Ottawa Areas | Inner West
Missing Middle in Westboro
Westboro is a walkable inner west-end neighbourhood in Kitchissippi Ward, built around Richmond Road and served by the O-Train Line 1 corridor. It has an active infill market. Under four units as-of-right, a serviced Westboro lot carries a multiplex without a rezoning — and near the station, the zoning can allow more.
What Westboro Lots Look Like
Walkable inner west end
Westboro is in Kitchissippi Ward, built around the Richmond Road / Westboro Village high street. It is an established, walkable neighbourhood with an active infill market, not a new subdivision.
On the O-Train Line 1 corridor
The O-Train Line 1 west extension runs from Tunney's Pasture out through the west end and adds a Westboro station among seven new stops. Transit access is central to how the area builds.
Fully serviced, mixed lot sizes
Westboro is on full municipal water and sewer. Lots range from older narrow inner-city parcels to redeveloped infill sites — so fit varies block to block.
The O-Train Line 1 west extension runs from Tunney's Pasture out through the west end and adds a Westboro station among seven new stops (OC Transpo). That transit access, plus the existing high street, is why Westboro leans into the higher N-zones rather than the base four-unit form.
Which N-Zone, and How Many Units
The March 2026 reform replaced the old R-zones with size-based Neighbourhood (N) zones. Quieter interior Westboro streets are typically base N1 with the four-unit baseline. Lots near Richmond Road and the O-Train station can fall in higher N-zones — N2 in the six-unit range, N3 around ten — without a rezoning. Two lots a block apart can carry very different multiplexes, so confirm the exact N-zone for your parcel on geoOttawa.
Best For
- ✓ Owners of a serviced Westboro lot near the O-Train or Richmond Road.
- ✓ Builders chasing higher N-zones where transit allows more than four units.
- ✓ Anyone wanting a walkable, transit-served infill site over a car-dependent suburb.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ A narrow interior lot can't fit four units to the N1 zone standards.
- ✕ A heritage designation or conservation overlay restricts the build.
- ✕ You assume a station-area unit count without checking the parcel's actual N-zone.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → Your Neighbourhood (N) zone — base N1 or a higher transit-area zone — on geoOttawa.
- → How close the lot actually sits to the O-Train station or Richmond Road.
- → Whether the multiplex form fits setbacks, height, and coverage without a variance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build a fourplex in Westboro?
Does the O-Train make Westboro better for a multiplex?
What zoning applies to a Westboro multiplex?
Do I need parking for a Westboro fourplex?
Next: run the numbers on a specific Westboro lot with the feasibility guide, or start at the Ottawa Missing Middle hub.
Official Sources Referenced
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