A new development proposal has been filed with the City of Ottawa for the long-vacant former Sisters of the Visitation convent property in Westboro — the latest chapter in a redevelopment effort that has stretched nearly two decades.
According to a planning application now under review at city hall, the proposal seeks zoning changes to allow new residential development on portions of the site at 114 Richmond Rd., while preserving the historic convent building as part of a future adaptive reuse project.
Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper said in a recent ward newsletter that he sees the proposal as a “pragmatic path forward.”
“The proposal by Concorde Properties would demolish roughly half of the existing convent building, restore the remaining portion, and see the construction of six stacked townhouse structures containing 126 units, along with a four-storey low-rise apartment building with 47 units,” wrote Leiper. “There would be 152 parking spots built in underground parking garages, accessed from Leighton Terrace.”
It’s Leiper’s understanding that the restored convent space would be used as an office by Concorde Properties. The Westboro-area Neighbourhood Associations had previously pushed for it to be used as a community space.
The application marks an early step in what will likely be a complex process tied to both heritage protections and the site’s unusual planning history.
The convent complex — known locally as The Elms — dates back to the mid-19th century.
In 1865, a stone house was built on the site and later lived in by James Skead, a well-known senator and lumberman who helped shape Westboro. Then, in 1910, a cloistered order of nuns moved in and soon built the monastery connected to the house.
According to Heritage Ottawa, it ”followed a medieval plan with a monastic church in the northwest corner, designed in a French Classical style with Gothic Revival interior and an attached cloister court.” Inside was a chapel and an infirmary. palliative care suite, office for the Mother Superior, refectory, kitchen, bedrooms for the sisters and workrooms.
The building is protected under the Ontario Heritage Act and cannot be demolished, though its future use has remained uncertain for years.
The property was purchased by Ashcroft Homes in 2009 as part of a broader redevelopment vision for the lands surrounding the convent. While several mid-rise residential buildings were eventually constructed along Richmond Road, the historic convent itself has remained vacant and deteriorating.
Last year, court filings showed the developer had entered receivership after falling behind on loan payments and accumulating hundreds of thousands of dollars in property tax arrears. In total, $723,567 of tax arrears built up on the property, and another roughly $140,000 was owed to a contractor.
City officials have previously raised concerns about the building’s structural condition, including cracks in its foundation that prompted orders for engineering assessments and stabilization work.
Heather Mitchell, vice president of the Westboro Community Association< told the Kitchissippi Times previously she thought more work could have been done early on to protect the historic character of the stone building.
“You don’t have to go far to see cities in Canada that do a great job protecting heritage. We don’t have to do the European model. Look at Montreal, look at Quebec City, or even Kingston,” she said. ”I think what happens is our Bytown heritage sometimes gets overlooked through all the national buildings that we have.”
Planning documents filed with the city outline requested zoning amendments to enable additional residential development on the site’s south parcel, alongside continued efforts to integrate the heritage convent building into a future mixed-use concept.
Leiper said residents will have opportunities to review the plans as they move through the municipal approval process.
Because the convent building itself is designated, any alterations or additions will also require approval through the city’s heritage review process — something that has shaped earlier versions of redevelopment proposals for the site.
Leiper said he hopes his council colleagues will support the new development, noting that another tall tower is not proposed.
“The convent is a treasure in our neighbourhood, but has sat vacant and decaying for fifteen years. As councillors, including myself, have noted for years, cities in Ontario have very few powers to force owners to maintain heritage properties,” said Leiper. “The portion of the convent that Concorde is proposing to restore and put to use would preserve an important part of Westboro’s history.”