Ottawa Unlocked: Planning Risk, Land Constraints and Hidden Opportunity

Ottawa Unlocked: Planning Risk, Land Constraints and Hidden Opportunity

From Efficiency in CRE by Mateo Chiyangi

July 21, 2025 · 30 min

About this episode

This episode explores Ottawa's real estate market with Sachin Anand, focusing on planning risks and hidden opportunities.

Ottawa is often seen as a stable, slow growth market. But is that all there is? In this episode, we sit down with Sachin Anand, Vice President of Acquisitions at Regional Group, to unpack what most investors from Toronto and beyond don’t understand about Ottawa real estate. Sachin walks us through two of his most notable deals, 1600 Carling and Qualicum Centre, and shares how he underwrites planning risk, spots overlooked value, and navigates a market constrained by the Greenbelt, public sector dominance, and long approval timelines. We also dive into how his background in lending and banking shapes his approach to acquisitions, what changes Ottawa needs to unlock more housing, and why systemic reform, not just private capital, is key to solving the city's housing challenges. If you're trying to make sense of Ottawa’s potential or its limitations, this episode is for you.

People in this episode

Host: Mateo Chiyangi

Guest: Sachin Anand

Topics covered

  • Ottawa real estate
  • planning risk
  • land constraints
  • housing challenges
  • investment opportunities

Keywords

  • Ottawa
  • real estate
  • planning risk
  • housing
  • investment
  • land constraints
  • Greenbelt
  • acquisitions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Regional Group

Places: Ottawa, Toronto, Greenbelt, Qualicum Centre, 1600 Carling

More episodes of Efficiency in CRE

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Efficiency in CRE podcast page.