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Waterways may be a defining feature of Ottawa, but just try finding a home next to any of them. That gets a bit easier with Saturday’s launch of Kanaal, a mix of waterside condo towns and apartments at Zibi, the ambitious 37-acre redevelopment of former Domtar property on the Ottawa River.

Pronounced ZEEbee and meaning river in Algonquin, the $1.2-billion, über-green redevelopment by Windmill Development Group and Dream Unlimited Corp. blends residential, commercial and retail with extensive public space including parks, plazas and trails. It includes Chaudière and Albert islands on the Ottawa side and a slice of the Gatineau shoreline. The project also opens up to the public, for the first time in decades, the splendid Chaudière Falls.

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The first phase of Zibi, called “O,” opened this past spring on the Quebec side. Over half its 66 condos have sold, and a second phase of 75 units will launch next spring. In all, some 1,200 condos will be built at Zibi over the next dozen years or so.

Kanaal, designed by architect Barry Hobin, is located on Chaudière Island near LeBreton Flats. It comprises 26 stacked towns with 35 apartments above them. The south side will front the canal known asBuchanan Channel, the narrow strip of water separatingChaudière and Albert islands.The other side will face a European-style public square that will include restored industrial buildings with retail and commercial space.