Section of former Westboro convent to be demolished as part of new housing development

Concorde Properties is proposing to build stacked townhomes and a low-rise building at the site of the former Sisters of Visitation on Richmond Road. (Foteen Planning + Design/report)

A section of a former convent in Ottawa’s Westboro neighbourhood will be demolished as part of a proposed new housing development with 170 units.

Concorde Properties has submitted a zoning bylaw amendment to the City of Ottawa to develop the Sisters of Visitation site on Richmond Road, proposing to build six stacked townhome blocks with 126 units and a four-storey low-rise building with 47 units.

The proposal would see the western half of the existing convent building removed to accommodate the four-storey residential building. The remaining heritage building on the property is proposed to be renovated to accommodate office and commercial uses.

The heritage building was occupied by the Sisters of Visitation of the Holy Mary in the early 1900s and was eventually converted the building and the property into a convent. In 2010, the building was sold to Ashcroft Homes.

According to the planning rationale report submitted by Foteen Planning + Design, six back-to-back, stacked three-storey townhouse buildings will be built on the southern portion of the land, with 18 to 24 units per building. The existing heritage building will have its western half removed to accommodate the 47-unit apartment building.

Of the 173 units, 137 will be two-bedroom units and six will be three-bedroom units. The property will have 125 residential and 27 visitor parking spaces.

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper says he is supportive of the application, including the proposed changes to the convent building.

“The convent is a treasure in our neighbourhood but has sat vacant and decaying for 15 years,” Leiper said in a post on his website.

“The portion of the convent that Concorde is proposing to restore and put to use would preserve an important part of Westboro’s history. I know Concorde and am as confident as one can be that if the zoning and demolition are approved that construction and preservation would follow in short order. Their track record of construction isn’t of sitting on vacant parcels.”

A heritage impact assessment on the Sisters of Visitation Monastery, submitted by Heritage Studio, says while the proposed demolition of the former convent building will “result in the loss of heritage fabric” and “represents a significant adverse impact” to the property’s cultural heritage property, but the development is an “opportunity to conserve.”

“After more than 15 years of vacancy and deferred maintenance, the proposed development presents an opportunity to conserve a meaningful and illustrative portion of the former Soeurs de la Visitation Monastery rather than risk continued deterioration or the eventual loss of the entire complex,” said the report.

“Although the areas proposed for demolition are technically repairable, their retention would necessitate extensive masonry stabilization and reconstruction, making repair and adaptive reuse economically unfeasible from a private development perspective. At this time, without reinvestment in the property, there is a significant risk that the complex will continue to deteriorate, and that structural issues will progress to the point where complete rebuilding of the masonry walls is required, undermining authenticity and presenting substantial financial challenges.”

According to the City of Ottawa’s Heritage Register, the Soeurs de la Visitation d’Ottawa Monastery is comprised of two parts – a Gothic Revival House built in 1864-65 and the large stone addition constructed in 1913 to transform it into a monastery.

Leiper is planning to host a virtual open house on May 13 at 7 p.m. to discuss the proposal.

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