Riverside South

Riverside South is one of Ottawa's most ambitious and fastest-growing communities, a master-planned suburb carved from the fertile farmland along the eastern banks of the Rideau River in the city's south end. The neighbourhood sits between the established suburbs of Barrhaven to the west and Findlay Creek to the east, just southwest of Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. It is bounded by Leitrim Road to the north, the Rideau River to the west, Bowesville Road to the east, and Rideau Road to the south, spanning approximately 28.6 square kilometres of what was, just three decades ago, a mosaic of working farms and quiet rural roads.

The story of Riverside South begins not in the 1990s, when construction started, but in the late 1960s, when Urbandale Corporation and Campeau Corporation quietly began assembling large tracts of land south of the city, confident that Ottawa would eventually grow to meet them. They were right. Richcraft later acquired the Campeau lands, and for the next 30 years the two development companies leased the land back to local farm families while they waited. The first homes were built in 1996, and the pace of growth since then has been relentless. What were once the Birt, Caldwell, and Larkin farms are today the streets of a young, ambitious community that the Riverside South Community Association (RSCA) expects will eventually be home to tens of thousands of residents.

The community's master-planned origins are visible in its layout: wide, multi-use pathways connecting parks and green spaces, commercial plazas positioned on arterials rather than fragmenting residential blocks, and a deliberate integration of the Rideau River shoreline and Mosquito Creek into the neighbourhood's recreational identity. The Vimy Memorial Bridge, which opened in 2014 and connects Earl Armstrong Road to Strandherd Drive in Barrhaven, transformed the community's practical geography overnight. The award-winning, triple-arched bridge, named for the Battle of Vimy Ridge, carries three vehicle lanes, dedicated bus lanes, and a cycling and pedestrian path, and it won the prestigious Gustav Lindenthal Medal for structural engineering excellence in 2015. Before the bridge, Riverside South residents faced a lengthy detour north to Hunt Club Road to reach Barrhaven. Now, the two communities are minutes apart, and Riverside South residents have direct access to the full retail and service ecosystem that Barrhaven's decades of growth have assembled.

The opening of Limebank Station on O-Train Line 2 on January 6, 2025, marked the neighbourhood's second transformative infrastructure moment. For the first time, Riverside South has a direct rail connection to Ottawa's downtown core, Carleton University, and the broader O-Train network, without requiring a car or a bus. The southern end of Ottawa has arrived on the city's transit map in a meaningful way, and the long-term implications for property values and commuter convenience are substantial.

Demographically, Riverside South skews young and family-oriented. The median age is approximately 37 to 39, well below the Ottawa average, and married couples with children represent a significantly higher share of households than in the city overall: approximately 58% of families have children at home, compared to 45% city-wide. The community is culturally diverse, with significant Chinese, South Asian, Arab, and other communities represented, and bilingual households are common. With more than 10 schools across all four boards already serving the community and more under construction, Riverside South has built the educational infrastructure that young families demand. For those drawn to newer homes, an active outdoor lifestyle along the Rideau River, and a community that is still finding its full identity, Riverside South offers a compelling package.

Riverside South is a market defined by strong demand, new construction, and a price premium that reflects the neighbourhood's appeal to growing families and transit-oriented buyers. The overall average sale price for 2025 (January through October) sat at $754,416, with 16.5% of properties selling above asking price and an average of just 19 days on market. The average listing price of $835,341 against a sale price of $754,416 suggests that sellers in some segments are pricing ambitiously, and buyers are finding room to negotiate on higher-end properties.

The dominant housing form in Riverside South is the detached single-family home, which commands the highest prices and is the product type that most families are seeking when they choose the community. New-construction detached two-storey homes from active builders typically start in the high $700,000s and run past $1,000,000 for larger or premium-lot configurations; Richcraft's Hobart model, for example, was listed around $990,900 for 2,450 square feet. Bungalows from eQ Homes (Tapestry by the Rideau) start from $858,900. Townhomes represent a more accessible price point, with resale townhomes generally in the $600,000 to $750,000 range and new-construction townhomes starting from the low $600,000s (Cardel's Ironwood community from the $603,000s; Claridge's River's Edge from $758,900 for singles and townhome configurations; Richcraft's executive towns from $642,900). Semi-detached homes from Richcraft on the community's main development lands have been listed from the $810,000s. Low-rise condominiums remain a small part of the market, with some units available from the $299,000 to $375,000 range, making them one of the more accessible entry points.

