The Sobeys grocery store chain is leading a proposed seven-building mixed-use development project in Ottawa.

The 5.7-acre development site is located at 1887 St. Joseph Boulevard in the Orleans district near a future light rapid-transit station. SDLP 1887 Orleans Limited has filed development application with the City of Ottawa.

City officials told the Ottawa Business Journal that Sobeys is behind the plan and has retained Fotenn and Figurr Architects Collective to develop concepts “to accommodate multiple residential and mixed-use buildings, which align with the vision outlined in the [Orleans Corridor] Secondary Plan.”

Sobeys “is looking for others to develop the site and may choose to retain a stake in the project or sell it entirely once the zoning is approved,” John Sevigny, the city’s manager of development review for the east branch, told the OBJ in an email.

Sobeys has yet to comment on its plans for the development,. The property sits within 800 metres of the future Jeanne d’Arc Station, which is currently under construction.

Plans call for seven buildings ranging in height from seven to 18 storeys. Two buildings would contain retail units and other commercial buildings and the remaining structures would contain multi-residential units.

The proposed development site currently comprises a building with a drugstore, healthcare facilities and a surface parking lot, the OBJ reported.

The area’s city councillor, Laura Dudas, told the OBJ that much of the feedback on the project from constituents thus far has been positive.

“This proposal brings density, but its chosen location allows that density to still respect the makeup of the existing surrounding neighbourhood,” Dudas said in an email to the OBJ. “It proposes a new community with walkable amenities, in line with what the City, and what residents, want to see more of in Ottawa.”

Rendering: Fotenn