Ottawa’s tallest high-rise will be built at Dow’s Lake

Planning committee has approved a proposal for a 50-storey tower near Dow’s Lake, which would become Ottawa’s tallest building. CTV’s Kimberley Fowler reports.

Ottawa’s largest high-rise will be built overlooking Dow’s Lake.

The planning committee approved an amendment to the Official Plan to allow a 50-storey, mixed-use high-rise building with 503 residential units at 829 Carling Avenue at Preston Street.

The building will be located less than 100 metres east of the Dow’s Lake O-Train Station, and close to the future Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus.

It will be built across the street from the current highest building in Ottawa, the 45-storey Claridge Icon that was built in 2022.

“The proposed development is a 50-storey, mixed-use, high-rise building with 503 residential units and 196 vehicle parking spaces and 482 bicycle spaces,” staff said in a report.

“The building contains a mix of unit types, including studios, one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. On the ground floor, 300 square metres of commercial space will front onto Preston Street, reinforcing the Mainstreet Corridor character and providing active street frontage, while the main residential and office entrance will be accessed from Carling Avenue.”

According to the report, Claridge Homes originally proposed a 60-storey mixed-use tower in May 2021, before changing the proposal to the current 50-storey mixed-use building.

Staff say the 50-storey residential tower on an underutilized site will deliver a “high-density, transit-supportive built form that enhances the area’s role as a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use environment.”