Grant of $500K moving forward for restoration of Champlain Oil Company Station

The Built Heritage Committee moved a report that could grant $500,000 to restore and refurbish a former oil company service station in Westboro.

According to the report from staff, Devtrin (Island Park) Inc., which owns the property at 70 Richmond Rd., applied for a Heritage CIP grant to restore and alter a building. It is part of a larger project that is set to bring more housing and density to the neighbourhood.

The grant allows the city to provide financial incentives to property owners to undertake the restoration of heritage sites. The funding is not going to exceed $500,000 over 10 years.

The building in need of repairs is the former Champlain Oil Company Service Station. The owner has plans to integrate the structure into a nine-storey, mixed-use building with 103 residential apartments, retail and a two-level underground parking garage.

Prior to the restoration, the developer will construct the mid-rise building and then relocate the service station back to its prime spot on Richmond Road. Earlier this year, work to move the building to mitigate any impacts across the street was successful.

“Only elements beyond repair will be replaced in kind,” the report reads. “The windows, cladding and roofing will be preserved and repaired, and any missing components will be reinstated.”

The building has been vacant several years with little to no maintenance, a conservation plan on the property reads. It is believed it was first built in 1937. At some point, the building’s interior was gutted, and without intervention, portions of the walls have deteriorated.

City staff have a positive view on the project, noting that the proposal is an “efficient use of infrastructure and built environment.”

They also say it includes housing in a “desirable area” of Ottawa.

The city has a vested interest in seeing the abandoned property get a face-lift. Staff write that the new building would result in an increase in municipal taxes in 2025. The first year after development the city would see an increase of $286,188 in tax revenue from the property.

“The grant will not be paid in advance but will be directly tied to the amount of restoration actually completed on the property and the corresponding increase in annual municipal property tax contribution to the City,” staff note.

Councillors received the report, which is now in the hands of the building services and legal departments to finalize the grant before being ratified at council.