Anti-poverty activists clashed with police as they tried to crash a party for what they called "luxury condos".

The protesters were angry about a new condominium project in Ottawa's Centretown neighbourhood that is part of an attempted rebranding of the area as "South Central".

They say the condo, owned by Urban Capital Property Group, is pushing affordable housing out of the neighbourhood.

Priscillia Mosher co-organized the protest against a condominium development on Bank Street in Centretown. (CBC)

"You better believe that when Urban Capital comes to town, there goes the neighbourhood," said protester Priscillia Mosher.

She said she is angry at the many Bank Street condo developments.

"Everyone deserves to have affordable housing and this is definitely not helping," she said regarding the condos. "I mean there are people in this community who have been evicted already and it's part of that gentrification process."

Not a luxury condo

A spokesman for Urban Capital, David Wex, disagreed. He said each condo unit starts at $150,000 each and that does not fit the definition of a luxury condo.

"I don't agree at all, I don't know how you say [the condos push out affordable housing]," he said. "They're on parking lots. We pushed cars out."

Wex also defended the attendants at the private launch party for the new condo.

"I look at the people around here," he added. "They're residents of the city, that live in the city, that shop in the city, that partake in the city and create vibrant cities."

The protesters say they plan to hold a meeting on the issue in August.