The shovels went in the ground Wednesday on a condominium project in Kanata that originally caused a lot of consternation in the Beaverbrook community.
Local developer Morley Hoppner had originally proposed a 16-storey building at 2 The Parkway, but the project will now feature 46 units as part of a Barry Hobin-designed phase one, said vice-president Ken Hoppner.
The second phase will see a conversion of the old Canada Post office on the site into bungalow-style townhomes. The new design also includes more green space.
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Mr. Hoppner said like many other Ottawa communities, the residents of Beaverbrook were afraid a new development might change the character of their neighbourhood, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
“We spent a lot of time working with them to make sure that that was not going to be the case, that this type of medium-density housing in the form of a condominium was something that was going to add to the neighbourhood and fit in.”
Now, after a process that took “the better part of a year,” the community is on board, he said.
A softer condominium market in the last 18-24 months means sales haven’t quite met the developer’s expectations, but the building is more than 50 per cent sold.
Mr. Hoppner said all the buyers are planning to live in the building, which is rare for a condo development and a tribute to what he called a “classic, old-school neighbourhood.”
“You drive down this neighbourhood and you get a feel for the way things used to be done.”
