Unfinished seniors' home to get new life as rental housing

A five-storey building that has sat unfinished in Richmond for years nowmay finally get its finishing touches, but not all its neighbours love the revised plan.

Originally meant to be a retirement community, construction on the Perth Street complex fell by the wayside when the developer, Hyde Park Residences Inc., went bankrupt, said Scott Moffat, the Ottawa city councillor for the area.

The concern in the neighbourhood is that ... a residential apartment building is much different than a retirement residence.- Coun. Scott Moffatt

But on Thursday, the city's Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee (ARAC) recommended the approval of a new plan for the site under a new builder, Silver Maple Developments.

Thenew developmentwould includelow-rise apartment housing as well as the originally planned independent living community for seniors.

However some residents from surrounding neighbourhoods have raised concerns about the new proposal, Moffatsaid.

He said many residents brought up worries about the volume of traffic an apartment building would bring to the surrounding streets.

Buildings sat half-finished, unused

The original development consisted of several phases, including a set of townhomes;a three-storey, 35-unit retirement homeand a separate five-storey retirement residence.

The 35-unit building is nearly complete, Moffatsaid but didn't have the zoning approval needed to use the community's private water system as a residential apartment building.

On Thursday ARAC recommended the city give thatapproval,clearing the way for residents to move into the building once city council gives the final go-ahead.

"Thisallows them to occupy that building, move on with renting that space, and [proceed] with construction of the other two facilities," he said.

The remaining portion of phase 3A the five-storey building that has satunfinishedfor the last five years is expected to remain a retirement residence, Moffatsaid.