Building affordable housing: Clarington unlocks land to create diverse housing options

Clarington, Ontario – The Municipality of Clarington has entered a partnership with Durham Region Non-Profit Housing and Habitat for Humanity GTA to create an 84-unit mixed development that will bring new affordable housing to our community.

The Municipality has conditionally sold land located at 200 Baseline Road (at the northwest corner of Spry Avenue) in Bowmanville at a reduced price to support the development of these new housing units. The proposed development will include 52 units dedicated to rental housing and 32 earmarked for affordable ownership. Several of the units will be equipped with accessible features to support seniors and persons with disabilities. The Municipality will enter into an agreement to ensure that once built, at least 26 of the new units will charge affordable rent as defined by the Canadian Mortgage Housing Corporation. The remaining units will all charge rent below comparable rental rates in the area. This agreement will be in place for 30 years.

Clarington Council has prioritized housing affordability and embedded this as a key pillar in its 2019-2022 Strategic Plan. To help with this strategic priority, the Municipality formed the Clarington Task Force on Affordable Housing and developed an Affordable Housing Toolkit to incentivize investment in this area. The conditional sale of this property is a major step forward for the community in its goal to ensure a diverse housing mix in Clarington. As in many real estate transactions, the land sale is conditional based on numerous factors, including rezoning to support the proposed development and the number of housing units planned.

“We are taking a large step in supporting affordable housing in Clarington. In providing the land at a significantly reduced cost, we are helping to close the gap in our community and build more affordable housing options. Staff have worked diligently to develop our Municipal Toolkit to help encourage this type of development, and I am proud to see it coming to fruition. This is a great step for our community,” said Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster.

“I am excited to see the proposed design for this new development. This is a big step in the right direction, and it will help create a more diverse mix of housing options in our community. Our Task Force has been working with Council and Staff to do something special with this site, and this truly is a fitting plan,” said Wendy Partner, Chair of Clarington’s Task Force on Affordable Housing.

“Affordable housing is key to building strong and healthy communities that offer a range of housing options to meet the needs of the diverse residents of Clarington and our Region. For many, finding affordable housing remains a challenge, so this project of affordable apartment rental units and home ownership townhouses will go a long way in helping to make life better for families, seniors and persons with disabilities. DRNPHC greatly appreciates the Municipality of Clarington and its Task Force on Affordable Housing’s ongoing efforts to address this need, and looks forward to starting this build in conjunction with partner Habitat for Humanity GTA,” said Durham Region Non-Profit Housing Corporation’s CEO Tracy Greig.

“When government surplus land is sold, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ensure that the public good continues to be served. Habitat for Humanity GTA salutes the Municipality of Clarington for recognizing the critical importance of creating affordable housing for seniors and families through this land sale. We are proud to partner with the Municipality and with DRNPHC to build a vibrant new community where seniors can thrive and lower-income families can build equity and live in a safe, quality home,” said Habitat for Humanity GTA CEO Ene Underwood.

Highlights

Municipality of Clarington

• Conditional sale of land located at 200 Baseline Road for a reduced price to support the creation of affordable housing.

Habitat for Humanity GTA (Home Ownership Partner)

• To develop a total of 32 affordable housing units for Habitat homeownership, consisting of four blocks of townhomes with 16 two-bedroom homes and 16 three-bedroom homes. As with all Habitat Homes, these units will be provided exclusively to lower-income working families with at least one child under 16 years or age.  
  
  
  Image above: Rendering showing townhome concept

Durham Region Non-Profit Housing Corporation (Rental Partner)

• To develop a three-storey building that will consist of 52 purpose built-rental units affordable to low and moderate-income households and local seniors. The building design will provide attractive features to provide a functional environment for seniors and persons with disabilities to age in place. This building will have shared indoor amenity facilities, including communal activity spaces on each floor, a garden terrace area as well as an outdoor amenity space.
  
  
  Image above: Rendering showing three-storey unit concept

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Media inquiries:
Municipality of Clarington
Basia Radomski
Communications Manager
905-623-3379 ext. 2214 or bradomski@clarington.net

Durham Region Non-Profit Housing Corporation
Tracy Greig
Chief Executive Officer
905-436-6610 ext. 212 or tracy.greig@durham-housing.com

Habitat for Humanity GTA
Johnny Keogh 
Communications Manager 
416-755-7353 ext. 2243 or johnny.keogh@habitatgta.ca