AN APPEALING PLACE TO BE
Flurry of residential growth shows Arnprior is on its way
Looking for room for your growing family or hoping to downsize in retirement? Arnprior might be the town for you.
The Renfrew County community just west of Ottawa has a lot going for it. It's located where the Madawaska River meets the Ottawa River, and both shorelines are dotted with parks, walking trails and boat launches.
“We'd looked at a bunch of communities, and Arnprior really grabbed us, just with the beauty of the town,” says Matt Ott, who moved from Ottawa to Arnprior with his wife Alicia and their two young children in 2015.
Downtown, a former Victorian post office with an eye-catching clock tower houses a local history museum. Down the street, a recently restored vintage cinema shows movies on two screens. In the summer, a farmers market and free concerts in Robert Simpson Park are popular events.
For the sporty, there are lighted baseball diamonds and a soccer park, and the Nick Smith Centre has an indoor pool and two rinks. “The town has gotten really proactive at providing fantastic programming for families and kids,” Ott says.
And along with other amenities — a hospital, multiple schools, a library, restaurants, an indie bookstore, bakeries, some national chain stores — Arnprior even has a skydiving school.
But perhaps Arnprior's biggest advantage for Ottawans is that it's just 40 kilometres from Kanata along the four-lane Highway 417. If traffic is light and the weather is good, you can drive from the Canadian Tire Centre to Arnprior in about 25 minutes.
Given all that, perhaps it's not surprising that the town's official plan projects that the population could jump from 8,741 in 2016 to 12,831 in 2036. If the current flurry of residential building is any indication, it's well on its way.
On Arnprior's eastern edge, Neilcorp Homes is building Marshall's Bay Meadows, a 550-unit development of townhomes, semi-detached homes, bungalows and two storey-detached homes. Prices range from $499,900 to $799,900.
This is Neilcorp's first foray into Arnprior. Grace Badham, the company's concierge manager, says the community's small-town vibe made it an appealing place to build. “The town just has everything that you need.”
Buyers looking for a new build can also check out Callahan Estates (built by Ottawa's Campanale) or Glen Meadows Estates (built by Arnprior-based Mcewan Homes).
Empty nesters who wish to rent might consider Sawmill Flats, a new luxury apartment complex overlooking the Madawaska River. Units range from 710 to 985 square feet, with rents starting at $2,197. The complex includes a clubhouse with a fitness centre, pool table, patio and other amenities.
Since Arnprior was founded in the 1800s, older homes are usually available as well. For instance, a three-bedroom, two-bath home on Bell Street, built in 1904, was listed in early April at $484,900. As well as a main-floor office and laundry, the house has a large, partially fenced backyard. The property is a block from the town's high school and two blocks from downtown.
Of course, a house is just one part of the equation when choosing a community. Unless you're retired, you'll also need a job.
It's feasible to commute from Arnprior to workplaces in Ottawa's west end. However, for jobs further east, the daily commute might be a bit much.
Stacy Mullins-campbell grew up in Arnprior and moved away in her 20s, but she wanted to return. When the pandemic hit and remote working became possible for her husband, they pulled up stakes in Orléans and headed west.
For a while, Mullins-campbell commuted to her Ottawa job, near Walkley Road and Highway 417 in Ottawa. However, slogging through rush-hour traffic took its toll, so she resigned. These days, she co-owns a downtown Arnprior shop called Valley Girls Clothing Company, selling women's clothes in sizes from small to 4X, and she has no regrets.
“If you just look, there is so much to do in this town. It is unbelievable,” she says. She notes that the population has risen a lot in the last couple of decades, but the community spirit she remembers from her childhood remains. “We've been able to grow but keep the small-town feel.”
Matt and Alicia Ott also became shopkeepers after moving to Arnprior. They'd chosen small-town life because they wanted to be beekeepers. Their honey was so popular at farmers markets that they opened a brick-and-mortar store for their company, Bee Savvy, in downtown Arnprior in 2020. As well as their own honey, they sell foods made by other local producers.
And the Otts haven't stopped there. In early 2022, they bought a four-lane bowling alley — one of Canada's oldest — in downtown Arnprior. They've transformed the space into an art deco-themed destination called Steelheads and Strikes, with new seating by the lanes, brass stools along a sleek bar and plans for an axe-throwing room in the basement.