Barrhaven’s new downtown a central, happening area for Promenade residents
Barrhaven is a sleepy suburb no more.
The area, about 20 kilometres southwest of downtown Ottawa, is undergoing a major transformation. Development plans approved by Ottawa City Hall show how the heart of Barrhaven — around the intersection of Greenbank Road and Strandherd Drive — will, in the coming years, transform into a transit-oriented, walkable, amenities-rich neighbourhood.
Mattamy Homes’ Promenade development, just across the street from St. Joseph High School, will be in the centre of it.
“The best part is that there are already a lot of existing amenities close to Promenade, so it can only get better,” says Veronica Fish, a sales and marketing manager for Mattamy Homes in Ottawa. “Chapman Mills Marketplace is just a few minutes’ walk away, and it has a Loblaws, an LCBO, a pet supply store, more than a dozen restaurants, a gym, a movie theatre and a number of other shops. Barrhaven Town Centre is equally as close, with its own variety of shops for daily, personal and home needs, as well as a bunch of restaurants. There’s also established bus rapid transit.”
The Promenade development will consist of three main housing styles: two-storey stacked townhomes, three-storey village townhomes and rear-lane townhomes. Fish says Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the multiphase development project will be built at the same time and have a mix of townhomes for all different types of residents, from first-time homebuyers to single professionals to growing families.
Those incoming residents will be inheriting a prime spot in an up-and-coming neighbourhood.
When the City of Ottawa put forth its plan for Barrhaven’s new downtown in 2019, it identified six goals for the area: compact urban form, high-quality urban design, mixture of land uses, diverse and accessible green space network, efficient transportation system and anticipation of growth.
Access to public transportation is a key feature of the new Barrhaven downtown. Jan Harder, a city councillor who has represented Barrhaven for more than 20 years, took to YouTube last year to explain the plans. In a November 2019 video, she explained that the area behind the Loblaws and the existing Chapman Mills Marketplace “is where Barrhaven’s downtown is really going to come together.”
The transit corridors are essential to that, Harder continued. “What you may not know is that Barrhaven is very fortunate in that we are the only place other than Bayview to be at the confluence of two rapid transits. Yes folks, we have two rapid transit corridors today: the southwest transitway and over behind the Loblaws is where it’s going to meet up with Chapman Mills,” she said, noting that Chapman Mills will be extended to accommodate a new transitway.
Tentative plans for the area include a civic complex, which local leaders hope will include a performing arts centre.
The area will undoubtedly be busy, but there will also be easy access to nature. The city intends to transform a part of Jockvale Road into a pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly recreation corridor that will connect the new downtown to the coming Jock River District Park, which will be built on the north banks of the Jock River.
The Promenade site itself boasts a 1.5-acre park, which Fish says will have ample seating for people to relax and enjoy the outdoors. There is also land earmarked f or a school, f or which Mattamy will work with local school boards to develop. This is in addition to a handful of other schools and Montessoris in the vicinity.
For current Ottawans and Ottawans-to-be, living in the heart of Barrhaven will provide both convenient access to necessary amenities, as well as a casual shopping experience and opportunities to be in nature — all without the need to rely on a vehicle. “That’s a huge bonus,” says Fish. “Residents here really will get the best of both worlds.”
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