Ottawa’s west end could be getting a major facelift. A new application has landed with the City of Ottawa that would see the current site of a Myers Automotive Group dealership on Baseline Road transformed into a seven-building residential and mixed-use community, complete with a public park and a pedestrian-first street network.
A Two-Phase Vision for Fisher Heights The proposal, filed on behalf of Zena Investment Corporation, covers the property at 1200 Baseline Road at Merivale Road, where Myers Automotive Group has operated since 1972. The plan would unfold in two phases. The first introduces high-rise towers of 25 and 30 storeys, each sitting atop a mixed-use podium. Phase two follows by removing the dealership entirely and adding three more towers, standing 14, 25, and 35 storeys, along with two six-storey mid-rise buildings. In total, the finished project would bring four high-rise mixed-use towers, one additional high-rise residential building, and two mid-rise buildings, all organized around a new public park and internal street network designed with pedestrians in mind first.
Green Space and Neighbourhood Fit The proposed public park would sit along Eleanor Drive, offering flexible programming, accessible pathways, and a green buffer between the new development and the existing homes nearby. Given the site’s proximity to the Central Experimental Farm across the street, the project’s design team says building placement and tower heights were guided by a shadow study aimed at minimizing shadow intrusion onto the farm. Details like exact unit counts and parking numbers haven’t been finalized. The plan does include a subgrade parking garage in phase one, but the developer intends to determine final parking needs based on market demand closer to the site plan stage.
What’s Next The zoning bylaw amendment would permit a maximum building height of 34 storeys on the property, while a companion Official Plan amendment would create area-specific policy allowing the site’s continued automotive uses in the meantime. The property also sits along Baseline Road, which is a planned Bus Rapid Transit corridor, adding a transit-oriented angle to the redevelopment. City staff are targeting the end of October for the applications to go before the planning and housing committee, so it will be a while yet before Ottawans see any shovels in the ground. For a stretch of Baseline Road long defined by car lots and low-rise retail, though, it’s an early sign of just how different the west end could look in the years ahead.
