Nokia unveils plans for first phase of new Kanata North campus, targets 2027 opening

Nokia is building nearly 600,000 square feet of office, R&D and retail space on March Road as part of its plan to turn its current Kanata North campus into a commercial and residential hub that could eventually include nearly 2,000 housing units. According to a site plan control application prepared for Nokia Canada by Novatech […]

Nokia is building nearly 600,000 square feet of office, R&D and retail space on March Road as part of its plan to turn its current Kanata North campus into a commercial and residential hub that could eventually include nearly 2,000 housing units. According to a site plan control application prepared for Nokia Canada by Novatech Engineering Consultants, the first phase of the project at 570 March Rd. will include roughly 592,000 square feet of new construction, with completion targeted for 2027. The 11-acre site between March Road and Legget Drive just south of Terry Fox Drive and Nokia’s existing facility at 600 March Rd. is currently occupied by a large surface parking lot.  Nokia’s plans call for an eight-storey “R&D engineering hub” with 225,000 square feet of office space on the northwest portion of the property. The building will be connected to a five-storey, 345,000-square-foot R&D laboratory that will front along Legget Drive to the east. 

The buildings are also expected to include about 23,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space that will face a new private street connecting March Road and Legget Drive on the north side of the property. A design brief from architecture firm Gensler says the retail component will initially contain dining and fitness facilities for Nokia employees, but is “designed to evolve into a lively retail corridor.” “This curated mix of retail establishments will serve both the Nokia occupants and the wider community, fostering a lively, pedestrian-friendly atmosphere,” the document adds.  Other elements of the project include a three-floor parking garage with space for 910 vehicles on the southwest side of the property, an outdoor amenity area, and a large “mechanical work yard” south of the R&D lab that will store the large batteries used to power the building. The work yard will be “discreetly integrated” into the development, Gensler says, and will be screened from public view to “ensure operational efficiency without detracting from the development's overall visual appeal.” The architecture firm says the proposed development “is designed to be a catalyst for economic growth, community engagement, and sustainable urban living, setting a new standard for future projects in the City of Ottawa.” The site plan marks the first phase of a proposal Nokia originally unveiled more than two years ago. The Finnish telecom giant said then it wanted to transform Nokia Canada’s 26-acre campus at the Kanata North Business Park into a “sustainable, accessible mixed-use corporate, residential and commercial hub where nearly 2,160 local employees, Ottawa residents and businesses and Canada’s entire tech ecosystem can collaborate, innovate and drive Canadian and global well-being and prosperity.” The company said at the time that it planned to invest more than $340 million between 2023 and 2027 to expand its current Kanata site into a “world-leading” R&D facility focused on areas such as cybersecurity, 5G networks, artificial intelligence and cloud computing. 

In August 2022, Ottawa city council approved amendments to the city’s Official Plan and zoning bylaws, clearing the way for Nokia to go ahead with the new campus at 570 March Rd. as well as a mixed-use development at 600 March Rd. and future development at 520 March Rd. to the south. Nokia said later that year it expected to start work on the new campus in 2023 and finish it within three years.  The company’s long-term plan for March Road also included as many as 11 residential highrises containing up to 1,900 units. The site plan for 570 March Rd. filed earlier this month does not include any housing but earmarks 520 March Rd. for “future development.” A Nokia spokesman was unable to immediately provide more details on the company’s plans for the property or its construction timelines when contacted on Wednesday. Nokia’s new campus is poised to anchor a series of new development proposals that could change the face of Kanata North. Several developers have filed plans to build new multi-residential housing developments nearby – a trend that has accelerated since the City of Ottawa adopted a new Official Plan two years ago that allows for greater density along major corridors such as March Road and eliminates rules that require a certain percentage of dwelling types on such properties. Earlier this year, for example, KRP Properties said it plans to convert a 10-storey office building near the Brookstreet Hotel, just east of the Nokia property, into a residential complex as part of its effort to diversify its portfolio amid the ongoing shift to hybrid work. At another site not far from the Nokia campus, Gatineau-based Brigil is ramping up a plan to build more than 1,900 residential units on 50 acres of land northwest of The Marshes Golf Club. Meanwhile, Toronto’s Main and Main Developments wants to transform a 13.6-acre parcel of land at the corner of March Road and Terry Fox Drive, just across from the Nokia site, into a cluster of mid- and highrise buildings that would include more than 2,000 residential suites.