The federal and Ontario governments’ recent commitment of approximately $41 million toward two Oshawa housing projects is more than a welcome injection of capital into a growing city. According to John Fox, partner in the Commercial Real Estate and Development Group at Robins Appleby and a leader in the firm’s Affordable and Social Housing Group, it’s a demonstration of what actually moves affordable housing from concept to construction, offering a potential blueprint worth studying.
Operated by Durham Region Non‑Profit Housing Corporation (DRNPHC) and developed by The Daniels Corporation, 1707 Ritson Road North will be a 66‑unit development of stacked and back‑to‑back townhouses. The project is receiving more than $7 million in combined funding through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative and the Canada‑Ontario Community Housing Initiative, in addition to a $27.5 million investment through the federal government’s Affordable Housing Fund. The second project, Conant Place, is a 54‑unit affordable rental building at 1050 Simcoe Street South, also operated by DRNPHC, designed to help address the area’s seniors’ rental housing waitlist.