1245 Kilborn Place Concept Plan
Project Background
The City of Ottawa purchased 1245 Kilborn Place in December of 2023 with the goal of broadening the mix of housing types and services available in our community. The City aims to create a well-designed development on the site that contributes to an affordable, integrated and complete community. This large property has convenient access to transit and a range of services and amenities nearby which will help people integrate into their new homes.
Throughout the development of the concept plan for 1245 Kilborn Place, City staff and project partners are engaging with the housing and homelessness sector, health and social service providers, Indigenous partners and the public on the design and programming of the site.
Vision
The vision for 1245 Kilborn Place focuses on creating a mix of affordable, market, and supportive housing units as well as a range of health, community and social services including child care, and a public park. This vision has been shaped by engagement with City staff, representatives from the housing and social services sector, and community engagement in September 2025.
Creating housing options ensures that everyone can find a place to live. There is an opportunity for this site to contribute to building a livable community with different types of housing to meet the needs of all residents and to address Council’s priority to create a city that is more affordable and is more livable for all.
Identification of Project Partners
Following a Request for Offers process in late 2025 to early 2026, the Ottawa Community Housing Corporation and the Ottawa Supportive Housing Network, together with Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation and Nesting Ground, have been selected to collaborate with the City to advance the planning for 1245 Kilborn Place.
Along with this team of experienced housing providers, the South East Ottawa Community Health Centre will also contribute to planning for the site to integrate housing and health services that will benefit both new residents and the wider community.
The City will be working with these partners through a collaborative process to prepare and deliver a Concept Plan and Implementation Plan to respond to the vision for the site.
Public Engagement
The vision for 1245 Kilborn Place has been shaped by resident input and feedback through Public Open House #1 in September 2025. Residents will have further opportunities later in 2026 and early 2027 to review and provide feedback on the plan as it evolves. Residents can subscribe for project updates in the Stay Informed section.
Reports summarizing feedback and input from the engagement process will be made available on Engage Ottawa.
1245 Kilborn Place
The property at 1245 Kilborn Place is 3.5 hectares (8.7 acres) in size. It contains a three-storey building that was built in 1957 and was previously used as a seminary, offices and residences by the Catholic Church. There are also two small garages.
The property is in the Alta Vista neighbourhood and is within a 10- to 15-minute walk of the Billings Bridge Shopping Centre and the Transitway.
Completed Background Studies
Since purchasing the property, City staff have undertaken background studies to better understand opportunities and constraints. These studies help to give staff and the community information that is needed to plan for the long-term use of the property. This work includes:
- Review of supportive housing and community services system to understand the gaps and needs that currently exist
- Building condition audit to understand the condition of the existing structures
- Environmental Site Assessment to see whether there is any contamination on the property from previous uses and plan for any remediation that may be required
- Preliminary Tree Inventory and Environmental Impact Study to understand the condition of existing trees and natural elements currently on the property
What is Supportive Housing?
A healthy and complete community contains a wide range of housing types. In January 2020, City Council declared a housing emergency, acknowledging the growing need in our community for housing options. Since then, City staff have explored different ways to increase capacity across the housing system and help people find a place to live. Through the City’s 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan, the City encourages the creation of supportive housing as one of these options.
Supportive housing is a housing development that combines rental or housing assistance with on-site, flexible and voluntary support services. These services may take a variety of forms and vary in intensity based on people's needs related to physical or mental health, developmental disabilities and substance use.
Permanent supportive housing, which differs from transitional housing and emergency shelters, provides long-term housing where tenants can live as long as they choose. Residents become members of the community, benefiting from support services to help maintain their housing and well-being.
