Ontario Construction News staff writer
Taggart Realty Management has submitted a proposal to the City of Ottawa to redevelop a Hintonburg block, a project featuring a 38-storey mixed-use tower and the demolition and reconstruction of the historic Carleton Tavern.
An Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw Amendment application, prepared with Stantec Consulting Ltd. and Hobin Architecture, envisions 465 residential units at 340 Parkdale Ave., between Oxford and Armstrong streets. The site is currently occupied by low-rise retail and warehouse buildings, along with the popular neighbourhood tavern on the southeast corner.
According to a planning rationale report submitted to the city, the Carleton Tavern must be demolished due to age, structural deterioration and the need for significant site remediation. It will be “reimagined” and rebuilt in its historic location as a two-storey structure using high-quality stone and masonry to restore its familiar form.
The design brief describes the reconstructed tavern as the “massing anchor for the entire development.” It will remain a free-standing building with its own address, identity and a patio overlooking a central courtyard.
The broader plan calls for a 38-storey high-rise above a six-storey L-shaped podium along Hamilton and Spencer streets, which steps up to eight storeys along Parkdale. The 465 units will include 71 studio, 236 one-bedroom, 153 two-bedroom and five three-bedroom apartments. The development also features four levels of underground parking with 322 spaces and an 848-square-metre privately owned public space, providing a central courtyard and pedestrian breezeways.
While the original building on the tavern site dates back to an 1896 general store and opened as the Carleton Hotel in 1935, it is not designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. A structural engineering review determined it was not feasible to preserve the structure during excavation or temporarily relocate it off-site to reintegrate it later.
Kitchissippi Ward Coun. Jeff Leiper told CTV News Ottawa that the development will address a “really major” groundwater contamination issue that has historically inhibited redevelopment on the site.
Leiper acknowledged community “discomfort” over the loss of the original building, calling the tavern a storied and much-beloved institution.
“At the same time, there’s a recognition that we are very, very close here to the Tunney’s Pasture LRT station,” Leiper told the broadcaster.. “We’re in a hub that is designated for redevelopment; very tall, dense buildings.”
Leiper is hosting a public information session on the project on Feb. 24 at the Hintonburg Community Centre. According to the proposal summary, the target date for Ottawa’s planning and housing committee to consider the Official Plan Amendment is June 3.