Brigil hopes to launch development at former Greyhound bus station site later this year

Brigil hopes to break ground later this year on a mixed-use development project that could eventually see three highrises containing more than 1,000 residential units constructed at the site of the former Greyhound bus terminal on Catherine Street. “Things are moving along well” on the proposal, the firm’s vice-president of development, Jessy Desjardins, said in […]

Brigil hopes to break ground later this year on a mixed-use development project that could eventually see three highrises containing more than 1,000 residential units constructed at the site of the former Greyhound bus terminal on Catherine Street. “Things are moving along well” on the proposal, the firm’s vice-president of development, Jessy Desjardins, said in an interview with OBJ this week.  The Gatineau-based firm has filed an application to build three towers ranging from 26 to 40 storeys at the 2.8-acre property on Catherine Street between Kent and Lyon streets. The developer bought the land in 2021 after the bus station shut down in the wake of the pandemic and demolished the building the following year. The proposal is still winding its way through the approval process at the City of Ottawa, but Desjardins said he’s confident it will win council’s approval before the end of 2024.  The plan calls for towers of 26, 36 and 40 storeys, with two buildings facing Catherine Street and one fronting on Lyon Street. The project also includes townhouses and a six-storey residential building along Arlington Avenue as well as a 0.25-acre public park on the northeast corner of Arlington Avenue and Kent Street. The project would include a total of about 1,030 residential units in a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. In addition, the plan calls for more than 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space that would be located mainly in a pair of six-storey podiums facing Catherine Street. The proposal drew some criticism last summer from a prominent downtown business advocate who expressed concerns about the heights of the proposed towers and said she wanted to see more parkland included in the development.  At the time, Desjardins told OBJ Brigil had conducted several rounds of public consultations in 2021 and 2022 and took input from those sessions into account when devising its current proposal.

'More community-oriented' project

He said he believed the resulting plan is a “more community-oriented” project that focuses on residential, retail and green space. “I think that’s what we delivered, and we’re very excited about the final proposal,” Desjardins said in an interview last June. “It’s definitely a project that we are very motivated by.” The first phase of the development will see the creation of the public park and construction of adjoining market and events space as well as other services that could include a restaurant and artists’ studio, Desjardins said in this week’s interview with OBJ. While that work is happening, Brigil plans to turn some of the remaining property into a “temporary public plaza” to “test ideas” for community programs that will attract people to the neighbourhood, he added. “We are really looking to collaborate with the community on that one to see what we can do in the short term to improve the area,” Desjardins said. Meanwhile, Brigil continues to shepherd a series of other projects through its development pipeline. 

The closest to completion is a 28-storey rental tower at 99 Parkdale Ave., the second phase of a two-tower project. The 240-unit highrise should be ready for occupancy this fall, Desjardins said. The developer also expects to start construction later this year on a pair of four-storey buildings and a 20-storey highrise at the site of a former strip mall on Ridgewood Avenue near Mooney’s Bay. That project will include a total of about 440 rental apartments.  “We’re pretty excited about that site,” Desjardins said. Longer-term projects on Brigil’s docket include a three-building development on Baseline Road and a two-tower proposal for Richmond Road. The builder is still consulting with the public and city planners on those projects, Desjardins said. In addition, he said the developer is “refining” its plan to build a residential highrise near the Bayshore Shopping Centre. Brigil’s original proposal called for a 30-storey building with 330 rental apartments. After consulting with nearby residents and city planning officials, the firm is now hoping to gain approval for a taller tower of up to 40 storeys that would include as many as 370 units. All projects in the company’s development queue are currently forecast as rental complexes, but Desjardins said that could change as time goes on. “When we look at a site, depending on the market, we always have the opportunity to convert (units) to condos or rentals,” he said. “We’re pretty open to adapting to the market. Right now, people are looking more towards rentals.” With interest rates at their highest level in decades and inflation driving up construction costs across the board, many developers have pressed pause on major projects in recent months. But Desjardins said Brigil is “actively looking for new sites to develop” in the Ottawa region. “I think it’s tricky for everybody,” he said of the current macroeconomic environment. “Everybody’s looking at ways to make the numbers work. But there’s a need for housing. So we’re working on ways to secure financing and make sure the numbers work. It’s not an easy market, but we’re confident about our projects.”