A Centretown community leader says a proposed 35-storey development in Little Italy could spark many more large-scale buildings in the area.
Eric Darwin, president of the Dalhousie Community Association, says residents should expect more buildings to be built to that height if the city approves the Soho Italia tower at 35-storeys. The current proposal for the building would make it the tallest in the city.
“It will set a precedent,” says Darwin. “If that building is justified because it is close to the O-Train and close to Dow’s Lake, these reasons apply perfectly well with every other lot around it.”
The developer, Starwood Mastercraft, has yet to file an application to the city to have the lot rezoned.
The area’s current zoning allows for a building in the 18-20 storey range, says Darwin.
Alta Vista Coun. Peter Hume, chair of the city planning committee that will decide whether this building gets approval, says decisions are “not influenced by what the guy down the street got.”
According to Hume, the decision-making process is done on a case-by-case basis, and this decision alone would not necessarily start a trend.
At some point, however, Ottawa will need to look to high-rise buildings such as Soho Italia to slow urban sprawl, he suggests.
“If we are to contain growth and preserve the traditional, single-family-home neighborhoods close to the downtown core then we will need to have vertical density on appropriate sites,” says Hume.
Yet Darwin’s objection to the building is not just the matter of height, but the size of the building on such a small lot.
“Their building is basically a large box designed to fill up every square inch of space,” he says. “How can someone build on an adjacent lot if this building comes within 12 inches of the lot line?”
Susan Tudin, a Carleton University professor of urban development, says it is too early to tell if Soho Italia will set a precedent.
“It could be the beginning of a trend or maybe just a one-off,” says Tudin.
Tudin is in favour of the plan and suggests the city will soon need to look to these types of developments.
She says urban sprawl has stretched Ottawa’s boundaries for years and hopes buildings such as Soho Italia can help stem the spread across rural land.
Starwood Mastercraft is also planning to build 16- and 20-storey towers just a few blocks away from Soho Italia on Champagne Avenue.
Darwin says these other Starwood projects are much better suited for the community.
“Those buildings are surrounded by a podium; they don’t feel as shoehorned onto the block as the Soho Italia.”
That type of setback from the sidewalk is what Darwin says is the biggest problem with the new proposal.
He says if the Soho developers had purchased the adjacent Dow Honda lot, the project would have enough room to go forward as planned.