General Update/Rumour thread

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

November 2011 Of Capital Interest Newsletter
http://www.juteaujohnsoncomba.com/ms_november2011.htm

The next largest transaction was 256 Rideau Street and 211 Besserer Street. The property sold to Phoenix Properties Inc. from 9093-5958 Quebec Inc. for $6,000,000 or $453/sf of site area. It was improved at the time of sale however the purchaser intends to redevelop the property with two 28-storey condominium towers consisting of 250 units.

here's an aerial from southfacing:

That's gonna be the densest part of the city. Walking down Besserer is gonna be very interesting in the future. I just hope we'll eventually see more 30+ storey projects in this city.

I also hope Phoenix brings some amazing design to Rideau Street. That part of the city is very underwhelming for the city's major downtown main street.

[rocketphish]

On March 16, 2011 a five-alarm fire ravaged several properties on Beechwood Ave., destroying several businesses and many apartments units above them. At the time, owner Helene Carter vowed to rebuild, but the entire process has been held up due to the processing of numerous insurance claims and lawsuits.

Now, according to the February issue of the New Edinburgh News, there is an unconfirmed but credible report that the properties are being sold to Minto for redevelopment. This is a substantial site, encompassing the entire southwestern corner of Beechwood Ave. and MacKay St., including the still standing Hamie's Diner and Bread & Roses Bakery, and a still-standing 3-story building on MacKay St., which remains vacant due to smoke damage.

The property is municipally known as 409 MacKay St., and measures 153 x 192 ft.

http://newedinburgh.ca/sites/default...eb2012_web.pdf

[rocketphish]

According to the Cardinal Glen Community Association, the property at 460 St. Laurent Blvd. (at the corner of Dunbarton Ct.) has been sold to Gatineau developer Brigil. It measures 200 x 137 ft. and was formerly the site of John's Sunoco Service Station.

http://www.cgcasite.info/?page_id=146

[Uhuniau]

What a wasted opportunity that LCBO ugliness represents.

[Davis137]

Now imagine that the Aerial Photo above by Southfacing was actually from like a 40th floor window of Ottawa's newest tallest...The reason I say that, is because it kinda looks like a photo taken from a tall building looking down at others...

[citizen j]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

What a wasted opportunity that LCBO ugliness represents.

Don't fret; it's a disposable building. The lot can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. (A design principle at work all over the city).

[S-Man]

The lot can be wiped clean with a damp cloth.

That Rideau-Besserer block will be a super dense one for sure, especially given what it looked like just half a decade ago. Still, having four 28-storey buildings clustered so close together is a bit weird. Why 28? That number's become the silver compact sedan of Ottawa's development scene - ie, they're everywhere.

Hope Phoenix does something different, instead of building a HP 5&6. I'll also brace myself for the inevitable outcry from the residents of 200 Besserer over their lost light and views.

[kevinbottawa]

At the corner of Rideau/King Edward where the LCBO/Metro are I'd love to see something like the Hullmark Centre in North York, but smaller. It would be a nice gateway building to downtown with a public square, a few floors of retail, condos, and office space in there's demand.



Or even something like what was proposed for the bus station. Rideau and King Edward has so much potential.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by citizen j

Don't fret; it's a disposable building. The lot can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. (A design principle at work all over the city).

The town was full of disposable buildings once; they just are now tearing down the last of them

That LCBO is still going to be there, looking as squat and crappy as when it was barfed up in the 90s, 20 years from now. BUT AT LEAST THERE'S LOTS OF SURFACE PARKING.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by S-Man

That Rideau-Besserer block will be a super dense one for sure, especially given what it looked like just half a decade ago. Still, having four 28-storey buildings clustered so close together is a bit weird. Why 28? That number's become the silver compact sedan of Ottawa's development scene - ie, they're everywhere.

I thought it was because 29+ storey buildings decrease the value of your children.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

At the corner of Rideau/King Edward where the LCBO/Metro are I'd love to see something like the Hullmark Centre in North York, but smaller. It would be a nice gateway building to downtown with a public square, a few floors of retail, condos, and office space in there's demand.

