NEPEAN NEIGHBOURHOODS
Pineglen, Country Place and Merivale Gardens, Ottawa
Last updated: October 2026
Country Place, Ottawa and its neighbours Pineglen, Grenfell Glen and Merivale Gardens are four small south Nepean neighbourhoods off West Hunt Club Road, wrapped by the NCC Greenbelt and Pinhey Forest. Pineglen, Grenfell Glen and Merivale Gardens were built mostly in the 1950s on large lots served by private wells and septic systems, while Country Place, built mostly in the early 1970s, has city water and sewer.
That split matters more than anything else when you buy here. The 1950s areas offer big, treed lots and mid-century character close to the city; Country Place offers newer, more uniform family homes on municipal services. This guide explains each area, what to check on a well-and-septic home, and who these neighbourhoods suit.
About Country Place
Country Place is in Knoxdale-Merivale Ward in the former City of Nepean. It’s bordered by Black Rapids Creek and the Greenbelt to the south, Prince of Wales Drive to the east, Merivale Road to the west, and Pineglen to the north.
A single era of homes
The subdivision has approximately 400 houses, built mostly in the early 1970s to similar designs, which gives the streets a consistent look. Most are two-storey family homes. The exception is Campfield Court, where homes were built in the 1980s on land originally set aside for a school. Unlike its older neighbours, Country Place is on city water and sewer.
Parks and green space
Country Place Park has play structures, a soccer field, a basketball court and a winter ice rink. The neighbourhood’s “finger parks,” forested strips that run between streets, are popular with dog walkers, and the Greenbelt Pathway connects the community to longer walking and cycling routes through the NCC Greenbelt.
Next to the Rideau
Prince of Wales Drive runs along the Rideau River on the neighbourhood’s eastern side. Black Rapids Lock on the Rideau Canal, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is nearby, and cycling routes along Prince of Wales lead north toward Hog’s Back and the Experimental Farm.
Pineglen, Grenfell Glen and Merivale Gardens: Nepean’s 1950s Large-Lot Pockets
These three neighbourhoods were developed in the 1950s, before Nepean’s later subdivisions brought city services this far south. Because homes rely on private wells and septic systems, lots are much larger than is typical inside Ottawa’s urban area.
Pineglen and Grenfell Glen
Pineglen lies north of Country Place toward West Hunt Club Road. Grenfell Glen, bordered to the north by West Hunt Club Road and Pinhey Forest and surrounded by Greenbelt land, has about 150 houses. It was laid out by subdivider W. Elmer Brown in 1956, and its roads weren’t completed until 1958. Many original owners have stayed for decades.
The Glens Community Association represents about 550 households across Pineglen East, Pineglen West, Clearview and Grenfell Glen. The area is known for a wide mix of house styles, including mid-century modern and organic designs by local architects, alongside bungalows and later rebuilds.
Merivale Gardens
Merivale Gardens is a separate pocket to the west, bordered by West Hunt Club Road to the north, Slack Road to the south, Woodroffe Avenue to the west and Pinhey Forest to the east. Its roughly 160 single-family homes sit on large, treed lots, and access is only from Woodroffe Avenue or Slack Road, which keeps through-traffic low. The original brick bungalows were built by Armstrong Construction in the mid-1950s, and some have since been replaced by newer homes. Merivale Gardens Park, at the centre, has play structures, sports fields, a ball diamond and a winter rink.
Pinhey Forest and the sand dunes
Pinhey Forest, part of the Greenbelt between these neighbourhoods, has a network of trails and the little-known Pinhey Sand Dunes, a rare inland dune habitat. For many buyers, being able to walk into the forest from the end of the street is the main draw.
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Buying a Home on a Private Well and Septic System
Most Pineglen, Grenfell Glen and Merivale Gardens homes run on a private well and septic system. That’s normal in rural Ottawa, but unusual this close to the city, and it changes your due diligence.
Check the well
- Water quality: test for bacteria before you firm up. Ottawa Public Health provides free bacteriological test kits for private well owners, and the City of Ottawa’s private well guide explains testing and protection.
- Quantity and equipment: ask about flow rate, the age of the pump and pressure tank, and any treatment equipment such as softeners or UV systems.
- Well record: you can look up many wells in Ontario’s well records map to see depth and construction details.
Check the septic system
- Ask for the date of the last pump-out and any inspection reports.
- Have the tank inspected and the bed assessed by a qualified septic contractor as a condition of your offer.
- Ask whether the system has been replaced, and whether a permit was issued. The City of Ottawa’s septic information explains how systems are regulated and maintained.
Check the house
Many of these homes are 65 to 70 years old. Ask about the electrical service and panel, original wiring, plumbing, insulation, windows and roof, and test for radon after you move in, as Health Canada recommends. Our guides to buying an older home in Nepean and buying a rural property in Ottawa cover these checks in more detail.
Insurance and financing
Insurers and lenders may ask about well and septic condition, so get quotes and approvals before you firm up.
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Country Place Homes: City Services, Family Layouts
Country Place is the more straightforward purchase of the four. Homes are on city water and sewer, mostly two-storey 1970s family homes with three or four bedrooms and attached garages, and they’re more uniform in size and style than the older pockets nearby.
