Tensions sky-high over high-rise development near Canadian Museum of History

There is a proposal to build two high-rise towers in Gatineau, right next to the Canadian Museum of History. CTV’s Kimberley Fowler reports.

Some Gatineau, Que. residents are pushing back against plans for two high-rise towers they say could dramatically alter the character of their neighbourhood.

A new proposal from The Brigil Group now includes a 30-storey building next to another reaching 45 storeys, built on Laurier Street, directly across from the Canadian Museum of History.

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Marie McDonald lives in Hull and says, “I have no problem with growth. It’s really looking at the infrastructure that surrounds it.”

For years, McDonald has heard the various proposals from developers to build-up the strip of land in the heart of the city. “There’s always more traffic, less parking, people parking in illegal areas…not a great experience for the people who live here and pay their taxes.”

Original plans approved by the City of Gatineau included a 17, a 25 and a 30-storey tower. The latest plan now proposes two high-rise towers instead, with one of the soaring at 45 stories. Currently, the city only allows for a maximum of 30 storeys within the city centre.

Standing in the parking lot at 35 Laurier St., Jessy Dejardins, vice-president of Development and Design with The Brigil Group, says, “We want to turn this big parking lot into a community, into a housing community, with a mixed-use project.”

At 45 storeys, the taller tower would be on par with “The Icon” at Carling Avenue and Preston Street in Ottawa for the tallest building in the National Capital Region.

“The main reason (we are building up) is because by giving more space on the ground, we have to reallocate that density elsewhere,” explains Dejardins. “As of now, in the zoning plan, we could build up to 800 units, and we want to keep it roughly around there.”

This latest proposal has been met with some backlash from the community. Claude Royer with the Resident Association of the Island of Hull says, “Last week, by pure surprise, they made publicly known that the 24-floor tower would become 45, which far exceeds the norm.”

Gatineau City Councillor Steve Moran says, “I’m hearing (residents) want to be part of the conversation. They want to make sure that whatever is built, whether it’s at this site or any other spot, responds to the needs of the citizens here.”

Moran adds, “30 (storeys) is the maximum, currently available. There’s no automatic exemption. There’s a democratic process around the acceptance of projects that derogate from our zoning. So that’s why it’s important to have a dialog with citizens. It’s also important to have a dialog with our planning department and concerns around mobility, making sure there’s enough green space, and making sure there’s enough park space.”

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The Brigil Group says it sees the potential to build more, and a future that will bring in more business to the surrounding areas. “What we’ve been trying to do is to work with the community to put a public space, bring the presbytery more value and give it more space, breathable space,” says Dejardins, “and to be able to create a touristic attraction with the project.”

The City of Gatineau says its next steps are to find a project that will work for everybody.

“I think we’re headed in the right direction,” says Moran. “I would like to see a development that is supported by the community, that responds to our desire to have high quality architecture that will really stand out so that people can say, ‘Hey, I’m proud of that building,’ and that will help us in the redevelopment of downtown.”

At a city committee meeting on Tuesday, Gatineau Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette said she’s open to the possibility of a referendum over the two proposed high-rise towers.