Other than the obligatory but pointless "plaza" out front, that would be OK.

[jeremy_haak]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

I thought it was because 29+ storey buildings decrease the value of your children.

I thought they killed your children. Or has the rhetoric not yet been elevated to that point?

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

I thought it was because 29+ storey buildings decrease the value of your children.

HAHAHA. I'm sure Diane Holmes would share this sentiment.

[Ottawan]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Other than the obligatory but pointless "plaza" out front, that would be OK.

I know where you're coming from, but depending on the context, these plazas need not be 'pointless'. An example of a good plaza is at the World Exchange Centre, where their plaza is extremely well used, and adds much to the CBD. A good plaza at a condo development is the one at Hudson Park, which provides setback to allow the condo-dwellers better views, and non-condo dwellers better views of the rather good-looking buildings.

However, ugly & pointless plazas do abound in this city (ex: Bank of Montreal building - is it a plaza, or surface parking for those who make enough money to thumb their nose at the rest of us; the plaza at Bank/Sparks/Wellington, which despite its potential has been underwhelmingly developed/cared for and is effectively a stark blank open space).

My point is that the plaza is not ipso facto bad, but that plaza design would be essential at the Rideau/King Edward intersection to make sure that this would add rather than detract from surface-level activity.

[DarkArconio]

Let's get rid of all the surface parking in the market and convert it to plazas and public patios with trees and picnic tables first! I am always disappointed how what should be the very most pedestrian focused area of the city is still so car oriented. Any cars that decide to pass though should have narrow lanes with cobble-stones to slow them down, and yield to all non-motorized traffic, with no on street parking in the market itself.

[reidjr]

Originally Posted by DarkArconio

Let's get rid of all the surface parking in the market and convert it to plazas and public patios with trees and picnic tables first! I am always disappointed how what should be the very most pedestrian focused area of the city is still so car oriented. Any cars that decide to pass though should have narrow lanes with cobble-stones to slow them down, and yield to all non-motorized traffic, with no on street parking in the market itself.

If you turn all surface parking lots into parks and have no parking in the market you risk people who don't live downtown just say if i can't park in the market i am not going to go and you could see a big drop in people going to the market.

[waterloowarrior]

Originally Posted by reidjr

If you turn all surface parking lots into parks and have no parking in the market you risk people who don't live downtown just say if i can't park in the market i am not going to go and you could see a big drop in people going to the market.

if you are interested here's the parking study recently done for the market
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa...ket%20LAPS.pdf

and for the downtown rideau area
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa...y%20Report.pdf

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by DarkArconio

Let's get rid of all the surface parking in the market and convert it to plazas and public patios with trees and picnic tables first! I am always disappointed how what should be the very most pedestrian focused area of the city is still so car oriented. Any cars that decide to pass though should have narrow lanes with cobble-stones to slow them down, and yield to all non-motorized traffic, with no on street parking in the market itself.

Amen. My fantasy for the ByWard Market is that it becomes something like Boston's Quincy Market / Faneuil Hall:



I was in the ByWard Market on Sunday and the shortage of places to sit is pathetic. It also seems like most of the traffic is caused by drivers going around and around in search of empty parking spots on the street. If enough parking garages were built (e.g., a large underground garage under York Street) and electronic boards directing divers to available spots, most of the surface parking should be eliminated to create more space for people.

I'd also love to see something like a gourmet food truck area, and bring the street food trend up a notch in this city.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

I was in the ByWard Market on Sunday and the shortage of places to sit is pathetic. It also seems like most of the traffic is caused by drivers going around and around in search of empty parking spots on the street. If enough parking garages were built (e.g., a large underground garage under York Street) and electronic boards directing divers to available spots, most of the surface parking should be eliminated to create more space for people.

I'd also love to see something like a gourmet food truck area, and bring the street food trend up a notch in this city.

Underground parking would be good. As for gourmet food truck, I would love to see Japadog come to Ottawa.

[reidjr]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

if you are interested here's the parking study recently done for the market
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa...ket%20LAPS.pdf

and for the downtown rideau area
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa...y%20Report.pdf

Do you really think a car free market area would be a good thing?