Hyatt House [110 York St] | 60m | 17f | U/C

[kevinbottawa]

Claridge proposes second Andaz hotel tower in Ottawa’s ByWard Market

BY: David Sali
PUBLISHED: May 9, 2018 1:30pm EDT



Claridge Homes is proposing a new 19-storey structure at its Andaz hotel property in the ByWard Market that would include 136 additional units and a 3,600-square-foot ballroom that would boost the facility’s capacity to host bigger meetings, the developer says.

Claridge vice-president Neil Malhotra told OBJ an analysis after the hotel’s first year in operation concluded the Andaz needed more space to host gatherings of 200 people or more as well as more rooms to accommodate guests attending events at the swanky downtown property.

“Demand has been good,” he said Wednesday. “I think the property of the Andaz itself has sort of established itself as its own destination. But we felt there was a real strong demand to have larger events also take place at the hotel, which required more rooms but also more and different types of conference spaces than what we were offering.”

A site plan filed with the city says the proposed building at the corner of York and Dalhousie streets would be connected to the existing 200-room hotel by a ground-level podium. The two-storey structure currently on the site that houses a nightclub would be demolished to make way for the new hotel tower.

The developer is requesting a zoning amendment because the building’s proposed height of 59.75 metres exceeds the 50-metre limit for the property. Claridge is also seeking an exemption from bylaws requiring new developments that replace heritage structures to be rebuilt with the same character and at the same scale, saying the existing building that dates to about 1950 “does not have any meaningful heritage features that merit conservation.”



The proposed addition is designed by Montreal’s Neuf Architects, the same firm behind the original Andaz building. The planning application says the new structure “will blend seamlessly with the existing tower so that it appears as one building.”

Malhotra said Claridge has no target date yet to begin the project, which must be approved by city council. He would not divulge the price tag of the proposal.

Malhotra also said Claridge is still planning to build a 22-storey tower with 282 condo units on adjacent property at 137 and 141 George St. that now contains a parking lot, but wouldn’t put a timeline on the project. According to the development application, the two buildings would share an underground parking facility with space for 136 vehicles.

If the plan is approved, it would further boost Ottawa’s downtown hotel inventory following a spate of new openings and planned developments that’s expected to add hundreds of new rooms to the market.

The 17-storey Andaz Ottawa Byward Market opened in August 2016 on the site of the former Union of Canada building, becoming the luxury boutique hotel chain’s first Canadian location. Last month, Quebec-based Group Germain Hotels opened its 115-room Le Germain Hotel Ottawa as part of the Arts Court redevelopment near the Rideau Centre, two years after the chain’s Alt Hotel made its debut on Slater Street.

Other new lodgings in the works for the city’s downtown core include Morguard’s two Hilton properties at 361 Queen St., which are slated to open this fall and will feature a total of 346 rooms, and Manor Park Management’s 180-unit Holiday Inn Express on King Edward Avenue and St. Patrick Street, which is now under construction and expected to be ready next year.

http://obj.ca/article/claridge-proposes-second-andaz-hotel-tower-ottawas-byward-market

[kwoldtimer]

Would this be in addition to the apartment tower of the original proposal? I note the massive blank wall on the east side ....

[Marshsparrow]

She's gorgeous

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Would this be in addition to the apartment tower of the original proposal? I note the massive blank wall on the east side ....

Yes, it seems so:

"Malhotra also said Claridge is still planning to build a 22-storey tower with 282 condo units on adjacent property at 137 and 141 George St. that now contains a parking lot, but wouldn’t put a timeline on the project."

http://www.obj.ca/article/claridge-proposes-second-andaz-hotel-tower-ottawas-byward-market

As for the massive blank wall... If they are building to the lot line then they aren't allowed to have windows.

[rocketphish]

Development application:
https://app01.ottawa.ca/postingplans/appDetails.jsf?lang=en&appId=__A1O8XQ

Site:




Renderings:










Floorplans:

[J.OT13]

Mediocre design aside, the Andaz at least stood out with a height between the low-rise ByWard Market and the 27 storey Rideau wall. It created depth. Now we'll have a bunch of buildings of the same height tacker-on to one another on that block. Why does Claridge hate Ottawa?

[Vixx]

Claridge designs are so mediocre that its laughable. They are an embarrassment to this city.

[ars]

So... there are some windows on that side of the current building, which I assume are attached to guestrooms, how will Claridge be handling that?

Will they get rid of those rooms altogether?

[kwoldtimer]

I believe that there's an "alcove" between the buildings on the side facing George St. Not much of a view, but still a window.

