Riverside South, one of Ottawa’s fastest-growing suburban communities, is set to be transformed this year with a host of developments along Earl Armstrong Road that keep up with the area’s residential expansion.
Located in the south end of Ottawa in the Gloucester-South Nepean ward, the community is southwest of Ottawa’s Macdonald-Cartier International Airport.
Riverside South has 36,000 residents and is expected to grow by about 8,000 more in the next four years.
Riverside South was historically agricultural land, though in recent years, it has undergone significant growth and development.
Earl Armstrong Road is named after a former reeve of what was known as Gloucester Township from 1952 to 1972. The route will see three significant developments in 2025.
Over a three-minute drive, residents will soon see a new O-Train station, along with the long-awaited Riverside South Secondary School and a sprawling Armstrong Plaza retail development.
Limebank Station will be an important new hub in the city’s light-rail system.
With the reopening of the O-Train in early January, residents of south-end Ottawa have experienced the expanded rail network on Line 2 and Line 4.
The new station located at Earl Armstrong and Limebank roads is intended to ease reliance on OC Transpo buses and passenger cars.
Secondary students in Riverside South do not have a local high school. They typically attend Merivale High School or Saint Francis Xavier High School, both requiring a significant commute.
In 2023, the Ottawa District School Board got approval from the province to build a new public high school and received $42 million in funding.
To help keep up with rapid residential growth, the new school will have space for 1,516 students from Grade 7 to Grade 12 on about 19 acres of land.
The school at the southeast corner of Earl Armstrong and Spratt roads is set to open in September.
The construction of Armstrong Plaza is also under way and will soon be the third major commercial development in Riverside South.
The plaza will be located across from the Limebank Station and will include new retail and office spaces. It will also offer three drive-thru food locations — the first in the neighbourhood and other businesses.
