CCOC proposes 128-unit affordable housing tower in Little Italy on Loretta Avenue

The Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation is proposing a major redevelopment of its property at 287-293 Loretta Ave. S. that would add up to 128 affordable rental units to Little Italy.

CCOC owns two low-rise residential buildings at that address. To increase density and add more affordable units, it has submitted a plan to consolidate its existing site with three adjacent lots facing Hickory Street, creating space for a new 12-storey residential building on a combined 2,015-square-metre (21,689 square-foot) site.

The proposed development would feature a four-storey podium and tower with 124 to 128 mixed-market rental units ranging from studios to three bedrooms, all owned and operated by CCOC. The project includes 13 parking spaces, most in a parking garage with 62 bicycle parking stalls.

Little Italy has become a major target for intensification, with multiple residential and mixed-use developments proposed or in progress. The area is expected to welcome between 7,000 and 10,000 new residents in coming years, according to Somerset Councillor Ariel Troster. The CCOC proposal emphasises the site's access to transit, employment, and neighbourhood amenities within a 15-minute walk.