Riverside South, Ottawa

Riverside South
Community
Riverside South

Location of Riverside South in Ottawa

Coordinates: 45°16′54″N 75°41′00″W / 45.28167°N 75.68333°W / 45.28167; -75.68333
Country  Canada
Province  Ontario
Municipality Ottawa
Settled 1996
Amalgamation 2001 (City of Ottawa)
Government
 • Mayor Jim Watson
 • MP Pierre Poilievre
 • MPP Lisa MacLeod
 • Councillor Michael Qaqish
Area
 • Total 28.627 km2 (11.053 sq mi)
Elevation 90 m (300 ft)
Population (2016)
 • Total 14,672
 • Density 510/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
  Canada 2016 Census
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC−5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC−4)
Postal code K1V, K4M
Area code(s) 613, 343
Website Riverside South Community Association

Riverside South is a suburban community in Gloucester-South Nepean Ward in the south end of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, just southwest of Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. Prior to amalgamation in 2001, the area was located in the city of Gloucester. Its population according to the Canada 2016 Census was 14,672.[1]

In the early 1990s this area was mostly vacant with a few houses and some farms. The first homes in the community were built in 1996.[2] Since then, there has been extensive housing development that seems to be growing in the pace of other major suburban communities in the region, such as Barrhaven, Kanata and Orléans.

Currently, most of the built up area of the community is limited to areas around River Road and Earl Armstrong Road, and just west of Limebank Road. It is planned that Riverside South will become a major community with south expansions closer to Manotick and to the east closer to Leitrim.[3] According to the Riverside South Community Association, the boundaries will eventually be "Lietrim Road to the north, the Rideau River to the west, a line half-way between Earl Armstrong and Rideau Road to the south and Bowesville Road to the east. It is expected that the community will have a population of over 50,000 by 2031.[2]

The Riverside South community also includes the much older community of Honey Gables, which includes three streets on the west side of River Road. This community was first built c. 1950, and has been under pressure by the surrounding developments.[4]

Transportation

The future North-South Light-rail line was expected to serve the community by 2009 until its cancellation on December 14, 2006. Though, most rural routes are being upgraded and widened to cope with increasing traffic. One notable problem area was Limebank Road where major slowdowns occurred in the morning rush heading towards the more urban areas of the city. The Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge linking the community to Barrhaven was completed in 2014, even without the light-rail extension. Likely, it will become a major suburban community with population that may reach (the total of the two areas) 100,000 residents. On July 5, 2017, the City of Ottawa announced they would be looking into adjusting the previously planned bowesville rail station to limebank road bringing light-rail service closer to the planned community core area in Riverside South as a part of the second stage of their LRT plan, with a target completion of 2021.[5]

Schools

It is home to the only Ottawa area school with a balanced calendar. Students at L'école élémentaire catholique Bernard-Grandmaître will experience a summer vacation which is shortened by three weeks. Those three weeks will then be re-distributed throughout the school year giving the students and teachers a one-week Thanksgiving vacation, an additional week during the week of the Victoria Day holiday, and an additional week during March break. The balanced calendar is theoried to be very beneficial to students and teachers as they have more opportunities to unwind. The pilot project ended in 2010, and the school is running permanently on the balanced calendar. The results of the pilot project will help determine if other Ottawa schools will also apply that sort of calendar.

High school students in the area are served by Merivale High School - located in Nepean, South Carleton High School located in Richmond and St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School, located at the corner of Spratt and Limebank Rd. for Catholic middle school and high school students.

School Board Trustees

English Public - Mark Fisher
French Public - Linda Savard
French Catholic - Chad Mariage
English Catholic - Spencer Warren

References

  1. ↑ Population calculated by combining Census Tracts 5050126.06 and 5050126.05 and Dissemination Area 35061432
  2. 1 2 http://www.riversidesouth.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25&Itemid=63
  3. ↑ "Riverside South Community Design Plan Update". Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  4. ↑ http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=b978c062-7a99-4396-8038-83375c59a691
  5. ↑ http://www.ottawasun.com/2017/07/05/city-looking-at-longer-trillium-line-extension-in-riverside-south
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