The planning and housing committee approved a slew of developments on Wednesday, including ones that would bring additional dwelling units to Westboro, Hintonburg, Kanata North and Stittsville.
The committee approved zoning and Official Plan amendments to clear the way for an infill project that proposes a 16-storey addition to the existing 17-storey building at 52 Bayswater Ave. The new building will have 76 residential unit and ground floor commercial space.
The proposal also plans to build a new six-storey building along the portion of the site that faces Somerset Street West, which would include another 25 units and additional commercial space. The project is proposed by Fotenn Planning + Design, an Ottawa-based consultant.
In the same meeting, the committee also approved a zoning amendment for a 22-storey building near Scott Street and Clifton Road in Westboro, which would provide 241 dwellings as well as ground-floor commercial space. A six-storey base is planned along Scott Street and a four-storey base would face Clifton Road.
The applicant, Ottawa construction company Morley Hoppner Ltd., has committed to providing a “community benefit” as part of the redevelopment, which will include $450,000 toward affordable housing initiatives in Kitchissippi Ward and the design and construction of a refrigerated rink and utility building at Lion’s Park, which the City has valued at $1.1 million.
In the west end, the committee approved an amendment to add a larger park within the ongoing subdivision development along Cope Drive and another for a five-storey, 103-unit apartment building southwest of Old Carp Road and Halton Terrace in Kanata North ward.
The amendment increases the permitted height from four to five storeys and would require the development to provide an accessible sidewalk along Old Carp Road following community consultation and discussion.
Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry said she would be supporting the proposal after many discussions with the applicant and Clarke Kelly, councillor of the neighbouring ward.
“Old Carp Road, if you’ve ever driven it, has been the biggest challenge for councillors of wards five and four,” Curry said during the committee meeting. “[I’m] really looking forward to that being a better road for everyone and safer for kids that get picked up on school buses there, but that wouldn’t have come about if there wasn’t such good community consultation and involvement and help by staff and the developers.
“Overall, the community was not happy at first and it was a long road, but here we are today.”
City Council has committed to clearing the way for home builders to construct 151,000 quality market homes by 2031 or 15,100 per year.
These amendments will go to council at the next meeting on Mar. 26. If approved, it would allow applicants to build 467 new residential units.
