Ed McKenna
On July 7, an informative public meeting organized by Somerset Ward Councillor Catherine McKenney provided a detailed look at the development plan for 665 Albert Street.
It’s audacious.
Two slender, angular, shed-roofed skyscrapers will rise 36 and 31 storeys above the street. Their metal skin colour is brick red at the base, which gradually lightens to a faint pink at their summits.
The towers exceed the permitted height in this area, and will require city council approval to amend the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw.
The National Capital Commission refers to this property in their master concept plan for LeBreton Flats as the “Library Parcel,” but don’t confuse it with the new library at 555 Albert. The library parcel occupies the corner of Albert and Booth Streets, on the east side of Booth, adjacent the Pimisi LRT station.
In January the NCC announced that “Dream LeBreton” had been selected to develop this corner. It’s a partnership between Dream Unlimited Corporation and Dream Impact Trust of Toronto, and Ottawa’s Multifaith Housing Initiative.
Dream LeBreton hosted the public meeting, with the participation of their design consultants. We saw the portfolios of each member of the design team, and how these talents have been applied to 665 Albert.
In an unhurried question period that followed Dream’s presentation, thoughtful responses were provided to public concerns. (The presentation is available online at devapps.ottawa.ca. Search for 665 Albert.)
David Seaborn, chair of the Dalhousie Community Association’s “planning our neighbourhood” committee, has practiced architecture in the city for more than 40 years. He said that the proposed development was one of the best he has been asked to review. It pretty much “ticks all the boxes” on the DCA’s development checklist.
So how does 665 Albert measure up?
First of all, this is a housing development, with 601 rental units. There is a strong commitment to attracting residents from a mix of income levels, and to affordability: 241 units (41 percent) will be affordable, and 130 of these will be owned and operated by MFI. The non-market units will include a number of three-bedroom apartments, suitable for families with children. (It’s worth noting that a new study of 35 recent housing developments in Dalhousie reports that only five have an “affordable” component.)
The development includes a daycare, some retail space, and a bicycle repair shop. There will be 741 bicycle parking spaces. Half the site area will be landscaped and “vegetated.” (Mature trees feature prominently in the renderings!)
Each tower sits on its own five-storey podium, which is terraced down to ground level. The street wall along Albert opens up to Lorne Avenue to the south. The towers will be imposing, but on the ground the site should be very walkable.
Connections to Ādisōke, Pimisi Station, and even the condo residences to the north will be strengthened through a network of multi-use pathways extending from the site. Empress will be reestablished on the north side of Albert and provide vehicular access to the property.
The developer has committed to zero carbon building standards. There’s a strong social procurement program. Fifty percent of the contracts and jobs associated with the development will go to “local residents.”
These elements ticked many boxes for the DCA, and for others who attended the public meeting.
For this, we can largely credit the two-stage procurement process used by the NCC, which required that prospective developers commit to a high level of affordable housing, sustainable construction, and community benefits, including for Indigenous peoples.
Still, some of us at the public meeting had reservations. It’s an abrupt transition from skyscrapers to the established low-rise residential community on the other side of Albert Street.
Several participants had questions about the quality of life for people who will live in these towers. Can you build community vertically? Where are the professional and retail services for local residents, including for food? Will this development help establish Pimisi Station as the community hub that thousands of new residents in this area will need?
How will the site’s heritage, including that of Indigenous peoples, be acknowledged? Is yet another “gathering circle” sufficient?
And then there is the question about “affordable” housing. Local advocates have called for more non-market housing where rents are based on income. Non-market rents at 665 Albert instead will be calculated as a percentage of local market rents, which is still unaffordable for many in Dalhousie.
Despite these reservations, most of those present at the public meeting agreed that Dream’s presentation revealed a bold plan for the development of 665 Albert, with a challenging, iconic design that is responsive to many community concerns.
Construction begins next year.