Change is coming to Pinecrest-Queensview

Currently a stretch of big-box stores and sprawling parking lots, the area around the Pinecrest Shopping Centre is poised for a dramatic transformation. 

Ottawa’s planning and housing committee has approved the Pinecrest-Queensview Secondary Plan, which could see towers as high as 40 storeys built alongside new retail and greenspace. 

The tallest buildings would be located closest to the highway, with shorter buildings built closer to neighbouring residential communities, which are primarily made up of standalone homes. 

The new development roadmap is based on the fact that light rail transit will soon be rolling through the neighbourhood next to Highway 417, as part of future transit-oriented development opportunities. 

“What the city does is when there is anticipated significant growth, which generally involves transit, they have a special team within the planning department that will sort of carve out a study limit so that they can design what that significant growth will look like,” College Ward Coun. Laine Johnson explained to the Lookout. 

“They will look at what is under the ground, what kind of infrastructure there is, the soil conditions and so on. They will also look at transportation and connectivity to help them identify where a tower could go, how tall it should be, and how far it should be located from existing residences.”

Five neighbourhoods made up the new secondary plan, including Pinecrest, Foster Farm, Queensview, Baxter-Iris, and Morrison Drive. 

An approval does not mean development is imminent, and at the current time there are no publicly known plans to transform the community. But it does give developers permissions if they choose to use them. It is a way of cutting red tape and putting shovels in the ground faster, but is garnering mixed reactions from locals. 

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