Falcon Ridge Village is a strategically positioned 333-acre parcel of land located 200 metres south of the newly opened Bowesville LRT station on the Trillium line extension, immediately west of new Hard Rock Casino & Hotel Ottawa. The vision is for Falcon Ridge Village to transform this area into a walkable, inclusive, complete community.
“We see an amazing opportunity to create new housing supply that can immediately support the Trillium line,” says David Renfroe, managing partner for the ownership group. “Historically when new projects are approved by the City of Ottawa, municipal infrastructure lags and hinders development. Falcon Ridge Village is a rare occasion where municipal civil infrastructure and high-order transit are already in place to fast-track much-needed housing and create jobs to support the community.”
The western 164 acres of the development are perfect for future residential and mixed-use development and are currently proceeding through the Bowesville Secondary Plan approval process. The secondary plan is scheduled to be completed in Q4 2025.
“To help support LRT ridership, council approved a motion to fast-track development approvals here,” Renfroe says. “We believe staff and elected officials recognize the unique economic opportunities given the proximity to the airport, LRT station and casino.”
Roughly half the residential lands are within 600 metres of the LRT station, making it ideal for transit-oriented density and mixed-use development. The balance of the residential lands will offer a range of single-family homes, townhomes and low-rise apartments.
“Falcon Ridge Village is ideally positioned to complement and strengthen the adjacent land uses to create a significant economic hub for the City of Ottawa,” Renfroe says, adding that he plans to create a “true 15-minute live-work hub” where residents can get to everything they need within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. The vision integrates housing and jobs in a community that facilitates economic opportunity and supports housing affordability.
The western residential lands are inside of Ottawa’s urban boundary while the eastern employment lands are not yet approved for development. Recent provincial changes provide a mechanism to include the employment lands in Ottawa’s urban boundary.
“We believe in smart-growth planning, efficient use of resources and building complete communities,” Renfroe says. “Falcon Ridge Village offers a significant opportunity for the city to create jobs that support the airport and casino and use existing municipal infrastructure as opposed to furthering sprawl.”
He stresses that this community has plenty of opportunities for job creation, economic development and municipal tax and development charge revenue using existing municipal infrastructure. The plan proposes tourism, sports and leisure facilities such as pickleball courts, a golf course and soccer pitches; entertainment, such as an aquarium, hotels, restaurants and retail; institutional uses such as a hospital; and industrial uses such as data centres and warehouses.
Altus Group Limited completed an economic study and projects that the Falcon Ridge Village eastern employment lands would add more than 3,700 permanent jobs, more than $90 million in revenue from development charges and $17 million in annual municipal tax revenue.
Falcon Ridge Village has the potential to transform and strengthen this unique location into a connected, complete, and sustainable 15-minute neighbourhood. When taking into consideration the land’s strategic location, Falcon Ridge Village will contribute to the much-needed housing supply in Ottawa, while also enabling a unique and exciting economic opportunity for the City of Ottawa.
This article first appeared in the Spring 2025 special “City Building” issue of the Ottawa Business Journal. That publication is available in its digital edition below:
