A seven-storey office building in Ottawa’s west end is set to be converted into a housing complex with 143 residential units. Regional Group has submitted an application to the City of Ottawa to convert the building at 495 Richmond Road into a housing complex. The 11,000 sq. ft. building, on Richmond Road between Broadview Avenue and Golden Avenue, was the former office for the Canadian Institute for Health Information. “A Site Plan Control application to convert the existing office building into 143 residential units,” said the application submitted to the city. “There are no proposed changes to the existing building footprint.” The residential building will have a total of 143 units, with 31 studios, 62 one-bedroom apartments, 20 one-bedroom and den studios, 18 two-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom and den units. According to the report, the building will have 170 parking spaces for tenants and 53 visitor parking spaces, along with 118 bicycle parking spaces. Several office buildings have been converted to residential spaces in Ottawa in recent years. The CBRE said last week that other potential conversion projects remain in the planning process, including the Jackson Building at 122 Bank Street, 240 Bank Street and 396 Cooper Street. CBRE said in October that buildings at 77 Metcalfe Street and 265 Carling Avenue are slated to be converted into housing. The former NAV Canada building on Metcalfe Street is being demolished and redeveloped by Groupe Mach into 234 rental apartments, according to CBRE. In the west end, KTS Properties is converting 265 Carling Avenue into a 70-unit building via a phased approach, according to CBRE. Other buildings being converted from office to residential space include the former Department of National Defence building at 110 O’Connor Street, 200 Elgin Street, 360 Laurier Avenue and 130 Slater Street.
