Trio of highrise towers planned for former Greyhound terminal

After buying the old Greyhound bus terminal in downtown Ottawa, developer Brigilis planning to build 1,000 rental units, retail stores and a public park.

There's one catch. The three towers it wants to build at the Catherine Street site are 26, 36 and 40 storeys, while the height limit for the property is currently 25 storeys.

As a result, the company has applied to the city for a zoning bylaw amendment.

"We've already had a lot of discussions with the city about how to optimize the project for the application," said JessyDesjardins, Brigil's vice-president of development and design, in a French-language interview with Radio-Canada.

Before making its application, Brigil organized consultations with residents.According to Desjardins, the project responds to what they said they wantedat the site, although the local community association told CBC that it has some concerns about the scale of the project.

Jeff Leiper, who chairs council's planning and housing committee, told Radio-Canada he's eager to examine the project in more detail.

It calls for three towers with rental units of one, two and three bedrooms, as well as townhouses. Retail stores are planned for the ground floor, while the design also foresees apublic park on the site. One of the towers is slated to have a "sky lounge."

Just 400 parking spaces will be available for the 1,000 units in the buildings, as the design aims to reduce automobile dependence.

"We really want this to be a project where people can use public transportation, walk or bike to get where they're going," said Desjardins.

He added that the abundance of public space on the site will improve the pedestrian experience and the look of Arlington Street.

A design brief foresees 25 per cent of the site devoted to publicly accessible open space.

"We really worked hard on designing podiums on a human scale that will create a precedent for Catherine Street, so the next developments along the street can be inspired by the project," Desjardins said.

Community group wants affordable housing

Centretown Community Association president Mary Huang said she's been involved with consultations on the project.

Her association isn't opposed to density in the neighbourhood, but has concerns about whether the scale of the development is appropriate for a neighbourhood that's now mostly made up ofone, two and three-storey dwellings.

"The shadow that's going to be cast by a 40 and 35 storey building, it's going to be huge," she said.

Huang lives near the property. Based on the shadow studies Brigil submitted to the city, she figures her home would be under the shadow of the towers at least part of the day.

She grows peppers in her garden, as well as tomatoes that love the sun.

"I think it will be trouble for the tomatoes, because they need a lot of sunlight," she said, noting that some of her neighbours have gardens that are likely to see even less sun if the towers go forward as planned.

Despite the risk to her vegetables, Huang isn't opposing the proposed heights outright. She just wants to make sure the community gets something backif the city bendsthe zoning bylaw in Brigil's favour.

She said the developer should ensure it provides more affordable housing units than what the city usually expects, and not at rents just a hair below market rates.

"If they want higher density, which means they make more profit and improved balance sheet, it would be nice for the community to share in that," she said.

"If they give us a decent amount of affordable housing, I'm willing to sacrifice the garden."