NCC reveals preferred bidder for LeBreton Flats 'library parcel'
The National Capital Commission has revealed its preferred bidder for the next step in the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats.
Dream LeBreton, a group led by Dream real estate company, which is overseeing the nearby Zibi development, has won the chance to redevelop the so-called ‘library parcel’ of land west of downtown.
The 1.1-hectare space at 655 Albert Street is immediately west of Ottawa’s planned central library and is the first step in redeveloping LeBreton Flats under the NCC’s new master plan for the land, which has sat empty for decades.
“This team has gone beyond our expectations in their innovative, thorough, and highly integrated proposal,” Katie Paris, the NCC’s director of the LeBreton Flats redevelopment project, told the commission’s board of directors on Thursday.
“Dream’s Library parcel development plan is very exciting as a first phase of developing LeBreton.”
The Dream proposal includes 601 residential units for the site in two towers of 30 and 35 storeys, each with a separate four-storey terrace podium. The housing will range from studios to three-bedroom units.
Forty-one percent of the units—247 of them—will be affordable housing, exceeding the 30 per cent minimum the NCC set in its request for proposal. And 31 per cent will meet or exceed accessibility standards and be barrier-free.
Multifaith Housing Initiative, a non-profit affordable housing developer, will own 130 of the units. The proposal also includes an Algonquin Nation benefits plan.
The Dream LeBreton design team is led by KPMB Architects and Perkins & Will, supported by Two Row Architect and Purpose Building, with PFS Studio as the landscape architect, EllisDon as the construction manager and Innovation Seven as the Indigenous engagement consultant.
The Dream LeBreton proposal beat out two other groups, one led by Windmill Developments and the other by Trinity Development Group.
The NCC is using a phased approach to redevelop LeBreton Flats after a joint bid from Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and Trinity Developments fell apart amid legal acrimony.
In October, the NCC launched a request for expressions of interest for two parcels of land farther west, which the commission hopes will feature major attractions.
Paris said the NCC would be open to a possible NHL arena on that site. Those proponents are being asked to submit ideas by the end of next month.
The new central library, a joint project between the Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada, is set to open in mid-2026. A city report in October revealed the project was $131 million over budget due to rising construction costs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.