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The building will be the first of three mixed-use towers Brigil plans to build on a city block fronting Catherine Street and Arlington Avenue between Kent and Lyon streets.
A Gatineau developer plans to kick off its project at the site of Ottawa’s demolished Greyhound bus station with a 32-storey highrise containing about 420 rental apartments and 17,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.The building will be the first of three mixed-use towers Brigil plans to build on a city block fronting Catherine Street and Arlington Avenue between Kent and Lyon streets. In addition to the highrise, which will be located on the corner of Arlington Avenue and Kent Street, the development is expected to include two towers of 34 and 36 storeys with a total of about 1,130 rental apartments.The project got the green light from city council in 2024. Brigil originally said it hoped to break ground on the development later that year.However, the firm’s chief product and brand officer, Jessy Desjardins, told OBJ work was delayed partly because Brigil and lead architect BDP Quadrangle tweaked the designs of the towers, including the facades and brick podiums, to better fit the character of the neighbourhood.“We had a few things that we wanted to improve on the project,” he said in an interview last week. “Centretown has a very strong, beautiful red-brick history with Bank Street having really nice, more traditional architecture. We spent a lot of time refining those elements on the project.” Desjardins said Brigil plans to break ground on the first tower “very shortly,” adding the firm will provide more details on the construction timeline later this fall.Brigil plans to turn this parking lot at the corner of Kent Street and Arlington Avenue into a public park. Photo by David SaliIn addition to the residential and commercial space, the proposal calls for outdoor public space along Arlington Avenue between Kent and Lyon streets. Brigil has also acquired the parking lot beside the Whalesbone Catering Co. on the corner of Arlington Avenue and Kent Street and plans to convert it into a public park that will be given to the city.
Noting there is also a park at Glashan Public School on the other side of Kent Street, Desjardins said the developer wants to create a “green street corner” at Kent and Arlington.“When we talked to the neighbours, they mentioned that a lot of kids walk on Arlington to go to school,” he said. “We want to make sure that this street is safe for them to walk.”Brigil’s plan offers just 360 parking spaces for residents, which is less than half of what was required under the previous zoning bylaw, but nearly 1,200 spots for bicycles. Brigil says the Arlington Avenue proposal is part of its push to encourage the development of more “15-minute neighbourhoods” where residents can walk, cycle or take transit to services such as grocery stores.Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster, who represents the area, and some nearby residents expressed concerns that the neighbourhood’s infrastructure isn’t equipped to handle the influx of cyclists the project could generate. Desjardins said Brigil is willing to work with the city to help make streets such as Kent and Lyon more “bike-friendly” — although the province now prohibits municipalities from removing or reducing traffic lanes to install cycling lanes.Brigil also plans to build a variety of commercial space along Arlington Avenue that will feature new restaurants and other businesses, Desjardins said. The developer wants to hear from nearby merchants to get their input into what types of retailers should be included, he added.“Our vision is to work with local partners — whether it’s restaurants, cafes, boutiques and (other) operators,” Desjardins said.While the project has been slower to get off the ground than the firm had initially hoped, Desjardins said he’s confident it will be worth the wait.“Obviously, everything is slower than we want,” he conceded. “I think people are excited, from what (they) tell us. I think it will really help start to animate and create a sense of place in that corner. Centretown is a beautiful place that just needs a bit more activity in some areas to kind of bring more life to it. I think it’ll help really reinforce the urban fabric of the neighbourhood.“You can sense that the city wants to … create housing where transit is,” Desjardins added. “I think if we want to set up Ottawa for the next 40 years, that’s the best way to do it.”
