The National Capital Commission put out the call for tenders on Friday for a new residential complex on Sparks Street that would revitalize the area while maintaining some key heritage elements.
Two largely vacant buildings owned by the NCC would be torn down and replaced by a new mixed-use development that would include 100 residential units and street-level businesses. Some arts and entertainment space is also being considered.
The NCC wants to redevelop the site with a private partner that would then hold a 66-year lease.
The late-nineteenth-century building at 108-116 Sparks St. includes the former Centre Theatre, which has been designated a heritage landmark. Any new development must preserve and restore the facade and the front three metres of the building. The second building, 106 Sparks St., was built in the 1960s and served as a bank building. It has no heritage designation and would be entirely demolished.
"Our vision of the Sparks Street Mall is of a great place to live and a unique outdoor space to visit," NCC chairman Marcel Beaudry said in a statement. "This project will add vitality to Sparks Street, while respecting its great heritage value in the core of the Capital."
The NCC's proposed complex would include four residential floors on Sparks Street and 15 residential floors on Queen Street.
The plan to redevelop the site follows after the redevelopment of the nearby 131 Queen St. by the NCC, the federal government and former TD Bank executive Paul Snyder. That project also added a mixed-use development to the Sparks Street area while at the same time preserving five century-old facades.
Local business owners have long spoken of the need to revitalize the area by having more residents who would patronize local establishments on evenings and weekends when government workers and professionals located in nearby office buildings have gone home to the suburbs.
There has also been discussion on the possibility of opening up Sparks Street Mall to some vehicle traffic.
The NCC will issue a Request for Proposals in two stages. The first stage, a call for expressions of interest and qualifications, will be advertised nationally beginning on Saturday.
After a shortlist is made of the respondents, one firm will be selected on the merits of its design.
