Three Ottawa city council candidates for Rideau-Vanier said they are against a proposal to build a nine-storey private student residence building in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood near the University of Ottawa (U of O).
Last March, the Ottawa city council voted 14-9 against the proposal. Shortly after, an appeal was filed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) by a consulting firm on behalf of the project’s developer, Viner Assets.
OMB hearings on the development took place last week. The OMB has the power to overrule city council’s decision on the project.
Mathieu Fleury, the incumbent councillor for the ward, said the proposal “would be very problematic.”
He said if approved, the building would put residential zones “at risk of seeing projects that are nine storeys.”
Council candidate Marc Aubin said on Twitter the proposal “replaces affordable with expensive housing while sending 2,500 tons of debris to the landfill.”
The proposal would allow Viner Assets to build the 180-unit complex at the corner of Laurier Avenue East and Friel Street.
It would replace six low- to mid-rise apartments currently occupied by U of O students. The building would house about 630 students, according to the planning rationale.
Incumbent Mayor Jim Watson, who voted against the proposal in March, said on Twitter last week he is still against it.
In November 2013, U of O housing director Michel Guilbeault said the plan was being overestimated by Sandy Hill residents.
“We have no interest in building a large residence in the heart of Sandy Hill. That would make no sense for the university, for Sandy Hill, or our students,” said Guilbeault.
At hearings, a lawyer representing Viner Assets argued for the development proposal against city of Ottawa and community organization Action Sandy Hill (ASH) lawyers.
Each side presented arguments, called on witnesses and cross-examined evidence. None of the candidates said they are against the fact the building is intended for students. The hearings wrapped up Oct. 9.
Although the 38-year-old Secondary Plan calls for buildings to be limited to four storeys, Fleury said the plan is “outdated [and] doesn’t identify where the growth can be taken” in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood.
However, Francois Bregha, who spoke for ASH at the OMB hearings, said the influx of students into Sandy Hill has created issues for its permanent residents. Bregha said many residents are worried about Sandy Hill turning into a primarily student-populated area.
“A lot of people are saying we don’t want to become like Kingston [with its] student ghetto around Queen’s,” Bregha said. “We want to maintain a mixed neighbourhood.”
Bregha said U of O has a responsibility to provide more housing to its students instead of “downloading its student housing problem to Sandy Hill.”
“The student population grew by 80 per cent since 2000 and the university has added only one dorm for 184 students,” he said.