The long-arc price trajectory of Riverside South tells a story of consistent, occasionally dramatic appreciation. The average sale price across all property types was $186,240 in 2000, crossed $400,000 around 2016, surged to $723,096 in 2021 during the pandemic era (a 25% single-year jump), and peaked at $776,370 in 2022. A modest correction followed in 2023 (down 4.3% to $742,894), with stabilisation in 2024 at $749,315, before the 2025 figures reflected renewed demand driven by the LRT opening. For buyers, the current environment offers more inventory and more negotiating room than the 2021–2022 frenzy, while the structural demand drivers (family formation, transit access, new construction pipeline) remain firmly in place.

The new construction pipeline remains active. The community's two founding landowners and builders, Urbandale Corporation and Richcraft Homes, continue to deliver homes across several sub-phases. Cardel Homes is active in Ironwood (801 Kenny Gordon Avenue), with townhomes, two-storey singles, and bungalows. Claridge Homes is selling in River's Edge (706 Hosta Drive), offering townhomes, bungalows, and singles. eQ Homes is active with Tapestry by the Rideau (788 River Road), a bungalow-focused community near the river. HN Homes is also active in the community. Minto Homes has not been identified as an active builder in the current Riverside South phases, and Mattamy Homes is not currently building in this community (both are more active in Barrhaven and Kanata). Resale properties are also a factor: while the community is predominantly newer stock, there is now a meaningful resale market for homes built in the early-to-mid 2000s at prices that offer relative value compared to new construction.

Riverside South is not a single homogenous subdivision but a collection of phases and sub-communities developed over nearly three decades, each with its own character and address.

The original core (River Road corridor) represents the earliest phases of development, centred on River Road and the streets west of it near the Rideau River. This is where Honey Gables, a small and much older community of about three streets first built around 1950, predates the modern Riverside South entirely and now sits within the broader neighbourhood boundary. The core phases along River Road and early Earl Armstrong Road feature homes from the early-to-mid 2000s on somewhat larger lots, now entering mature resale territory.

The central residential area encompasses the majority of the built-up community around Earl Armstrong Road, Spratt Road, and Limebank Road. This is the heart of modern Riverside South, home to most of the elementary schools, the main commercial plazas, and the Rideauview Community Centre. Streets in this area include Shoreline Drive (home to the community centre), Brian Good Avenue, and the various courts and crescents that branch off the primary grid.

The Limebank Station precinct and The Square represent the newest and most transformative phase of development. The area around Limebank Station, Town Square Place, and the emerging mixed-use hub known as "The Square" is designed as a walkable urban core for the community, with retail, dining, offices, residential units, and the LRT station at its centre. The Square, planned by the founding developers, is intended to give Riverside South the urban village feel that purely residential suburbs typically lack. The new community centre and Ottawa Public Library branch, approved in 2026 and targeted for completion by 2029, will be built near Limebank Station, further anchoring this precinct as the neighbourhood's civic heart.

Ironwood (Cardel Homes) is an active new-construction community at 801 Kenny Gordon Avenue in the eastern portion of Riverside South, offering a contemporary mix of townhomes, two-storey singles, and bungalows.

River's Edge (Claridge Homes) is located at 706 Hosta Drive and represents the newest Claridge community in the area, near the Rideau River and within minutes of Limebank Station.

The southern expansion phases , south of Earl Armstrong Road toward Rideau Road and west toward the river, represent the next generation of Riverside South development, with plans for the community to eventually extend significantly closer to Manotick.

Riverside South has built an impressive school network for a community of its age, with representation from all four Ottawa school boards and a new public secondary school that opened in September 2025. The area's rapid growth has historically stretched school capacity, with Steve MacLean Public School managing enrolments well above its original design in its early years, but capital investment has kept pace.

