Ontario Construction News staff writer
Minto Communities Canada has submitted a fresh proposal to build a 19-storey residential tower on the edge of the Glebe, aiming to revitalize a stretch of road the developer describes in planning documents as a “hostile pedestrian environment.”
The application, filed recently with the City of Ottawa, calls for a high-rise building at 178-200 Isabella St., along the busy arterial road that parallels Highway 417.
According to a site plan control application posted on the city’s development dashboard in mid-February, the project would contain 229 residential units. The proposal includes a two-level underground garage with 99 vehicular parking spaces and 242 bicycle parking spots, reflecting a shift toward active transportation connectivity in the core.
The site, located between Bank and O’Connor streets, currently sits vacant after former commercial buildings were demolished years ago. It fronts directly onto Isabella Street, a high-volume one-way corridor that serves as a primary on-ramp for the Queensway.
In planning documents prepared by Project1 Studio, the project’s architect, the location is characterized as a “challenging” and “bleak” setting for pedestrians due to the noise and traffic of the adjacent highway. The development team argues the new tower is designed to improve these conditions by introducing landscaping buffers and a more defined street edge to separate pedestrians from the roadway.
This latest submission represents a revision of Minto’s earlier plans for the property. In 2020, the developer had proposed a 16-storey building for the site with a different design team. The updated 19-storey concept maintains a focus on residential density in a transit-accessible area, aligning with provincial and municipal intensification goals.
The Urban Design Review Panel, which reviewed the project in December 2025, noted the “complexity of the site” and expressed support for the team’s efforts to prioritize the pedestrian realm in such a constrained context.
City staff are currently reviewing the application, and a target date for a decision has not yet been announced.
