This post provides ongoing updates on the Shadow Ridge Development project. Click here for more updates from the City of Ottawa.
Latest Update: February 2026
Council has approved the Water Plant Upgrade Framework in Shadow Ridge
City Council approved a Staff Report that moves forward the next steps needed to address long-standing servicing constraints at Shadow Ridge in Greely.
Why this is needed: the basic problem
Shadow Ridge is connected to a City-operated communal drinking water system, and over time the system has been operating at or near its rated limits – to the point that the City has had to take measures in the past, including water restrictions, to stay within capacity.
This is also why portions of Shadow Ridge have been stalled. The development is not new: Phase 1 (160 units) was registered in 2006 and is built and occupied. Phase 2 was registered in 2014, with 36 units built, but 79 additional Phase 2 lots were placed under a reserve specifically to prevent development from proceeding until the communal drinking water plant could be upgraded.
What Council approved
1) A Third-Party Infrastructure Agreement to deliver an interim (“bridge”) upgrade to the existing water plant. Council approved the delegation needed for City staff to enter into an agreement with the current developer (DCR Phoenix) so the City can oversee the detailed design, tendering, and construction of interim upgrades to the Greely (Shadow Ridge) drinking water facility. These upgrades include civil/structural improvements and mechanical/electrical/instrumentation and controls work, intended as a short-term solution until a future longer-term plant is implemented.
Just as importantly for residents: because this work serves a specific phase of Shadow Ridge, it’s treated as a local service, meaning the developer is responsible for 100% of the costs – not property taxes and not the general water rate base. The estimate in the report is $5.0046M, and the City will require the full contribution (or a letter of credit) before tender award, so City finances are protected.
2) Approval of an Area-Specific Development Charge (ASDC) for longer-term servicing in the Greely Public Service Area. Council also approved an Area-Specific Development Charge and the related background study to fund future water and wastewater infrastructure needed for planned growth areas served by public systems in Greely, including Shadow Ridge and future phases of Lakeland Meadows – consistent with the “growth pays for growth” approach. Only areas within the Public Service Area, as shown in the report, will have the ability to connect to the future water and wastewater infrastructure and will be charged the ASDC at the issuance of a building permit. The report also notes that the ASDC must be in place before the 79 Phase 2 lots can proceed.
What this means for Greely and Ward 20
Locally, this decision sets the structure to protect reliable drinking water service for existing residents and to enable the already-approved remaining 79 lots in Phase 2 to move forward with building permits once the interim upgrade is delivered.