St. Mary’s Development – Hunt Club and Riverside

3930 & 3960 Riverside Drive

Issue Opened: 2023-03-10

The area of land immediately northwest of the intersection of Riverside Drive and Hunt Club Area is proposed to host a new residential neighbourhood with about the same number of homes as the existing Quinterra-Riverwood neighbourhood to the north.

This parcel of land has long been vacant though it has a history of repeated project proposals. In 2019 the City of Ottawa Planning Committee approved an extensive proposal that would have included a car dealership, hotel, and private school. HCCA opposed this due to concerns of traffic safety on both Hunt Club and Riverside Drive (that intersection has one of the highest rates of collisions in the city). HCCA sent letter to all councilor's and there were media interviews with HCCA representatives. The Planning Committee made no changes as a result of HCCA and others' submissions.

The new proposal is for approx. 660 new homes, including townhouses, detached homes, and 4 towers of 7, 11, 14, and 17 stories along the southern portion of the property. You can see the project summary (and submit your own comments) here.

The HCCA has prepared a position statement including several issues it would like to see addressed and submitted that to the city planner. We will update this page as we learn more and as the process evolves. Our view is that the new application is an improvement over the previous ones, but that significant planning issues need addressing in order to maximize the benefits for future and existing and to minimize any negative impacts.

You can read our proposal here: HCCA Feedback for Application D07-16-23-0001

The HCCA recently with the support of the Ottawa Field Naturalists conducted a walk in the affected forest. A summary can be found in the June Meeting tab under Nature Walk which can be found here.