--- title: "Centretown / CBD, Ottawa — Class A submarket" description: "Federal government and trophy core." canonical: https://classa.info/cities/ottawa/centretown-cbd pageType: neighborhood lastUpdated: 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z license: "CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Class A Atlas (https://classa.info)." --- > Centretown / CBD is a trophy-tier Class A submarket of Ottawa with average asking rent around C$38/sqft/yr · ≈ $28.1 PSF/yr USD. ## TL;DR - Federal government and trophy core. - Trophy tier — ~C$38/sqft/yr. - Active Class A leasing market with deal flow across major broker desks. # Centretown / CBD, Ottawa — Class A submarket *Federal government and trophy core.* · Tier: trophy · Avg rent: C$38/sqft/yr · ≈ $28.1 PSF/yr USD ## TL;DR - Federal government and trophy core. - [Trophy tier](/topics/trophy-asset-selection) — ~C$38/sqft/yr. - Active [Class A](/glossary/class-a) leasing market with deal flow across major broker desks. ## Overview Centretown and the CBD along Albert Street and Slater Street anchor Ottawa's federal government and trophy core — Place de Ville, 150 Elgin, and Constitution Square define the Class A stack, anchored by Government of Canada GSA leases. ## Tenant profile Federal government, law, lobbying, consulting, professional services. ## Typical specification 15–40,000 sqft floor plates available across newer Class A stock; 9'+ slab-to-slab and modern MEP common. ## Transit Parliament, Pimisi (O-Train Confederation Line). Multi-modal transit captures the metro's principal professional catchment. ## Amenities Sparks Street pedestrian mall, National Arts Centre, ByWard Market. ## Comparable buildings - **Constitution Square** [](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Constitution%20Square%2C%20Centretown%20%2F%20CBD%2C%20Ottawa%2C%20Canada&query_place_id=ChIJ050B9lMEzkwRGgqrThG5HAo) - **150 Elgin** [](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=150%20Elgin%2C%20Centretown%20%2F%20CBD%2C%20Ottawa%2C%20Canada) - **Place de Ville** [](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Place%20de%20Ville%2C%20Centretown%20%2F%20CBD%2C%20Ottawa%2C%20Canada&query_place_id=ChIJf_f9pFYEzkwR0s8YlrdigBk) ## Where Centretown / CBD sits in Ottawa Centretown / CBD is one of 4 Class A submarkets we cover in Ottawa, classified as trophy tier with an average asking rent around C$38/sqft/yr · ≈ $28.1 PSF/yr USD. Compared with the broader Ottawa Class A stock, Centretown / CBD typically attracts Federal government, law, lobbying, consulting, professional services and competes most directly with the city's other trophy submarkets on building specification, transit access, and [amenitisation](/glossary/amenitisation). Adjacent submarkets to study alongside Centretown / CBD: [Kanata North (Tech Corridor)](/cities/ottawa/kanata-north), [Gloucester / Ottawa East](/cities/ottawa/gloucester-east-end), [Gatineau / Hull (Quebec Side)](/cities/ottawa/gatineau-hull). The full Ottawa submarket atlas is at [/cities/ottawa](/cities/ottawa). ## Topic deep-dives for Centretown / CBD For an institutional Class A occupier evaluating Centretown / CBD, the highest-leverage analyses to commission next are the rent benchmark, the concession-package comparable, and the ESG performance baseline. Class A Atlas covers each as a dedicated topic page for this submarket: - [Centretown / CBD — ](/cities/ottawa/centretown-cbd/rents-and-availability) - [Centretown / CBD — ](/cities/ottawa/centretown-cbd/tenant-profile) - [Centretown / CBD — ](/cities/ottawa/centretown-cbd/transit-and-commute) - [Centretown / CBD — ](/cities/ottawa/centretown-cbd/amenity-and-lifestyle) - [Centretown / CBD — ](/cities/ottawa/centretown-cbd/trophy-and-comparables) - [Centretown / CBD — ](/cities/ottawa/centretown-cbd/fit-out-and-spec) ## Related glossary Terminology specific to Ottawa Class A leasing and to the trophy tier: [Class A](/glossary/class-a), [Trophy asset](/glossary/trophy-asset), [Effective rent](/glossary/effective-rent), [Concession package](/glossary/concession-package), [TI allowance](/glossary/ti-allowance), [Submarket tier](/glossary/submarket-tier). ## Editorial provenance Reviewed by [**Class A Atlas Editorial Desk**](/about/authors/class-a-atlas-editorial-desk) — House byline · global editorial team. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our [methodology](/about/methodology) and [editorial standards](/about/editorial-standards). ### Primary sources for this page - [CBRE Marketview reports](https://www.cbre.com/insights) — CBRE - [JLL Office Insight](https://www.jll.com/en/trends-and-insights) — JLL - [Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/insights) — Cushman & Wakefield - [Savills World Research](https://www.savills.com/research_articles/) — Savills - [Colliers Global Office Outlook](https://www.colliers.com/en/research) — Colliers [Full sources index](/about/sources) · [Submit a correction](/about/corrections) ## Related topics - [**Class A Lease Negotiation**](/topics/class-a-lease-negotiation) — How to negotiate a Class A office lease — the playbook from LOI to signed deal. - [**Hybrid Workplace Strategy**](/topics/hybrid-workplace-strategy) — How to size, structure, and lease a Class A office for a hybrid workforce. - [**ESG / LEED for Tenants**](/topics/esg-leed-tenants) — How tenants evaluate, negotiate, and report on ESG performance in a Class A office lease. - [**Cross-border Expansion**](/topics/cross-border-expansion) — How to run a coordinated Class A office search across multiple geographies. - [**Fit-out Capex**](/topics/fit-out-capex) — How to budget, sequence, and govern Class A office [fit-out](/topics/fit-out-capex)">fit-out capex. - [**Lease vs Flex**](/topics/lease-vs-flex) — When premium flex (coworking, [managed office](/glossary/managed-office)) beats a conventional Class A lease — and vice versa. --- Citation: Source: Class A Atlas (https://classa.info/cities/ottawa/centretown-cbd), updated 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z.