Lush Nepean lot eyed for 13 new homes

Historic estate Kilmorie once belonged to Confederation poet Campbell

A Nepean community’s hope to transform a historic estate into a neighbourhood park is fading with a developer’s new plan to build 13 new homes on the lush property.

Theberge Homes has filed a development application for 21 Withrow Ave., which is about a block west of Merivale Road in the City View community.

Company president Joey Theberge said the new stone-exterior homes would “play off the heritage look” of the existing house on the two-acre property. The house dates back about 175 years and the city recently put heritage protection on the exterior of the building.

Theberge said the tree-removal plan, which identifies several trees to be chopped down, reflects an extreme scenario. The developer wants to keep as many as possible to retain the canopy surrounding the property.

“We’re hoping we can have as many perimeter trees as we can,” Theberge said.

Nearby residents are well aware of the property’s charm. It’s why many prefer that the city preserve the site as parkland rather than allow a major infill.

“I don’t think the official plan says take green space and put an elite subdivision in it,” said Joan Clark, president of the City View Community Association.

Because of the size of the property, surrounded by a neighbourhood of much smaller lots, it’s considered a good example of land connected to the Ottawa area’s farming history.

The first resident of the heritage house was William Scott.

William Wilfred Campbell, a Confederation poet, bought the property in 1914 and named it Kilmorie, writing about the “scarlet and gold” woods in a 1916 poem published in the Ottawa Journal.

Jan. 1 will be the 100th anniversary of Campbell’s death.

The property came under the ownership of the Roger family in 1951. Dr. John Roger, who died in 2015, was on the staff of the Civic Hospital for 60 years and gained recognition as a cardiology, radiology and internal medicine specialist. His family put the property up for sale after his death.

The property has been under the spotlight at city hall in recent years.

The fact that Campbell briefly owned the property was downplayed by the Roger family when the heritage application was up for consideration at council in 2016.

Then, the community thought it could convince the city, or even local property taxpayers, to buy the property and use it as a park.

Clark was among the residents who canvassed the community to see who would be interested in paying a special levy to protect the green space from development.

She said they canvassed 503 homes and about 70 per cent indicated they would be interested in the levy. However, not every homeowner in the City View community weighed in, so there was no appetite in advancing the levy idea at city hall.

“We have an issue with the city allowing a development to go there. This is a piece of our history,” Clark said.

Clark is hoping the city might at least consider using the heritage house for some kind of cultural centre.

Theberge said he’s open to discussing the development plan with the community

“This is a really special site,” Theberge said. “There are few of them in the city like this.”

We have an issue with the city allowing a development to go there.