[ars]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I believe that there's an "alcove" between the buildings on the side facing George St. Not much of a view, but still a window.

Ah ok, makes sense.

It would really suck to get a room on that side as a guest.

[J.OT13]

Sad to see the building on that side (left of the pic below) go. It's not an architectural gem, but it's still a handsome building. Looking at the one floor extension over that building's current location, it doesn't seem like too much of a stretch to keep it. At lest the front part.

I realize that this is probably more about building a full-size parking garage.


https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/tra...ngs-to-the-bywardmarket/article33332686/

[McKellarDweller]

Please, Claridge, execute a significantly better level of quality with the exterior fit and finish on this second phase.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by McKellarDweller

Please, Claridge, execute a significantly better level of quality with the exterior fit and finish on this second phase.

The fit and finish will be whatever is left in the parts bin from the previous couple of projects. Andaz 2 will be a hybrid of Icon and the new tower between Bank and Elgin:p

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by ars

So... there are some windows on that side of the current building, which I assume are attached to guestrooms, how will Claridge be handling that?

Will they get rid of those rooms altogether?

Here's the typical floorplan, in which you can see that there will be 3 rooms in the southeast corner of each floor of the original tower that will now look out onto the blank side of the new tower.

[J.OT13]

So the buildings won't be linked in anyway? I understand the floors containing room (maybe), but you would think the main floor would be linked.

Will it even be part of the Andaz or a different hotel brand. If that's the case, Hyatt must be pissed.

[Urbanarchit]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

So the buildings won't be linked in anyway? I understand the floors containing room (maybe), but you would think the main floor would be linked.

Will it even be part of the Andaz or a different hotel brand. If that's the case, Hyatt must be pissed.

If this is basically a new building (as opposed to an addition to an existing one), I am hopeful that it is rejected. I am displeased with how Claridge has produced disappointing after disappointing building in many prominent locations around Ottawa. The architectural design (including materials) for this building are really unappealling that a second or third building - with the same height, even - would not be a positive addition for the Market.

The reason why Claridge was allowed to even build this in the first place was because they demolished the original building and rebuilt it at the same height (is phase 2 approved?). This new proposal is not a part of the Union du Canada replacement/ was not in the agreement. It should be rejected on whatever ground the City can muster. It's not heritage and the height exceeds what zoning permits (correct me if I'm wrong about that and if the City would be stricter for what's built in the Byward Market). The OBJ article say the height for the site is 50m and the addition is 59.5... But the property on which the addition would be built is separate from the Andaz building, meaning it surely can't be 50m as well? If they are expected to replace "heritage" buildings in character and height, then this doesn't fit that criterion.

I would like the City to put their foot down and tell Claridge, "No!" to this proposal.

[Arcologist]

I was in the Market this weekend for the first time in a long time; it really is a gorgeous area, vibrant, colourful, busy.

But it never ceases to amaze me how freaking ugly the Andaz building is. It looks nothing like what Claridge showed us in its renderings. It doesn't integrate well with its surroundings and sticks out like a sore thumb. Plainly put, it's a disgrace!

In fact, that old 1950's two-storey building next door that Claridge wants to demolish has more character than the Andaz.

The City needs to start taking a harder stance on Claridge proposals. It's sad that they can get away with such atrocities...

[AndyMEng]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Here's the typical floorplan, in which you can see that there will be 3 rooms in the southeast corner of each floor of the original tower that will now look out onto the blank side of the new tower.

I'm confused (as I normally am with Claridge)...

So they're going to block the view for those three existing rooms (in grey) in order to build out three additional rooms (in yellow...6, 7 & 8) only so that the 'future tower' can ALSO block the view of THOSE three rooms!?!?

[J.OT13]

Blocking views, that pretty much always happens no matter what so I'm not too concerned about that.

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by Arcologist

I was in the Market this weekend for the first time in a long time; it really is a gorgeous area, vibrant, colourful, busy.

But it never ceases to amaze me how freaking ugly the Andaz building is. It looks nothing like what Claridge showed us in its renderings. It doesn't integrate well with its surroundings and sticks out like a sore thumb. Plainly put, it's a disgrace!

In fact, that old 1950's two-storey building next door that Claridge wants to demolish has more character than the Andaz.

The City needs to start taking a harder stance on Claridge proposals. It's sad that they can get away with such atrocities...

I actually don't think the Andaz turned out that bad. Yes, they could've used better materials on the exterior, but it's grown on me. And I don't find it sticks any more than the previous building did. I think the new building sticks out less. The design is a lot more simple.