Parks and Green Space

Riverside South's most distinctive natural asset is its position along the Rideau River, and the community has made thoughtful use of this geography in its design. The signature outdoor experience is the Riverside South Trail, a 5-kilometre loop that runs along the Rideau River shoreline, follows Mosquito Creek, and passes through Mountain Meadows Park, connecting multiple green spaces in a single continuous route. The trail is well-used year-round for walking, running, cycling, and cross-country skiing.

Claudette Cain Park, at 660 River Road along the Rideau River shoreline, is the community's most-visited park and something of a social institution. It features a soccer field, a fieldhouse with washroom facilities, multiple nature trails, two play structures, a splash pad (open in warm months), and picnic tables and benches lining the pathways. Two parking lots serve the park, which draws visitors from across south Ottawa. Limebank Park, Summerhill Park, Berrigan Park, and Four Seasons Park provide neighbourhood-scale green space with playgrounds, sports fields, and skating rinks in winter. The Chapman Mills Conservation Area, situated near the Barrhaven border, provides additional natural habitat and trail access. Mosquito Creek, which meanders through the community, is the subject of active conservation and naturalization work by the Riverside South Community Association.

Recreation

The Rideauview Community Centre (4310 Shoreline Drive) is the current hub for community programming, offering a gymnasium, classrooms, and a range of activities for all ages. Drop-in gym times, registered programmes, and space rentals make it a practical gathering point for residents of all ages. The city is planning two major additions to the community's recreation infrastructure: the Riverside South Community Centre and Ottawa Public Library Branch (250 Town Square Place, near Limebank Station), a $50-million facility with a gymnasium, fitness studio, multi-purpose rooms, library branch, splash pad, playground, and sports courts, with a design completion target of 2027 and a construction completion target of 2029; and the Southeast Ottawa Recreation Complex (1863 Earl Armstrong Road, near Bowesville Station), a significantly larger facility estimated at $130–150 million that will include two ice rinks, a swimming pool, an indoor walking track, outdoor sports fields, and approximately 500 parking spaces.

For golf, Riverside South's location is enviable: Rideau View Golf Club in Manotick, Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club near the airport, Emerald Links Golf and Country Club, Hylands Golf Club, Falcon Ridge Golf Club, and The Meadows Golf and Country Club are all within a short drive. The Rideau Carleton Casino (now Caesar's Windsor Ottawa), with its dining, entertainment, and live racing, is just a few minutes north.

Shopping and Daily Essentials

Riverside South's retail footprint is lean but growing. Three commercial plazas serve day-to-day needs: the Urbandale Plaza at Spratt Road and Limebank Road (adjacent to the LRT station area), the Canyon Walk Plaza at Canyon Walk Drive and Spratt Road, and the Riverside South Plaza on Earl Armstrong Road near the Vimy Memorial Bridge. Between them, residents can find Moncion's Your Independent Grocer, Shoppers Drug Mart, LCBO, Scotiabank, Fit4Less, Limebank I.D.A., M&M Food Market, and a variety of local restaurants including Gabriel Pizza, Broadway Bar and Grill, and Retaj Mediterranean Cuisine. The Riverside South Pet Shop, pet supply stores, and medical and dental offices round out the local offer. Christie's Cakes and local specialty shops add some character.

For broader shopping needs, the Vimy Memorial Bridge puts Barrhaven's extensive retail ecosystem within minutes: Barrhaven Town Centre, Chapman Mills Marketplace, and numerous other plazas provide grocery stores, big-box retail, restaurants, and entertainment. South Keys Shopping Centre on Bank Street (an open-air centre near the South Keys LRT station) is reachable by transit. Billings Bridge Shopping Centre, with Walmart, specialty retailers, and over 70 stores, is a 20-minute drive or one-seat LRT journey north.

