Despite the opposition of residents as well as local Coun. Marianne Wilkinson, the city’s planning committee approved an amendment that will allow developers to increase the density of a housing community by up to 41 per cent.
The lot under development at 124 Battersea Cr. currently has two buildings, comprising 28 units. A third 79-unit building is currently under construction. Rather than build several smaller buildings, as first planned, the developer is asking for permission to build a second 79-unit building.
Brigil was asking the committee to lift a cap that dates to 2006, when issues with the sewer system in the area led to density restrictions. Those servicing issues have been resolved, and the owners of the site argued that the density cap is thus irrelevant.
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But for residents, the issue is playing out as a developer seeking to impose a different vision for the community than what they envisioned.
“They are making so many changes, that what I bought is not what I bought anymore,” said Janie Poirier, who lives in one of the existing smaller buildings. “I bought into a community that was low, that was calm, that was nice and green. And that’s not what I’m getting right now.”
Coun. Wilkinson says that the site plan has not yet been approved, and that she hopes to work with the developers to try to find compromise. “For downtown Ottawa, that may work,” she said following the committee meeting. “But in this area, we really try to build with nature.”
This article originally appeared in Metro News.
