New 37-storey building under construction on Richmond Road

One of Ottawa’s tallest buildings is starting to go up near Westboro on Richmond Road. CTV’s Kimberley Johnson reports on reaction from the community.

A new high-rise building is going up near Ottawa’s Westboro neighbourhood and at 37 floors and hundreds of units, it’s set to be one of the largest in the area.

West Orchard Urban Rentals is located at 1047 Richmond Rd., near Woodroffe Avenue. It is being described by Fengate Asset Management as “a new mixed-use rental community.”

The building will have 425 rental units, including 15 designated affordable units.

Celine Kalra lives in the building next door and has been watching the construction on Richmond Road closely.

“It’s very fascinating,” she says. “I wish I could go down there, and they can explain what they’re doing.”

At first, she says she was very concerned about the new high-rise, but now she’s accepted it has broken ground.

“Too bad that it’s right next door to my home,” she says. “But at the same time, when you live in the city you have to expect this. And at first, we were not too pleased about it. But now it’s like, okay, it’s coming up and we’ve accepted it and we’ll have to be.”

Fengate says it will include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and four townhomes.

It’s being developed along with LiUNA Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada and The Hi-Rise Group.

“Important node for Ottawa”

Carolyn Poirier, sale leasing and marketing vice president with Fengate, told CTV News Ottawa that there will be several amenities in the building, including a yoga studio, a penthouse sky lounge and a kid zone space.

“We have a lot of conviction in the neighborhood,” she explains.

A big draw is that it sits right across from the future New Orchard LRT station.

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters

“We do believe that this is a really important node in Ottawa,” says Poirer. “Great connectivity, amazing waterfront trails, access and views to the Ottawa River bike routes, walking trails. We’re really excited about this.”

There are some residents who are not in favour of the building, citing obstructed views and construction frustrations.

Bay Ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh says she understands residents’ frustrations, but this will provide much needed housing in a popular area.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

“It will be a place for people to live right next to a transit station,” she says. “And that’s good news because we do need housing. There are affordable units that are going to be in it. We negotiated that as well.”

Kavanagh says this is the first of two buildings that will be built over the coming years.

Fengate also says there will be a park and green space and retail spaces located in the building.