Growing pains or growing gains? Barrhaven's changing face

The ever-expanding suburb of more than 100,000 southwest of the city is fast becoming a mini-city of its own.

Published Jul 28, 2024 • Last updated 10 hours ago • 5 minute read

Concept design for new condo development in Barrhaven. Photo by Provided by Coun. Wilson Lo /POSTMEDIA

Once upon a time, Barrhaven was jokingly referred to as “Farhaven”, a quiet bedroom community generally considered way too distant from the action, amenities and skyscrapers of downtown Ottawa.

Now, though, the ever-expanding suburb of more than 100,000 southwest of the city is fast becoming a mini-city of its own.

Growing pains or growing gains?

That new reality has made it the home for a pair of radically different and controversial projects within one kilometre of each other: a sprawling condo development plan featuring 35-storey and 26-storey towers that would change the skyline and a Sprung, tent-like structure to address Ottawa’s shortage of housing for asylum seekers.

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A lot on McGarry Terrace with proposed zoning for high-rise in Barrhaven. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

“Both developments would be impactful on the community, high impact for different reasons,” said Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo. “There really has been an evolution. There was a time not that long ago that if you wanted to get anything beyond groceries or go to Tim Horton’s or McDonald’s, you had to leave Barrhaven.”

Lo says he’s “in lockstep” with Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill on the projects.
The two are championing the condo development, but are giving a thumbs-down to the Sprung structures, insisting there are better options and locations available.

What’s the condo project all about?

The towers, which would be on McGarry Terrace, near the already bustling intersection of Strandherd and Longfields Drives and steps from the Chapman Mills Marketplace mall, could include 600 new units. The OC Transpo runs through the mall.

The highest current building in Barrhaven is 18 storeys and for the project to go ahead, it would require full city council approval of a change to existing zoning restrictions. For comparison’s sake, the Claridge Icon in Little Italy, which overlooks Dow’s Lake, is 40 storeys high.

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Concept design for new condo development in Barrhaven. Photo by Provided by Coun. Wilson Lo /POSTMEDIA

How would it fit into residential density?

“It’s a transit corridor, first of all, an area that three-four years ago was designed as part of the Barrhaven Downtown Plan,” said Lo. “This is consistent with that policy.”

Hill is generally supportive of the idea, echoing Lo’s comments about the need to intensify housing near existing transit infrastructure, but he continues to listen to feedback from the community.

“I wanted to hear from residents so that we can take the mitigations necessary to evolve our downtown safely and effectively,” Hill said in an email response to Postmedia.

“Two issues that I plan to represent hard before this file comes to committee in October is that I would like to encourage the developer to maximize the building usage for local seniors looking to downsize.”

More traffic is a potential headache, but Lo’s hope is that the project will “intensify the principles of walkability,” so that incoming residents don’t need to use their cars often.

“We want to ensure good traffic measures on the McGarry Terrace Drive as it becomes a throughfare,” said Hill.

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Where is the potential home for asylum seekers?

The city’s Integrated Transition to Housing Strategy shortlisted a chunk of vacant land east of Greenbank Road, just south of the train tracks which carry passengers to Toronto and back.

The site, north of a strip mall featuring a dental clinic, massage parlour, nail salon, yoga studio, South Asian food store and four restaurants, is currently home to nothing more than weeds. A fire station is just south of the strip mall.

The city is considering that spot as a home for as many as 300 people and would be considered a temporary stepping stone towards more permanent housing.

The city is also looking at land in Alta Vista and Orleans for the proposal.

Why are the Barrhaven councillors against the idea?

Earlier this month, Hill voted with Lo’s motion to take away the city’s authority to purchase and build the Sprung structures, but the motion was defeated by a 21-3 count.

Funding for the project, which could be completed by August, 2025, would come out of a $105 million package the city is asking for from the federal government.

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While there has been plenty of social media chatter about the Barrhaven site, Lo is waiting to hear official word from the city on why the site is in play.

While the Transitway runs through that stretch of Barrhaven, Lo doesn’t believe it’s a suitable location because it doesn’t meet the service needs.

“I don’t think there are any pieces of vacant land in Barrhaven that are close to what asylum seekers need to succeed,” he said. “When those resources are missing, people fend for themselves. Whether that’s positive or negative remains to be determined.”

What’s the controversy behind the structures themselves?

On top of that, Lo and Hill have argued that the tent-like foundation of a Sprung structure is not the best option for new housing.

“Creating a policy of communal tent shelter living is short-sighted when we should be addressing the root issue – a lack of housing,” Hill told Postmedia. “If the federal and provincial governments are going to sponsor a program for our asylum seekers, then spend this money wisely.”

Among the many concerns for Hill is the fact it’s not ideal for harsh winter conditions. He argues that the city should take a longer look at currently empty federal government buildings in downtown Ottawa, among other options.

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“We need to scale up existing and proven programming, invest in retrofit vacant buildings and build factory modular mass-timber housing,” he said.

What about expanding existing assistance programs?

Quietly and out of the spotlight, several projects and programs are already operating out of houses in Nepean, helping asylum seekers and refugees adjust to a new reality in Canada.

“They are smaller, more manageable and are a better model to adjust to local life,” said Lo.

“They have been a success in the sense that most people don’t know about them and they’re doing pretty well. They’re inconspicuous. We believe that they can be upscaled.”

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