Glebe councillor pans proposed retirement complex
Eight-storey tower ‘incompatible’ with Bank Street, Chernushenko says
A stretch of Bank Street in the Glebe will be “colder and darker” if the planning committee approves construction of an eight-storey retirement residence, says Capital Coun. David Chernushenko.
The site at 890 and 900 Bank St., north of Lansdowne Park, is currently occupied by The Beer Store and a Mister Muffler. Developer Canderel wants to replace those one-storey buildings with a 160-room retirement home and residential-care facility. The Beer Store and several smaller retail tenants would occupy the ground floor.
The site is currently zoned as a traditional mainstreet, which has a maximum height of 15 metres. But the developer wants permission to build up to 26 metres, slightly reduce the amount of bicycle parking provided and have the property considered one lot for zoning purposes.
The application also seeks permission for a commercial patio along Bank Street, 50 metres from the closest residential lot on Clarey Avenue. Current zoning doesn’t permit patios closer than 75 metres from a lot in a residential zone without screening.
Chernushenko doesn’t like what he sees — and said as much in written comments included in the staff report, which will be considered at next week’s planning committee meeting.
“This project is not compatible with the traditional mainstreet zoning, nor with the existing character of the street,” he wrote.
By failing to increase local parking capacity, Chernushenko said this proposal “stands to exacerbate an already over-capacity area.” He said street parking is nearly impossible to find for longtime, permitholding residents, and snowplowing is also difficult.
The councillor says he’s also concerned some Bank Street businesses and nearby homeowners will lose much of their natural light and sunlight.
“The sidewalks of this ‘main street’ will now be colder and darker,” he said.
The planning department supports the proposal, saying it’s consistent with the city’s official plan. It says the proposed ground-floor retail will “provide animation” along Bank Street while the retirement/residential care home provides housing options for an aging population.
The developer intends to provide about 50 underground parking spaces. The staff report says a traffic study undertaken by the applicant and updated earlier this year indicated that the anticipated traffic volumes are “not expected to have a detrimental impact on the surrounding streets.”
The department considers the Bank Street site an undeveloped lot with a significant amount of surface parking. The proposal removes surface parking by creating an underground parking lot and removes the existing service station — both undesirable uses along a traditional mainstreet, staff say.
The site is surrounded by oneand two-storey shops and restaurants to the north, east, and south along Bank, and by three-storey houses to the west along Monk Street.