Arnprior residents rally to save The Grove — again

• UPDATE: On Oct. 21, Cavanagh Communities said it is moving forward with its plans to purchase the vacant land and build 'a new neighbourhood' pending town approval.

Residents of Arnprior, Ont., are preparing to fight a land battle they thought they'd won more than 30 years ago. 

In the early 1990s, members of the community 50 kilometres west of downtown Ottawa successfully rallied to prevent development of Gillies Grove, a natural historic site with a 24-hectare old growth forest.

Now, land next to the protected area may be sold to developer Cavanagh Communities.

Community members concerned that development could damage the adjacent forest have formed the Save the Grove Again Committee. 

"I've only lived here for just over five years and I've developed such a strong relationship with the land," committee chair Lacey Smith told CBC.

"I can only imagine what the people who grew up here and raised their families and who maybe even have grandchildren growing up here now [feel]. The connection runs really deep, and people care."

Once known as Deer Park, the property for sale includes meadowlands and community gardens. Smith says school groups use the land for outings and community members for recreation.

Residents told CBC they never expected the land to be again threatened by development.

"It's a little magic place, it offers so much for so many people in this town. It's always been there, our children have gone through there — it's amazing," said Rosanna Salter. 

"We want to keep it, and we're willing to fight for it, and we will fight for it."

The Galilee Centre, a religious organization, sits on a part of the land. In September 2023, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, which oversees the Galilee Centre, decided to terminate their ministry and close the centre. 

Hoping to preserve the centre and about six hectares of land surrounding it, Galilee's board of directors proposed seeking donations. After raising money, the board signed an agreement with Cavanagh Communities to purchase the remaining land from the Oblates.

On its website, the Galilee Centre said there were discussions with other potential buyers including the Arnprior Hospital. It said the Nature Conservancy of Canada also expressed interest but could not offer enough money.

Rezoning needed, says town

Cavanagh Communities told CBC it expects to finalize the deal by Sept. 16. The developer would not comment on what it has planned for the site.

According to the town, most of the land is zoned for future development. With a strip of protected shoreline, a new property owner would need to seek council approval for rezoning before any development could proceed. 

"It is going to be a very difficult file to navigate," said Arnprior Mayor Lisa McGee, adding that the council would have to take into account housing needs and the provincial planning statement, which guides municipal planners on their community's growth, including what areas will be used for housing, industry and farming.

That might necessitate using some green space for development, she said.

Forest would be affected, says biologist

Biologist Alberto Suarez, who teaches at Carleton University, said he's concerned by any potential development plans to develop the property, where meadows border the protected forest.

"It wouldn't allow the forest to regenerate," he said. "There will be harsher environmental conditions along the edges of the forest, which might affect the survival of the trees as well inside the forest."

Suarez said the meadows have a symbiotic relationship with the forest ecosystem. 

"You get the animals that live in the forest but use the grassland, and animals that live in the grassland but also use the forest," he said.

"You get like a concentration of biodiversity in the transition zone between the two habitats, so those types of environments are are very important to conserve."