Centretown Citizens Community Association appealing design plan

The Centretown Citizens Community Association has filed an appeal with the Ontario Municipal Board over city council’s approval of the Centretown Community Design Plan.

“Overall, we think the plan is a good one,” says CCCA president Jordan Charbonneau, but the community association is specifically concerned with three areas.

The plan calls for a mixed-use designation in mid-Centretown, meaning residential and commercial interests sharing the same space. But the community association wants the neighbourhood’s core to remain strictly residential. Centretown tenants, says Charbonneau, are already within close distance to local merchants, so a mixed-use designation isn’t necessary.

The design plan also allows for tall buildings – up to 27 storeys – in mid-Centretown, if developers include public amenities, such as green space. The CCCA also wants this struck out, as the idea was added in the late stages of the plan’s development, says Charbonneau, and was never subject to public consultation.

Somerset Street, between O’Connor and Elgin streets, has been dubbed a “secondary mainstreet,” allowing commercial uses in heritage houses and at the base of apartment and office buildings. But the CCCA wants this stretch of Somerset to remain primarily residential.

The Ontario Municipal Board recently confirmed the CCCA’s request for an appeal.

In August 2012, the CCCA filed an appeal to the OMB regarding council’s approval of a condo tower at 96 Nepean St. That issue was eventually settled through mediation between the community association and the developer.