Ontario Construction News staff writer
A new affordable homeownership initiative in Kitchener has received its final green light and is set to begin construction later this year, taking another step toward the city’s housing goals.
The Build Now Holborn Court project, located at River Road East and Ottawa Street North, will provide over 60 affordable homes through a collaboration between the city and Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region.
This development follows the city’s April 2024 decision to donate a piece of land at the site valued at around $5.5 million. This land was allocated for homeownership as part of BUILD NOW: Waterloo Region, which aims to create 10,000 affordable homes across the area by 2030.
“Moving forward with a project like Build Now Holborn Court is the kind of innovative, collaborative project that becomes possible when all three orders of government and community partners work together,” Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said in a statement. “This project is putting city-owned lands to work to deliver real, made-in-Kitchener solutions to empower residents to achieve their dream of homeownership in our community.”
Kitchener has secured a total of $46.6 million from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund for 2023 and 2025. City officials say this funding has played an important role in advancing projects such as Build Now Holborn Court.
“Our government is proud to support community-driven projects with the Housing Accelerator Fund,” Kitchener-Conestoga MP Tim Louis said in a statement. “By putting public land to use and partnering with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, this project will deliver real, attainable homeownership opportunities for families while helping to build our communities in Kitchener-Conestoga and the Waterloo Region.”
The development will feature a variety of housing options including studio apartments and one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom homes suitable for different household sizes.
Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region mentioned that these homes will be sold to income-qualified families and include measures that ensure they stay affordable over time, even if ownership changes hands. The City of Kitchener has also agreed to waive certain development fees to keep prices manageable.
“Solving the housing crisis requires all of us to work together,” Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region CEO Philip Mills said in a statement. “This project shows what’s possible when governments and community partners share a common goal. We’re proud to see the BUILD NOW project moving from vision into construction, bringing us one step closer to welcoming families home.”
For more information visit Housing For All strategy.
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