The panel of urban design experts charged with reviewing development proposals for Ottawa expressed unanimous concern Thursday over a 55-storey condominium tower Claridge Homes hopes to build on the eastern portion of LeBreton Flats.

"The height of that tower blows me away," said panelist John Stewart, a landscape architect. "You've got flat, flat, flat, then this thing in the middle. We need to understand Ottawa as a special place."

On Monday hundreds of residents attended an open house to see Claridge's revised vision for its part of LeBreton Flats, just east of Booth Street — an area the developer is calling "The East Flats."

The preliminary plans call for at least four buildings ranging in height from 25 to 55 storeys, retail amenities including a grocery store, and a park system that focuses on the area's largely hidden historical aqueduct and bridge.

The five members present at the urban design review panel meeting Thursday were all impressed with plans to uncover the aqueduct, and urged the development team to play up that aspect of the project.

The chair of the panel, David Leinster, referred to the aqueduct as a "jewel" that few people even knew existed.

Panel unanimous in concern over tower

But the panel was also unanimous in its concern over a 55-storey landmark condo tower proposed for the east side of Booth Street, about halfway between Albert Street and the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway.

I don't think anyone, historically, expected buildings of 55 storeys here. - David Leinster, urban design review panel chair

While the building does not impede protected sight lines to the Peace Tower, the panel felt the size of the tower took away from the focus of nearby national sites, including the Canadian War Museum, the Ottawa River and even Parliament Hill itself.

"One of the important things is that the tower height be considered with respect to the national symbols," said Leinster, a partner with The Planning Partnership in Toronto.

"I do have concerns with the views that were shown, that the height may compromise some of those views. I don't think anyone, historically, expected buildings of 55 storeys here. That wasn't really considered in terms of how people thought of LeBreton."

Claridge purchased the 4.4. hectares of LeBreton from the National Capital Commission over a decade ago for $8 million, with a promise to build 850 residential units in mostly mid-rise buildings. It has built three buildings so far, with 500 condos.

But now that light rail is being built along that corridor, and the city has called for intensification near the LRT stations, Claridge is looking to develop a denser community with up to 1,650 units.

'In competition with Parliament Hill'

The panel doesn't question the need to update the old plan for the site, but doesn't seem convinced that a 55-storey tower is the way to do it — at least at that location.

"Driving west to downtown, the signature tower will be in competition with Parliament Hill," said Emmanuelle van Rutten, an architect with Moriyama & Teshima Architects.

Van Rutten said she sees LeBreton as a transitional community between the downtown and the rest of the city, and would like to see the development designed as more of an integrated neighbourhood that welcomes the public into the area.

Claridge will likely submit a formal proposal to the city in a few months. Its plans may be revised to incorporate feedback from the public open house, as well as the concerns of the urban design review panel.