Oblate land project reaches last hurdle
The plan to develop one of Ottawa’s largest remaining urban properties is on the cusp of final approval now that the city’s planning staff is arguing in favour of the zoning amendments for the former Oblate lands.
The 26-acre property at 175 Main St. — known as Greystone Village — was once owned by the Oblate religious order. It is the biggest piece of land available in the city after LeBreton Flats and the former CFB Rockcliffe. Eventually, 916 residential units will be built on the land, with some buildings as high as six storeys.
When the project is complete, it will double the population of the neighbourhood, not including the Lees Avenue apartment buildings. However, there has been praise for the level of community consultation that has gone into the project.
The city adopted a community design plan in 2011 that included a conceptual plan for development that would be acceptable to the surrounding community. When the Regional Group bought the property in 2013, its plan included more townhouses and detached houses. It was different from the conceptual plan but still met all the principles, Regional’s Josh Kardish said.
Stephen Pope, chair of the planning committee of the Old Ottawa East Community Association, says Regional is proposing housing types and a scale that is consistent with the surrounding community.
Still, the project aims to add almost 1,000 homes to a mature neighbourhood. Some residents are worried about parking and possible spillover onto surrounding neighbourhoods. A lot of the existing trees will also be removed, which has raised some concerns.
“The reality is that the place will go from a well-treed bucolic environment to an urban environment,” Pope said.
The city has accepted the draft plan of subdivision. If the planning committee approves the zoning amendments Tuesday, followed by city council, Regional will have cleared the last big hurdle. It will likely take 10 to 12 years to complete the entire project. Construction on the first of two nine-storey apartment buildings is to start in the spring.