OTTAWA Construction News staff writer
OTTAWA — The City of Ottawa’s Planning and Housing Committee has recommended approval for two major high-rise developments that would add nearly 1,700 new homes to the city’s housing stock, alongside a new animal welfare hub in Vanier.
At a meeting on Wednesday (Dec. 3) the committee gave the green light to projects spearheaded by prominent local developers Claridge Homes and Colonnade BridgePort, positioning the applications for final City Council consideration on Dec. 10.
New tallest tower for Little Italy
In a significant move for the Dow’s Lake area, the committee approved Official Plan and zoning amendments for a 50-storey tower at 829 Carling Ave., at the northwest corner of Carling Avenue and Preston Street.
Proposed by Claridge Homes and designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, the development will serve as a gateway landmark for Little Italy. The project includes 503 residential units ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments. To maintain the area’s pedestrian character, the design incorporates 300 square metres of ground-floor commercial space facing Preston Street.
The site, currently a low-rise service building and parking lot, is designated as a “Hub” in the Official Plan due to its proximity to the Dow’s Lake O-Train station. The approved amendments increase the permitted height from 30 metres (nine storeys) to 167 metres (50 storeys) and reduce the minimum tower separation from 25 to 20 metres.
Major rental community near Blair Station
The committee also endorsed a substantial multi-tower project by Colonnade BridgePort at 2000 City Park Dr. in the Carson Grove neighbourhood.
Designed by Neuf Architects, the master-planned community envisions five buildings ranging from 12 to 30 storeys. The development, situated south of City Park Drive and backing onto Highway 174, aims to deliver 1,192 new homes near the Blair O-Train station.
The proposal includes underground parking, a new private road, a public park, and multi-use pathways. The approved zoning amendment redistributes height limits on the site to ensure better transitions with the surrounding neighbourhood:
- Front: Reduced from 20 storeys to 12 and 16 storeys.
- Rear: Increased to 30 storeys along the highway corridor.
The project requires Site Plan Control approval for each tower before construction can proceed. Conditions include a requirement that at least five per cent of the units be designed for large households.
Ottawa Humane Society Hub in Vanier
In addition to housing, the committee approved rezoning to facilitate the creation of a new animal welfare hub at 258 Durocher St. in Vanier.
The project involves retrofitting a former Canada Post mail depot located northwest of Durocher and St. Paul streets. Planning documents identify the Ottawa Humane Society as the client for the site plan.
The zoning change moves the property from a minor institutional zone to a general mixed-use zone, permitting a range of uses including an animal hospital, animal care establishment, and training centre. The retrofit will focus on the interior, with no major changes planned for the building’s exterior.
Tracking housing progress
These approvals come as the City of Ottawa works to meet a provincial pledge of enabling 151,000 new market homes by 2031.
According to the city’s housing approvals dashboard, Council has approved more than 60,000 new homes since January 2023—roughly 40 per cent of the 2031 target. If approved by Council next week, these new projects will add another 1,695 dwellings to the pipeline.
City staff estimate that the Planning and Housing Committee has enabled the development of approximately 13,700 new dwellings since the start of 2025.
