The City of Ottawa’s planning committee unanimously approved a proposal on Nov. 10 to construct a 27-storey tower at the corner of Slater and Bay streets despite calls from Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney to require a grocery or hardware store in the plan as a condition of approval.
City council is set to vote at its next meeting on Nov. 25 to allow for the construction of the proposed building at 383 Slater St.
The proposal from Broccolini Construction Inc. calls for about 7,500 square feet of ground-level retail space, 300 rental apartments, and four floors of underground parking.
The tower would replace a two-storey building currently occupied by Alterna Savings and Credit Union.
If approved by city council, construction would begin in 2016 and be completed in 2018, according to Broccolini project manager James Beach.
The report handed to the planning committee included concerns from McKenney regarding the provision of community services provided in the northwest corner of Centretown.
“The proposed building is in an area where green space and community amenities are scarce,” McKenney states in the report, citing local residents’ concerns.
“I encourage the applicant to do everything possible to have a grocery store or a hardware store on the ground floor of the building.”
McKenney, who is not on the planning committee, again voiced her concerns at the Nov. 10 meeting.
Beach says Broccolini is aware of the desire for a grocery store among residents in the area and is open to the idea.
“Any that would be permitted under zoning could be built in that space,” Beach says. “Right now it’s a very flexible, empty space that does not have necessarily have an ideal tenant.”
The northwest corner of Centretown is considered to be one of downtown Ottawa’s “grocery deserts,” according to Centretown Citizens Community Association president Thomas McVeigh.
“It’s a 15-minute walk to the nearest grocery store,” McVeigh says.
“It’s a pretty strenuous walk for some of the older folks that
are living in the higher density apartments on Laurier and in this area.”
McVeigh says whether a grocery store will open up at the location depends on the market.
“As one developer once said to me, ‘When we’re trying to pitch it they just come in and draw a circle around it and say, “How many people are here?” ’ They pretty much have it down to a science,” he says.
McVeigh believes some people within a 15-minute walk would probably go to other grocery stores but a smaller-sized store such as a Shoppers Drug Mart selling fresh produce could work in the area.
He says the tower itself would add population density into the area, which could create a better market for a grocery store to move in.
McKenney says she hopes increased growth in the area will attract the kinds of businesses that are needed to sustain it.
“We need to make sure that current and future residents have access to amenities that contribute to a vibrant downtown,” she says. “Not just grocery stores and hardware stores . . . but also community meeting space, green space, safe pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.”