By Sylvie Grenier
Looking for a great small retail or office space? The NCC is in the process of renting 7 Clarence. This is a new building replacing the structure that used to house Memories, now located at 136 St. Patrick. For most of 2017, 7 Clarence was used as an international pavilion open to the public for the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Confederation. Six international diplomatic missions presented exhibits and public events celebrating their links to Canada.
Resolutely modern, the two-storey building echoes nicely the adjacent heritage buildings. It features new materials as well as salvaged stones taken from the former structure. The building is universally accessible. It is slightly larger than the previous building and offers 3,200 square feet of rental space. It would make a great retail and/or office space.
The new building is the result of several consultations with community stakeholders, heritage experts and other interested parties in the historic ByWard Market area. During the consultation process, the NCC agreed to modify the rental policy for its buildings located in the ByWard Market, specifically for commercial space along Sussex and close to Sussex. It agreed to rent to small Canadian retail businesses, not restaurants or bars. This is to counteract the persistent loss of small retail stores and the proliferation of bars and restaurants. This new rental policy is meant to ensure that the ByWard Market offers a healthy mix of commercial activities that occur throughout the day, not only at night.
Residents of the ByWard Market neighbourhood involved in the consultation were impressed with the NCC’s open and effective consultation process. It is a real model for all new projects in the area. We hope that the NCC’s new rental policy will help create a diversity of unique retail stores that will make the area more attractive to residents and visitors alike.