City challenges developer in battle for Ottawa skyline

A recently proposed condo development has become ground zero in a war for the Ottawa skyline.

The development plan for a 12-storey building on the corner of Wellington and Island Park Drive was rejected in May by the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), which cited the neighbourhood’s nine-storey height restriction. Mizrahi Developments appealed, arguing their proposed “landmark” architecture justified the three extra storeys, a loophole that has been used by developers to get more height into developments. The appeal has become the focal point for a much larger issue: the Ottawa skyline.

The City worries that the Ottawa skyline could be ruined with a decision in Mizrahi’s favour. “The fundamental premise that somehow landmark architecture should automatically result in height greater than what we’ve planned for is something I reject,” Councillor Jeff Leiper told the Ottawa Business Journal. “I think the whole city, certainly the urban area, will be following this closely. Now that the door’s been opened, we can expect a lot of different parties to walk through it.”

The Mizrahi development, however, is simply the first shot fired in a battle that’s been brewing for months. The OMB, an appointed body that has the power to overrule municipal councils’ planning decisions, decided last April that Ottawa could not alter its master planning document to change building height restrictions in Centreville. The City has responded by taking the OMB to court over the decision. Restricting building heights, according to the City, should be difficult in order to control urban growth and preserve the Ottawa skyline. The OMB, in their written decision dated April 29, “will not result in better urban form but rather it will place undue hardship on applicants.”

When it comes to building heights, developers usually file a rezoning appeal, first through the city planning office and then through appealing to the OMB. But Ottawa wants more power to say no. “The argument that [height] is better left with zoning is one we don’t agree with,” said Councillor and planning committee chair Jan Harder.

As of writing, the OMB has yet to meet the City in divisional court, but is still unimpressed with what Mizrahi Developments considers “landmark architecture.” The City’s two-front war – one against exceptional architecture and another against height restriction changes – is at a stalemate for now.

Photos by: Wikimedia Commons, Hello Westboro, The Bulldog