Article content

The owner of the Château Laurier has filed what it hopes will be its last attempt at designing an addition to the historic hotel.

City staff on Thursday are expected to release a report on the latest iteration of the addition by Larco Investments, which is trying to win approval for a major expansion of the heritage-protected hotel at 1 Rideau St.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Château Laurier owner files latest design for major expansion, hopes to satisfy heritage advocates Back to video

The details of the latest design won’t be made public until then, but Dennis Jacobs, Larco’s Ottawa-based planning consultant, said the architects have listened to the feedback from design experts and the decision-makers at city hall.

The local councillor doesn’t necessarily think so.

In written comments submitted for the staff report, Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury says the addition as a standalone building might be welcomed in other neighbourhoods, but it doesn’t fit with the landmark hotel.

While Fleury acknowledges design improvements since the first concept was presented in 2016, he doesn’t think the latest iteration satisfies the council direction to make sure the addition includes architectural cues from the hotel. He wants the planning committee to reject it.