By Ilona Horvath
In this edition of the Echo, we continue our journey on Upper Rideau Street, following previous visits to 580 Rideau Street, the renewed neighbouring commercial building, and 541 Rideau Street, a rental apartment building, just across off Cobourg at Rideau.
The Charlotte is a condo development of Richcraft Homes. Once completed, it will signal the end of many years of non-stop construction work in this block of Upper Rideau Street. It may fulfill the expectation and desire of long-time residents living nearby on both sides of Rideau Street, and contribute to the revitalization of the area.
A long history in short
The property (formerly 538-544-560 Rideau Street) is located just outside of Sandy Hill’s Heritage Conservation District, in close vicinity to heritage buildings including Wallis House on the Lowertown side of Rideau Street.
Discussions with the public about Richcraft’s proposal started about the same time in 2012 as public consultations for a renewed Upper Rideau Community Design Plan. The first iteration of the development proposal met with strong opposition from the community. In 2015, the Lowertown Community Association and Action Sandy Hill joined forces and circulated a petition. Both associations were concerned that high-rise developments would be contrary to the vision of the Community Design Plan. The community opposed the plan for various reasons: tower height, podium issues, the location of the proposed tower on land zoned for six-storey buildings, setbacks and heritage concerns.
In 2017, following an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board, Richcraft obtained the City’s permission to build a mixed-use building with a 7-storey podium rising to 14 storeys. The construction was launched in late 2019 and is scheduled for completion in 2023. The developer did not reveal when the construction at nearby 590-594 Rideau Street site for a 7-storey, mixed-use building will commence.
What’s on offer?
The Charlotte has a total of 197 units (plus 1 guest suite), 99 parking spots for residents, and 37 visitor parking spots in a 3-storey underground garage. It accommodates lockers, bicycle racks, a bike tune-up station and pet wash facility.
It offers a mix of studio, one-bedroom, one-bedroom plus den or flex, two-bedroom, and two-bedroom flex or den residences. Unit sizes range between 375 to 978 square feet (38 and 90 square meters), with prices from $401,000 to $763,000.
As it can be expected from a newly built condo nowadays, the appliances and windows are energy-efficient, the electrical systems meet high standards (e.g., telephone-based intercom system, key fob-controlled access system), and the heating/cooling system utilizes a heat pump system controlled by individual thermostats.
Anticipated impacts on the neighbourhood
The large empty space and two abandoned restaurants on the property (see photo) had been an eye sore for many years so the start of the construction was welcomed by many.
The Charlotte will have six retail/commercial spaces on the ground level, which will be a long-awaited addition to this segment of Rideau Street. At the time of writing, I was unable to obtain any information about their future use. Indeed, they have a potential to create lively spaces, offer services and contribute positively to the pedestrian realm.
The 7-storey podium on the ground level has ribbons of red brick, whereas the 14-storey tower has a different, modern façade. (See photo). Brick was selected to help the building blend into the surrounding heritage buildings.
It remains to be seen how The Charlotte will influence the neighbourhood. Will it negatively impact our ability to park our cars or get to work on time? Will public parks and other public facilities get overcrowded? Will it enliven our community with new offerings? This may be subject of another article in a year or so. In the meanwhile, it will be interesting to get feedback from the residents of both Sandy Hill and Lowertown!