A developer has submitted plans to build a 2.7-million square foot “prestige office and light industrial facility” in Ottawa’s south-end Barrhaven community.

A site plan control application submitted by Python LP to the City of Ottawa in April proposes to build a five-storey building with approximately 2,000 parking spaces and 50 truck-loading docks. The building would be sited at 222 Citigate Drive, in the 170-acre Citigate Business Park, which is just east of Highway 416.

The building would be more than three times the size of a $200-million distribution centre on Boundary Road in that was built by Montreal developers Broccolini in 2019 for Amazon.

Although Broccolini is not named in the site plan application for the new south-end development, three members of the Broccolini family—CEO John and vice-presidents Joseph and Paul—are directors of a company called Python GP. The business was federally incorporated in March.

Broccolini also has plans to build a 700,000-square foot warehouse in North Gower, further south of the city. Plans for that building specify a height of about 100 feet, and as many as 1,800 parking spots. The facility could employ as many as 1,700 people.

The North Gower project is now under review by Ontario’s local appeal planning tribunal.

No prospective tenants are named in the planning application for the Python building, but supporting documents suggest that its prime operating period will be between October and January—dates that coincide with retailers’ busy holiday shopping seasons. This, and the site’s size and proximity to Highway 416, suggests that the building is being created for occupancy by an e-commerce retailer.

The development application for the Python building indicates the facility has been designed to emulate the rock formations in the CitiGate Corporate Business Park and along Highway 416. The proposed building will also incorporate several sustainable design elements that will result in LEED-like performance. Among these are a reflective white roof to mitigate heat island effect, energy-efficient HVAC systems including energy-recovery-ventilators, and reduced water consumption with low-flow fixtures.

Construction of the building is targeted to start this summer, with occupancy expected in 2021.