Committee approves demolition of dilapidated heritage properties in Lowertown

Three heritage homes in Lowertown are set to be demolished and rebuilt.

The buildings on St. Patrick Street in Lowertown were constructed in the 1870s and are part of a heritage conservation district. Once a proud part of Ottawa's history, they are now in a dilapidated state.

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"My clients kind of refer to this all the time. It's a real eyesore," says Joseph Gallarino, owner of Parlour Spatzio, a business across the street.

"They're very unsafe, and you get squatters moving in," Gallarino says. "Winter's coming. They've got the electricity cut off. The gas line is cut off. So, guess how they're going to keep warm. Put a fire, set the whole block on fire."

The building at 227 St. Patrick St. and the homes attached to it have been falling apart for years. They could not be demolished because of their heritage designation, but the city's Built Heritage Committee voted Tuesday to allow the properties to be rebuilt, so long as the new buildings follow the look and feel of the heritage neighbourhood.

"What has happened there in the last several years has been shocking," says Lowertown resident Janet Thompson Mar, who lives behind the homes. She cites constant crime, bylaw calls, and called on a city committee to approve a demolition.

"The backyard filled with trash and human waste, unfortunately, for several summers, which brought rats, which meant people could not go outdoors. We had the largest drug bust in Ottawa's history in our backyard one weekday morning last fall," said Thompson Mar.

The Lowertown Community Association says the situation reflects "demolition by neglect."

"This is what we talk about when we talk about demolition by neglect," says Josiah Frith of the Lowertown Community Association. "We need them to be taken seriously, so they don't end up here."

The property was purchased by Brian Dagenais in 2019 for $2.5 million.

"Any rebuilding of 227 Saint Patrick will have to meet standards that reflect how the building looked in the past," says City Councillor Stephanie Plante. "There will be a nod to the heritage aspect, as it is located within a heritage conservation district."

Dagenais did not provide a comment to CTV News.

"I'm sorry those buildings are coming down," says Thompson Mar. "But that is where we are now."

A vote at full city council later this month is the next step.