CNA wants to build nine storeys of apartment suites on its land at 50 The Driveway and embroider the new mid-rise building into the facade of the current 55-year-old office building.
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The Canadian Nurses Association headquarters near the Rideau Canal is proposed to be redeveloped under a revised concept, resulting in a new densification project in the Golden Triangle neighborhood.
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CNA wants to build nine storeys of apartment suites on its land at 50 The Driveway and embroider the new mid-rise building into the facade of the current 55-year-old office building.
The application is another example of a lawn development coming to an existing community in close proximity to an LRT station, although when it comes to the Golden Triangle, it is not an area that has seen a large number of redevelopment proposals that would require city planning approvals.
The mostly low-rise community is located between Elgin Street and the Rideau Canal, south of the Town Hall. The Corktown Bridge provides access to the uOttawa station on the Confederation Line, and when it comes to CNA properties it is within a main radius of 600m which is often cited for good transit-oriented developments. The CNA development app says it’s 522m walking distance from the LRT station.
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For the construction of the project, the CNA will need the permission of the city council to amend the real estate zoning and official plan to allow the development of the average height on the land.
In recent weeks, CNA, along with design firm Hobin Architecture and planning consultant JL Richards and Associates, have presented a new concept for the complex proposing to increase the number of units and honor the most distinctive architectural building in the existing property.
According to a December re-order, the project requires 87 housing units, up 11 from the previous supply last July, with an average unit size set at 1,150 square feet, compared to the previous iteration of 1,550 square feet.
There will be three bachelor units and 37 one-bedroom units, the rest of the building consists of two bedrooms of different sizes.
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Hobin Architecture’s reintroduction says the units are “marketable and acceptable from a city building perspective.”
One group that responded to the proposal with concern was the Centretown Community Association, which told city planners in October that the project should have the highest level of energy efficiency, have fewer parking spaces and protect trees around the property.
In response, the design team reduced the number of parking spaces to match the number of units and included an additional 13 spaces for visitors. The previous design required 92 parking spaces and eight other spaces for visitors, in a 66-unit complex. The reintroduction also includes one bicycle parking space per unit.
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Hobin Architecture also modified the underground parking garage design and building setbacks to improve tree planting and retention.
The irregular “CNA House” was designed by local architect James Strutt and built in 1965-1966, with an addition built in 1987. The city’s heritage planners cited the building’s architecture as a fine example of a modern-style office building with Brutalist elements.
While the city has noted a contribution to Ottawa’s built heritage, the structure is currently not protected by heritage designations.
The building’s most defining feature, a unique lantern-like feature that acts like a skylight, contributes to the landmark’s setting.
The initial development submission called for the lantern to be partially reconstructed as part of the landscaping outside the building. Now, Hobin Architecture is proposing to make the lantern a design feature on the rooftop of the nine-story building.
As for the loss of its headquarters, the Cyprus News Agency was expecting to move to a remote working environment.
No date has been set for consideration of the development request by the Planning Committee. The proposal was previously en route for political considerations last fall before the Cyprus News Agency resubmitted the design in December.
jwilling@postmedia.com
