Design panel flags size at another Wellington West 'gateway' condo
Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: April 6, 2017 | Last Updated: April 6, 2017 4:16 PM EDT
No one mentioned the “element of wow” at a design review Thursday, but a panel of architects is worried about the proposed look of a nine-storey building planned for a gateway property at one end of Wellington Street West.
A few years ago, the city was trying to figure out what’s suitable for a gateway property when it considered a proposal for a 12-storey luxury condo building at Wellington Street West and Island Park Drive. The debate over height and design eventually forced the Ontario Municipal Board to weigh in.
Now, an application for a nine-storey residential and commercial building at the other end of Wellington Street West has design experts worried there would be too much going on for a small property.
Council could be in for another height-and-design fracas on Welly West.
The urban design review panel of external architects, which met Thursday at City Hall, is worried a plan for 979 Wellington St. West, where Somerset Street ends, would dominate the skyline in that area.
It’s not an intersection like Island Park Drive requiring landmark architecture, but it’s equally considered a gateway to the commercial stretch.
The building would be nine storeys along Wellington Street West and step down to six storeys along Armstrong Street. The plan calls for 54 residential units, street-level commercial spaces and an underground parking elevator servicing 35 stacked parking spots.
The Wellington West community design plan puts the height limit at six storeys.
However, the community design plan calls for the city to consider developments taller than six storeys at key gateways if there’s a community benefit.
In this case, the development team is already contemplating a community contribution, possibly involving Somerset Square across the street, in exchange for more height.
The firm Chmiel Architects has used as inspiration Hintonburg’s history in designing the building. It’s what Richard Chmiel described to the panel as an “industrial aesthetic.” There would also be a green roof with small trees and space around the stepped-back building for more greenery.
The panel of architects who are independent from the city but part of a formal design review process is uneasy about the size.
Emmanuelle van Rutten expressed concern about a precedent being set for building heights in the area. This building would be 10-11 storeys with the mechanical penthouse and the east-facing blank wall is “unfortunate,” she said.
James Parakh said the building design is “overreaching” and asked the developers to refer to the community design plan for an appropriate scale.
John Stewart expressed concerns about landscaping, but he liked the design concept of a “building as sculpture.”
There’s now a chance to massage the design before the full development application goes to planing committee and council for approval at a future date.
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