Committee endorses heritage plan that includes 1,100 new homes on Heron Road

The Built Heritage Committee endorsed a heritage plan that includes 1,100 homes and preserves key heritage features at the former Campanile Campus on Heron Road.

The Built Heritage Committee today endorsed a heritage plan that includes 1,100 new homes and preserves key heritage features on the site of the former Campanile Campus, on Heron Road. The plan would retain five existing heritage buildings, preserve the façades of three other buildings and see two buildings demolished.

Located at 1485 and 1495 Heron Road, the campus is a designated heritage property recognized for its significance as a rare and intact Modernist educational campus. It has associations with Catholic education and the growth of the federal public service in postwar Ottawa. Build Canada Homes, a federal agency launched in 2025 to help grow the supply of mixed-income housing in Canada, has submitted a revised concept plan that would preserve and repurpose the campus core while allowing redevelopment to provide urgently needed housing.

The two buildings to be demolished are both six-storey, red-brick dormitory buildings. These would be difficult to adapt for new uses because they feature structural constraints such as small floorplates and low floor-to-ceiling heights.

The Committee also authorized staff to approve future project changes to keep work moving forward.

Hartin family properties to be designated as heritage sites

The Committee designated two properties in West-Carleton March, at 1837 Maple Grove Road and 756 Kinstead Private. The two buildings were originally part of the historic Hartin farmstead, and both meet three of nine criteria for heritage designation.

Both properties have value for their direct association with early colonial settlement in Huntley and Goulbourn Townships, as well as with Patrick Hartin and his descendants, who were among the Irish Protestant settlers who immigrated to the region.

The home at 1837 Maple Grove Road is known as Patrick Hartin House and is representative of a nineteenth-century Ontario farmhouse with Gothic Revival elements. Hartin and his family established farms during the early decades of the nineteenth century and occupied the property for more than 170 years. The farmhouse was built around 1886.

The original home at 756 Kinstead Private was built around 1840. It reflects the farmstead's early development and is a representative example of an early Eastern Ontario stone cottage. After construction of the farmhouse at 1837 Maple Grove Road, the original home became an ancillary building and later served as a blacksmith shop. Together, the two buildings show the farmstead's growth and demonstrate the Hartin family's importance to the area's development.

Committee agrees to easement with church owners on Elgin Street

The Committee also approved entering into a new easement agreement that would enable the owners of Saint-Marc United Church at 325 Elgin Street to undertake work to preserve the building. 

The church tower has had structural issues and, in April 2021, the church’s engineer advised that much of the tower would need to be dismantled to prevent collapse. The City secured the tower and entered into an easement agreement to partially demolish the tower. Since then, some of the required work has been completed, including partial dismantling and stabilization of the tower walls. 

Work remains incomplete, however, and in 2025, the City determined that the owner had not fulfilled obligations and issued a notice of default. The City corrected some deficiencies prior to winter, including adding temporary roofing. Due to the property owner’s limited action, the building has deteriorated further, increasing the amount of required work. The new easement agreement will allow the City to undertake the work if needed to maintain the heritage structure, with the owner responsible for costs.

City Council will consider the Committee's recommendations on Wednesday, September 23.