NCC looks to revive ‘controversial’ Rochester Field development through land bank

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The federal government has identified another Ottawa property to be redeveloped into housing, this time in the city’s west end at 529 Richmond Rd.

Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced on Tuesday that a dozen more properties across the country will join the Canada Public Land Bank — a list of over 80 federal addresses that the government hopes to lease to developers.

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“Given that we need to use all the tools at our disposal to solve the housing crisis, we’re adding an additional 12 federal properties to the Canada Public Land Bank today,” Duclos said in French at a press conference on Tuesday. “The momentum is quickly building.”

Among the new properties was the property on Richmond Road, which is owned by the National Capital Commission, and is currently home to the Keg’s Ottawa Manor and the Maplelawn Garden, a 19th century walled garden. 

Other new properties on the list include sites in Calgary and Whitehorse. The new properties are expected to have space for almost 3,900 housing units, according to a Public Services and Procurement Canada news release.

Benoît Desjardins, a spokesperson for the NCC, said two parcels of land at the Richmond Road location, known as Rochester Field, are currently used by the city as a staging area for its light-rail train project. He added that neither Maplelawn Garden, nor the Keg restaurant building are part of the planned development.

“The NCC has been working with the City of Ottawa since 2018 regarding the development of these two parcels along Richmond Road,” Desjardins said.

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In 2018, the Ottawa Citizen reported that the city council’s planning committee had accepted a “controversial” deal that the government had struck with the NCC over future development. At the time, residents who lived near the greens pace were concerned about how the development of six-story buildings would block people’s view across the field.

Desjardins said Tuesday’s announcement ensures that the NCC “continues to contribute significantly to the Government of Canada’s efforts to increase the housing stock, including affordable housing, in the National Capital Region. ”

Valérie Dufour, another NCC spokesperson, said it is too early in the process to say how many units are expected to be built on the property.

The government launched the Canada Public Land Bank in August. Since then, more than 30 properties in the Ottawa area have been added to the list.

According to the government’s website, evaluations are underway at three of those properties (Tawadina Rd. and Wanaki Rd.; 370 Codd’s Rd. and 800 Winisik St.; and 101 Bareille-Snow St.). A property at 210 Laurier St. is listed as open for offers. The website indicates that an “expression of interest” has been shown in the property at 552 Booth St. The rest of the properties are listed as “open for feedback.”

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When the land bank was first launched, the government said it was seeking feedback on the new land bank and its properties, inviting everyone from developers, to housing advocates to interested Canadians to fill out an online form. It said the data would be used to “inform the development” of properties.

In April, the Liberals announced their larger housing plan, which aims to create 3.87 million new homes by 2031. Through the Public Lands for Homes Plan, it hopes to unlock 250,000 new homes.

As Canada’s largest landowner, the government promised in its 2024 budget to reduce its office portfolio by 50 per cent. The document stated that Public Services and Procurement Canada had more than six million square metres of office space, with around half being underused or vacant.

According to the federal government, the list of properties will continue to grow in the coming months.

“We are delivering on the most ambitious housing plan in Canadian history, to build 4 million homes and make the housing market fairer for first-time buyers and renters alike,” Duclos said in a news release. “We are taking action on all fronts to build more homes and make housing more affordable for Canadians.”

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