May 10, 2018
Beatrice Britneff, Global News
A group of residents in Ottawa’s Centretown neighbourhood are up in arms over a proposal to tear down two heritage homes on Kent Street and replace them with a 31-unit apartment building.
Many argue the proposed development – a four-storey building squeezed into a tight plot of land – would not be in keeping with the character of the downtown neighbourhood, which falls in a heritage conservation district and features many two-storey homes.
Key concerns are that the front face of the building – currently designed at 30 centimetres from the property line – would eclipse the sidewalk and neighbouring buildings. Residents also oppose the planned removal of several mature trees for the building’s rear parking lot.
“This will irrevocably change the historic character of the neighbourhood and is completely unacceptable,” McLeod Street resident Mindy Sichel told members of the city’s built heritage sub-committee Thursday.
The proposal hasn’t yet received the green light. After hearing from all sides at today’s meeting, the committee ordered staff to continue working with the developer to rework the design proposals and come back to them with a new plan mid-June.