Community Character

The Riverside South Community Association is an active civic body that organises Canada Day celebrations, Halloween events, winter holiday festivities, community garage sales, clean-up days, and charity fundraising events year-round. The RSCA maintains the community's website and newsletter, advocates for infrastructure investment, and has been instrumental in lobbying for schools and transit improvements. The association's decade-long campaign for a public high school in the neighbourhood came to fruition with the September 2025 opening of Riverside South Secondary School. The community is also home to a growing number of faith communities, cultural organisations, and sports leagues associated with the school system and community centre.

O-Train Line 2 (Trillium Line): Limebank and Bowesville Stations

The single most significant development in Riverside South's transit history occurred on January 6, 2025, when O-Train Line 2 (formerly the Trillium Line) opened its Stage 2 south extension, bringing rail transit directly to the community for the first time. The 19-kilometre line now runs from Bayview Station in the west end to Limebank Station in Riverside South, with trains running every 12 minutes, seven days a week, from approximately 6:00 AM to midnight. The full end-to-end journey from Limebank to Bayview takes approximately 36 minutes.

Limebank Station, located west of Limebank Road and south of Earl Armstrong Road, is the southern terminus of Line 2. It features a street-level entrance, dedicated cycle track, multi-use pathway connections, and an integrated bus terminal for seamless transfers. The station is surrounded by the emerging Square mixed-use development, positioning it as a walkable transit hub as construction advances.

Bowesville Station, located east of Bowesville Road and south of Earl Armstrong Road, serves the eastern portions of Riverside South and is the second-closest station to the community. Bowesville is one of three Park and Ride stations on the Line 2 extension (along with Leitrim and Greenboro), with the three stations collectively offering approximately 1,800 Park and Ride spaces. In January 2025, Bowesville's lot was filling up quickly on weekday mornings, indicating strong pent-up demand from south-Ottawa commuters.

From Limebank Station, the O-Train reaches Carleton University (Moody) in approximately 10 minutes, South Keys (transfer hub for buses) in about 8 minutes, and Bayview Station (connecting to Line 1's Confederation Line) in approximately 36 minutes. From Bayview, riders can transfer to Line 1 and reach Parliament Station (downtown) in a further few minutes, putting the full Limebank-to-downtown journey at approximately 40–45 minutes by rail, plus walk time to the station. Real-world commute reports from Riverside South residents in early 2025 put the door-to-door time at approximately 55 to 75 minutes for most trips, accounting for the drive or bus ride to the station and the final walk at the downtown end.

Bus Network

OC Transpo Routes 74 and 99 serve Riverside South via the Vimy Memorial Bridge, connecting to Barrhaven Transit Station and the broader rapid transit network. Route 74 is a high-frequency rapid transit route running from Line 1 at Tunney's Pasture to Limebank Station via Algonquin College and Barrhaven. Route 99 runs from Hurdman Station through the southeastern Transitway to Barrhaven Centre Station, with stops serving Riverside South via Spratt Road. Additional routes (198, 278, 406) connect to Limebank Station. The spring 2025 New Ways to Bus network refresh added further connections integrating local bus routes with the new Line 2 stations.

Road and Highway Access

By car, Riverside South connects to the broader city via River Road, Earl Armstrong Road, and Limebank Road leading north to Bank Street and the Queensway (Highway 417). Highway 416 is accessible via Strandherd Drive in Barrhaven, reached in minutes via the Vimy Memorial Bridge. A drive to downtown Ottawa takes approximately 25–30 minutes under normal conditions. Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport is approximately 12–15 kilometres away, making the neighbourhood convenient for frequent travellers.

Families with young children are the community's defining demographic, and Riverside South has built its infrastructure accordingly. With more than 10 schools across all four boards, a new public secondary school opened in 2025, French immersion from junior kindergarten, a new French Catholic high school under construction, abundant parks, a 5-kilometre trail system, and a community association that runs year-round programming, the neighbourhood is purpose-built for raising children. The newer housing stock means larger floor plans, open layouts, attached garages, and private yards that growing families find practical.

