Mattamy Homes will expand its presence at the sprawling Wateridge Village community in Ottawa, with plans to add an additional 108 townhome units on a newly acquired block of land.

The Toronto-based builder and developer is looking to construct 60 back-to-back townhome units and 48 rear-lane townhome units on the 5.3-acre parcel. Mattamy has approximately 700 residential units either finished and occupied, or in the final stages of construction at Wateridge.

Owned by the Canada Lands Company, Wateridge is a 310-acre mixed-use site located on the former Canadian Forces Base Rockcliffe. Approximately 5,000 housing units are proposed for the site, with around 1,700 currently built or in development.

Mattamy is one of several developers that have already left their mark at Wateridge, Kevin O’Shea, president of the Ottawa division of Mattamy, told RENX Homes. Others include Uniform Developments and West Urban Developments.

An active market of first-time buyers and homeowners moving up in size, combined with an area that already has access to a wide range of amenities, are major draws for Mattamy in Wateridge. The company hopes to remain a part of the growing community in future, as well.

“We have a very well-established presence in Wateridge . . . So our brand continuation in that community, I believe, is another attribute for us and the development as a whole,” O’Shea said.

Mattamy in Wateridge

Mattamy made its first site plan application for Wateridge in 2017, and was issued its first permit in 2018.

The community is located within the central submarket of Ottawa, is nearby established amenities and downtown Ottawa, and is close to transit along the city's Montreal Road corridor. An additional feature is proximity to employment hubs such as government agencies.

As for green space, it is directly connected to the city's extensive parks and trails systems along the Ottawa River. Within Wateridge, the community is designed to have 25 per cent coverage of green and open space upon completion.

To date, Mattamy has built stacked, back-to-back and rear-lane townhomes, plus mid-rise condos and commercial units at Wateridge. It engaged with Canada Lands for four phases of low-rise residential development and one phase of commercial mid-rise development.

“With architectural typology we’re proposing and have worked with in this community, we believe we’re covering off really all market segments from an entry-level product all the way through first move-up,” O’Shea said, with prices for previous phases ranging from $400,000 to $700,000.

Of the housing Mattamy is responsible for, 90 per cent are built and occupied and 10 per cent are in the last stages of construction.

Mattamy’s latest phase at Wateridge

Its latest land acquisition concerns its fifth block of low-rise residential development, which will consist of:

• 48 rear-lane townhome units ranging from 1,800 square feet to 2,010 square feet; and
• 60 back-to-back townhome units that will range from 1,550 square feet to 1,875 square feet.

The back-to-back townhomes are expected to be priced in the high-$500,000s range, with the rear-lane townhomes anticipated to be in the low $700,000s. The units will have a minimum of three bedrooms, with some designed to include a fourth bedroom, O’Shea explained.

The two townhome types were chosen because Canada Lands worked with the community association to integrate more units that would interest entry-level buyers, or those making their first move up, O’Shea said. Both will include features such as a driveway and garage.

Unique to the newest phase is the adjacency to a site Mattamy is currently building (and delivering housing in) and how it borders a community park which O’Shea believes “will be a very welcomed amenity for young families or people looking for outdoor space to enjoy their neighbourhood.”

In the new block Mattamy expects a mix of first-time homebuyers, buyers moving up from an entry-level home, downsizers and investors hunting for rental properties.

Mattamy is aiming to have these townhomes ready for sale in March or April of 2026. The first closings are targeted for 2027, and the final units expected to be delivered in the spring of 2028.

Mattamy’s thoughts on the housing market

The company believes demand for housing remains relatively high in Ottawa, while the supply of developable land is dwindling, O’Shea observed.

As a builder exposed to fluctuations in the cost of construction materials, Mattamy is in a sector preparing for potential disruption because of the ongoing trade war between Canada and the U.S. So far, however, Mattamy has yet to feel “the impacts of the announcements and implementation of tariffs.”

Mattamy is pacing its phases at Wateridge according to the market, O’Shea said, considering factors such as available contractors, the building materials supply chain, and demand.

“We will go as quick as the market will allow us to.”

The developer-builder anticipates remaining active at Wateridge and being eligible to acquire more property, O’Shea said, noting the “significant amount of units that have been unclaimed, of the 5,000 units proposed”.