What 1970s homes typically need
- Electrical: some Ottawa homes built in the late 1960s and 1970s used aluminum branch wiring. The Electrical Safety Authority explains how connections should be assessed and remediated.
- Windows and insulation: original windows and attic insulation are often due for replacement.
- Heating and cooling: check furnace and air conditioner age; many owners are switching to heat pumps. See our guide to heat pumps in Ottawa.
Homes near the creek and Greenbelt
Lots backing onto the Greenbelt or near Black Rapids Creek are prized for privacy. Ask about drainage, sump pumps and any flood-related regulations for properties close to the water.
Price context
These neighbourhoods generally trade in the family-home range for this part of Nepean, with premiums for Greenbelt-backing lots, very large lots and updated homes. The Ottawa Real Estate Board publishes board-wide trends only, so use recent comparable sales for a specific home. See current Nepean homes for sale.
Schools, Commuting and Daily Life
Schools
Elementary students in this area have been served by schools such as Meadowlands Public School, Carleton Heights Public School and St. Monica Catholic School, with Merivale High School and St. Pius X High School for secondary grades, depending on address and program. French-language families can look at CEPEO and CECCE schools. Catchments change, so confirm with the OCDSB or OCSB school locators. See our Nepean schools guide.
Getting around
West Hunt Club Road is the main artery, running east across the Rideau River toward the airport and the south end, and west to Highway 416. Woodroffe Avenue, Merivale Road and Prince of Wales Drive lead north toward Baseline Road and downtown, typically 15 to 20 minutes by car outside rush hour. VIA Rail‘s Fallowfield station is a short drive away for trips to Toronto and Montreal. See our guide to commuting from Nepean.
Shopping and recreation
The Hunt Club and Merivale area has big-box stores, grocery stores and restaurants, and the Nepean Sportsplex is a short drive west.
Noise
Parts of south Ottawa are under flight paths for the Ottawa International Airport, and West Hunt Club Road is busy. If noise matters to you, visit a home at different times of day before you buy.
Buying in a Small, Low-Turnover Neighbourhood
These are small communities: about 400 homes in Country Place, about 150 in Grenfell Glen and about 160 in Merivale Gardens. Only a handful come up for sale in a typical year.
For buyers: be ready before a listing appears
- Get pre-approved and know your budget, including Ontario’s land transfer tax.
- Set up a listing alert for these neighbourhoods so you hear about new listings the day they appear.
- Line up a home inspector and a well and septic contractor in advance for the older pockets.
- Consider nearby alternatives such as Parkwood Hills or Tanglewood, so a single missed listing doesn’t stall your search.
Understanding value with few sales
When only a few homes sell each year, comparable sales can be thin or dated, and large-lot well-and-septic homes are hard to compare with serviced homes. Jason widens the search to similar properties nearby and adjusts for lot size, services, Greenbelt backing and updates, rather than relying on a single recent sale.
For sellers
Low inventory can bring strong interest, but overpricing still backfires. For well-and-septic homes, having recent water test results and septic inspection records ready reassures buyers and speeds up conditions. Find out what your home is worth or see Jason’s approach on the Nepean REALTOR® page.
Who these neighbourhoods suit
Buyers who want a large, treed lot and forest trails without moving to the country, families who want a 1970s two-storey on city services in a quiet enclave, and downsizers who want a bungalow near Hunt Club shopping. For the bigger picture, see our Nepean guide.
How Jason Polonski Helps Buyers and Sellers in South Nepean
Jason Polonski is a REALTOR® with Right at Home Realty with more than 15 years of experience in Ottawa’s west end, a Bachelor of Commerce with a double major in Marketing and Finance from Concordia University, and a construction and electrical trades background. That’s useful here: in Pineglen, Grenfell Glen and Merivale Gardens he helps buyers think through well, septic and 1950s electrical questions before they make an offer, and in Country Place he flags the 1970s items that affect price and conditions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Country Place is in south Nepean, bordered by Black Rapids Creek and the Greenbelt to the south, Prince of Wales Drive to the east, Merivale Road to the west and Pineglen to the north. It’s in Knoxdale-Merivale Ward.
Most homes in Pineglen, Grenfell Glen and Merivale Gardens use private wells and septic systems, which is why their lots are larger than typical city lots. Country Place homes are on city water and sewer. Confirm the services for any specific property.
Pineglen, Grenfell Glen and Merivale Gardens were developed mainly in the 1950s. Most of Country Place’s roughly 400 homes were built in the early 1970s.
Merivale Gardens is bordered by West Hunt Club Road to the north, Slack Road to the south, Woodroffe Avenue to the west and Pinhey Forest to the east. It has about 160 single-family homes.
Test the water for bacteria, ask about the well’s flow and equipment, review the well record, get the septic tank inspected and the bed assessed, and ask for pump-out and replacement records. Check with your insurer and lender before firming up.
Pinhey Forest is part of the NCC Greenbelt next to Grenfell Glen and Merivale Gardens, with walking trails and the Pinhey Sand Dunes, a rare inland dune habitat.