Federal public servants and professionals commuting to central Ottawa now have a compelling transit option they lacked before January 2025. The O-Train Line 2 connection from Limebank Station brings the community within the commuter orbit of Carleton University, Tunney's Pasture (a major federal employment hub), the Parliamentary precinct, and the downtown core, without a car. For buyers comparing Barrhaven and Riverside South on transit grounds, Riverside South now holds a clear edge: Limebank Station is on the rail line, while Barrhaven remains bus-dependent.

Move-up buyers and new Canadians looking for newer construction in the $700,000 to $1,000,000 range will find a broad selection of quality homes from reputable builders. The community's cultural diversity, with significant Chinese, South Asian, Arab, and other communities, makes new arrivals feel welcome, and the area's bilingual school options cater to French-speaking families.

Investors and long-term buyers will find the structural demand story in Riverside South as compelling as anywhere in south Ottawa. Population growth from roughly 20,000 to a projected 50,000 by 2030 and beyond, combined with the new LRT station, a new community centre, a new secondary school, and two major recreation complexes under planning, represents a decade of infrastructure investment that typically translates to sustained property value appreciation.

Those who love the outdoors will appreciate the immediate access to the Rideau River shoreline, the 5-kilometre trail loop, Claudette Cain Park, and the proximity to Chapman Mills Conservation Area. The river is within walking distance of most homes in the core of Riverside South, and the trail network is one of the best-developed in any new Ottawa suburb.

At The Campbell-Maric Group, we have followed Riverside South closely through its transformation from a promising suburb into one of the most compelling family communities in south Ottawa, and our conviction in its long-term trajectory has only strengthened with each passing year. The January 2025 opening of Limebank Station is not just a transit upgrade: it is a structural re-rating of the community's value proposition. Riverside South is no longer a south-end suburb that requires a car for everything. It is now a transit-connected, river-adjacent, family-oriented community with an active construction pipeline, a brand-new public secondary school, and two major recreation facilities in planning that will define neighbourhood quality of life for a generation.

What we tell buyers is this: Riverside South is a community you are buying into at a formative moment. The infrastructure is arriving in a concentrated period between now and 2030, and the window to purchase before the full buildout is reflected in pricing is narrowing. The combination of the LRT station, the new schools, the community centre, the recreation complex, and the continuing residential development is exactly the sequence that drives suburban Ottawa markets. Barrhaven went through this same sequence a generation ago and emerged as one of Ottawa's most established and desirable south-end communities. Riverside South is following a similar path, with better transit and a more deliberately designed community core. If your priorities are newer homes, safe streets, strong French and English school options, access to the Rideau River, and a transit connection that is already in place and improving, Riverside South deserves a serious look. We are here to walk you through every option.

Sources: Wikipedia (Riverside South, Ottawa; Vimy Memorial Bridge; Line 2 O-Train); Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB); OttawaIsHome.com neighbourhood market report (November 2025); Agent in Ottawa Riverside South market statistics (historical price data 2000–2024); AllThingsHome.ca Riverside South community profile; MyRiversideSouth.com (official community website; LRT page); OC Transpo (Limebank Station, Bowesville Station, Route 74, Route 99, Line 2 station and schedule information; Lines 2 and 4 phased opening announcement, January 2025); CBC News (O-Train south extension opening, January 2025; Riverside South community centre plans, March 2026); Ottawa Construction News (recreation complex planning, March 2026); City of Ottawa (Engage Ottawa, Riverside South Community Centre and Library; Ward 22 Councillor Steve Desroches); Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB, Riverside South Secondary School; school directory); Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB, school directory); Education News Canada (CECCE French Catholic high school funding announcement, June 2024); AreaVibes (Riverside South demographics and crime data); OttawaHoods.com (neighbourhood safety rankings); Paul Rushforth Real Estate Riverside South community guide; Premier Ottawa neighbourhood rankings; Kids in the Capital (Claudette Cain Park); REW.ca (Claridge River's Edge; Cardel Ironwood; AllThingsHome new home developments); Reddit r/Ottawa (commute times, January 2025); Cardel Homes Ottawa; Claridge Homes (River's Edge); Richcraft Homes (Riverside South); eQ Homes (Tapestry by the Rideau); Urbandale Corporation; Statistics Canada (2021 Census).