About Us
Amberwood Village Recreation Association (AVRA) is a diverse community of more than 400 households—young families, grandparents and singles of all ages. We jointly own and support the 50-acre golf course/green space that is the heart of our neighbourhood and its amenities that help keep our community engaged and healthy. We want to share these resources with neighbours in the Stittsville/Richmond/Kanata area. We’re working to be a vibrant year-round lifestyle destination and community activity centre that is welcoming, accessible and affordable. We offer a gathering place where guests can relax, enjoy sports, recreation and food, or book a private function to mark one of life’s events. We are some 39 years young and on the way to becoming a ‘go-to place’ for the people of Stittsville, Richmond, Kanata and beyond.
A brief slice of our history
For a time in the 1970s, the land that is now the Amberwood Village Golf and Country Club (AVGCC) was marshland and beaver ponds. The area had once been a working farm, but beavers had built dams on Poole Creek, raising the water in some portions to four feet. Meanwhile, developer Jack Johannsen had a long-term vision to build a resort-style, adult community in the Ottawa area. In the mid-1960s, he had signed a 10-year agreement to purchase the farmland, but he postponed his plan until a sewer system was in place in Stittsville. Back then, Stittsville had a population of 3,000—less than a tenth of what it is today. There were no big box stores or restaurants or large shopping malls. To entice buyers to Amberwood Village, the developer created a very special drawing card—a challenging nine-hole golf course complemented by a pool, tennis courts and a posh clubhouse with racquetball courts and other amenities. And he assured buyers that they would collectively own everything. In 1986, the 50-acre property and its amenities were turned over to the not-for-profit Amberwood Village Recreation Association (AVRA) for the sum of $1. Today, the property is still owned by members of the association and the once private club is now open to the public.
If you live in Amberwood Village and would like to become a member of AVRA, please visit our membership page for more information.
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