Lépine Apartments has filed a site plan for the project at 1000 Robert Grant Ave., where the company wants to construct the tower along with two other residential buildings of six and nine storeys.
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An Ottawa developer is seeking approval to start work on a rental apartment complex in Stittsville that would eventually include an 18-storey highrise.
Lépine Apartments has filed a site plan for the project at 5000 Robert Grant Ave., where the company wants to construct the tower along with two other residential buildings of six and nine storeys. The development is expected to include a total of 504 rental apartment units.
Council already gave the thumbs-up to the proposal back in 2021 despite concerns from nearby residents about the height of the 18-storey tower and the amount of traffic the development would generate. The land was previously zoned for building heights of nine storeys.
City staff must approve the site plan for work to begin on the development, which is expected to be built in phases.
The smaller buildings will be constructed in the first phase, but council stipulated in 2021 that the highrise can only be built once Robert Grant Avenue is extended north to Maple Grove Road – which isn’t likely to happen for at least another four to five years, Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower told OBJ this week.
“Even though (the tower) is quite tall by Stittsville standards, it probably won’t be the tallest building in Stittsville by the time … it gets built,” Gower said.
Lépine did not respond to requests for comment from OBJ on Tuesday. In its site plan application, the developer called Robert Grant Avenue “an important link between Fernbank Road and Hazeldean Road.”
The developer noted the street is intended to be on a bus rapid route, with the city’s long-term plans calling for a station just north of the Lépine site at Abbott Street. In addition, the Confederation LRT line is expected to be extended to Hazeldean Road sometime after 2031.
With the city’s push for more transit-oriented development until the new Official Plan, Lépine argues the tower adheres to long-term planning guidelines.
“The proposed height is appropriate for the subject site as it is located along an arterial road with future BRT connections,” the site plan application says.
Gower said he understands residents’ concerns about the project, which is slated to include 651 parking spots – all but 16 of them in a three-storey underground parkade. The plan also calls for ground-floor commercial space in the 18-storey highrise.
“Although this site was always earmarked for higher density and more height, I can appreciate that a lot of people when they move into a neighbourhood, buy a home, they’re probably not really looking at the long-term plans,” he said. “So when they see a proposal for 500 units and some taller buildings, it comes as a big surprise for a lot of people.”
Gower persuaded the planning committee three years ago to approve the proposal only if construction of the highrise could not begin until Robert Grant Avenue was completed all the way to Maple Grove. He said he believes the development will benefit Stittsville in the long run by providing much-needed rental housing near a main transit corridor.
“We’ve already had people inquiring about when these apartments will be built,” he said. “There’s definitely a need for more apartments in the community.”
Gower voted against a controversial proposal from Montreal-based Devmont last year to construct a 12-storey building and a 21-storey highrise on Hazeldean Road west of Carp Road.
The 21-storey tower would be the city’s tallest building west of Bells Corners. Gower and other opponents argued improvements that would allow Carp Road to accommodate projects of that scope would potentially be years away.
In the case of the Lépine site, Gower says he’s confident the neighbourhood will be ready for more intensification once all the conditions for the 18-storey tower are met.
“I think by the time this gets built, we’ll be that much further along in our infrastructure,” he explained. “I’m just hoping that through the site plan, staff will be having a thorough look at resident concerns around new traffic and new parking and so on, and mitigate any issues.
“When you’re adding 500 new households to a community on one site, it’s going to have an impact. We just have to make sure that we’re taking the appropriate measures to minimize that impact wherever we can.”
