.
“Many people are interested in development and want to develop the parking lots because they are an eyesore and encourage people to come in by car,” says Holmes.
Holmes also says Claridge has added more greenspace to its plans.
For Akben-Marchand, more trees and yard space does not make the plan as environmentally friendly as it can be.
The size of the proposal limits cycling options to the least spaces needed he says, which “would not be enough to encourage alternatives to the limited car parking available on the site.”
Claridge’s plan is one of several troubling highrises being proposed and built as developers scramble to get the most out of the city’s freeze on development fees, which ends in August, says Akben-Marchand.
“Developers are going for broke by asking for permission to build as big as they can get in order to increase their profits before the fees must once more be paid,” he says.
Concerns about the proposal come on the heels of another controversial Claridge high rise being built at 187 Metcalfe St. Complaints about the building, dubbed Tribeca, are similar to those being heard about the Nepean Street proposal, including its height and the removal of what some residents say is essential parking.
Despite the fierce opposition, Malhotra says he is planning to meet with the city in the next couple weeks to discuss the proposal.
Akben-Marchand say he hopes the city reviews Claridge’s proposal and makes the plan better for Centretown residents.