7-storey condo plan prompts call for Glebe development strategy

The councillor representing the Glebe says he has has given up trying to stop an unpopular redevelopment in his community, and is instead asking the city for clearer rules on development in his neighbourhood.

"I'm not here to make a passionate rallying cry to try to overturn this project because I've done that enough times and lost every time and just feel like I don't have the energy anymore for that," Capital ward Coun. David Chernushenko told the City of Ottawa's planning committee Tuesday.

"What I have the energy for, and we have to be working on now, is providing that certainty. We heard it a few years ago but it hasn't happened yet."

The planning committee was considering the redevelopment of 99 Fifth Ave., currently a two-storey complex known as Fifth Avenue Court situated on the northeast corner of Bank and Fifth.

Minto, which owns the property, wants to replace it with a seven-storey building. Looked at another way, the site is currently zoned for 15 metres, but Minto applied to increase the height to 23 metres.

The community, and the Glebe Community Assoc. in particular, worked with the city to get some concessions from Minto, including a maximum height of four storeys on the sides of the building that are right next to homes.

Only a few residents gave public delegations at Tuesday's meeting in opposition to the plan. But their councillor believes there are hundreds who don't like this project, yet didn't come out to speak to the committee.

"It's not because they're happy with it. It's quite frankly because they've given up,"Chernushenko said. "And that is very unfortunate."

The councillor asked the committee to vote in favour ofa proposal to develop a community design plan for Bank Street in the Glebe "focused on identification of an appropriate height and density strategy" as well the changes Minto and the community had agreed upon.

The committee supported both those requests. Full council will need to vote on the proposal.