City approves 45-storey condo development

A rezoning proposal from Claridge Homes to build the tallest building in Ottawa was approved by city council’s planning committee on Tuesday.

The 45-storey building, designed by Toronto architect David Pontarini, will be constructed near the corner of Preston Street and Carling Avenue.

The Icon, as Claridge calls it, would include residential units, office space and retail and restaurant space.

The city would receive about $1.1 million from Claridge through the Planning Tradeoff Act because of the building’s increased height and density, which would help pay for a pedestrian bridge over the O-Train tracks at Hickory Street.

The application was approved unanimously, despite some protestations from residents, including the president of the German Evangelical Martin Luther Church near Carling and Preston, who says that the development would negatively impact the church.

The city also approved an application for Claridge to build a boutique hotel and a 22-storey condo in the Byward market area.