‘It’s an eyesore’: Stalled apartment project on Baseline Road draws ire of residents

A stalled apartment project on Baseline Road is drawing the ire of residents in the area. CTV’s Austin Lee reports.

Ask anyone who lives, works, or drives by the intersection of Baseline Road and Clyde Avenue and they will likely have questions about the stalled residential high-rise project near the busy intersection.

Construction on the project began back in 2022. At that time, the plan was to build two towers for a new retirement residence complex.

However, the original contractor went bankrupt before the job was done.

The project was then taken over by real estate investment trust SmartCentres, with a renewed plan to build apartments instead of retirement residences.

Now, after roughly three years with no work on the project, all that stands on the property is nothing more than a concrete skeleton of a promised 402-unit apartment complex.

“I find it kind of sad. Every time we drive by, I say ‘is anything happening? Nothing’s been happening,’” said nearby resident Steve Ashfield.

“There’s a housing shortage, so I just think it’s a shame.”

River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington says he remains in regular contact with SmartCentres.

He says the company still has to go through a site plan renewal with the City of Ottawa.

“That takes time. In our most recent correspondence, they indicated that process should be done this year,” said Brockington.

“They were all praying that construction will restart, will get these buildings done and people will be able to live at this very prominent and busy street corner.”

The project remains a hot topic for people living and working in the area, wondering when work will resume.

CTV News reached out to SmartCentres for an update on the project and when construction work is expected to continue, but the company has not yet responded.

“It’s an eyesore,” said Kaden Johnston who lives nearby.

“More could be done and it’s taken too long to do it which is very common with a lot of things around the city I’ve found since moving here.”

Some residents have raised concerns about the safety and integrity of the structure, with concrete left exposed to the elements.

Brockington says he’s been told that is not a concern at this time.

“It is my understanding that the building is sound. it is monitored 24 hours a day, there are cameras, and it’s visually inspected a normal frequency,” he said.

“People have asked that question, and that’s fair. It is exposed to the elements, but we would like to see construction resume, get that completed and the sooner they can iron out the issues the better.”

Brockington says SmartCentres has the support of the city to ensure the project can resume and be completed as soon as possible.

“These buildings have been empty for way too long. They are now an eyesore within the community,” he said.

“We want to see this project completed; we support SmartCentres advancing with these residential towers. Let’s get it done.”

There is still no target date for work to be completed.

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App