As recently reported, a 26-storey residential / mixed use development has been proposed for the northeast corner of Blair and Montreal Roads. Current zoning at this location allows for a maximum of 9 storeys. The developer has therefore submitted an application for a Zoning By-law Amendment.  Notification signage was recently posted on-site.

The Application and its supporting documents are available to view on the City’s website at

https://devapps.ottawa.ca

The application is currently expected to go before Planning Committee no sooner than September. It is Planning Committee that will recommend approval or rejection of the rezoning application to City Council.  If City Council votes against the application, the developer may choose to challenge the decision at the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), formerly known as the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT).  If City Council approves the application, the community or others may challenge the decision at OLT.

The RHPOA has received expressions of concern from some residents, and is considering how best to respond to this application.  To that end, we have contracted with an independent Planner to assess the project’s planning rationale and advise the Board of its options.

We have also established a Subcommittee to review the project in detail, advise the Board of its findings, explore options for response and implement Board-approved activities. Chaired by a Board member, the Subcommittee includes four other Board members and five local residents who are members of the RHPOA. 

A Community Information Session with the project development team via Zoom, initially expected in mid-July, has been postponed to late summer.  The RHPOA will inform all Rothwell Heights residents by paper newsletter when this meeting is scheduled.  To be notified of this meeting by email, please send your name and address to  info@rhpoa.ca  if you haven’t already done so.

The formal period for submission of public comments to the City Planner regarding this application ends on 9 July 2021.  However, when a public meeting such as our Community Information Session is held, the comment period is generally extended by two weeks beyond the public meeting date. (As the meeting date is not yet confirmed, we can't currently estimate the extended deadline.)

Comments provided within the comment period will be summarized in the Planner’s Departmental Committee Report (aka City Staff Report) with personal information removed.  After senior management's approval, the Staff Report will be publicly posted on the city’s DevApps website and submitted to Planning Committee.

If the extended comment deadline falls too close to the Planning Committee meeting for inclusion in the Staff Report, comments received during the extension period may be supplied to Planning Commitee in a separate document. 

Registering your comments by the July 9 deadline will help ensure their consideration in the Staff Report.  We therefore encourage you to review the application documents and submit your comments before 9 July using the “Send Feedback” button at :

https://devapps.ottawa.ca/en/applications/D02-02-21-0038/details

Please note that your input to the City Planner will continue to be welcomed throughout the application process, and until the file goes to Planning Committee sometime in the Fall.

CLICK HERE for a summary presentation of this development, prepared by the Applicants.

Visit the Tower | 1649 Montreal Road section of our website for more information and to SIGN UP for notifications about this development.