Affordable Housing - Page 2

Djeffery · #21 Posted **Jan 25, 2025, 1:42 AM**

And further to that, regarding where the city gets the money. Josh Morgan effectively announced his re-election bid at the State of the City breakfast yesterday with his statement that the tax increase next year will be no more than 5%. It's currently pegged at 6.4%, so I wonder where he plans to find that 1.4% when the police will no doubt not be interested in cutting back their ask (and they will just go to the provincial body whose name escapes me right now, that always rules in favour of police board budget asks if the city tries to reduce their budget increase). Never mind the ever bloated BRT or the usual collective agreement increases for city staff, amongst a myriad other cost increases coming along.

jammer139 · #22 Posted **Jan 26, 2025, 4:42 PM**

Tiny House village proposed for the Parkwood lands.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/a-...london-here-s-how-it-will-work-1.7440501

jammer139 · #23 Posted **Jan 27, 2025, 2:48 PM**

City Councillor suggests the City should buy the former Bob Hayward YMCA property and turn it into affordable housing in conjunction with the old Fairmount elementary school site redevelopment. Apparently demolition of the old school is happening soon.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/fo...rdable-housing-councillor-says-1.7441048

jammer139 · #24 Posted **Feb 21, 2025, 1:55 PM**

REOI is being put out there to gauge interest in converting the RBC and Market Tower into residential affordable housing.

Of note the old Rexall building apparently has been taken back by the Landlord who says they will continue to move the conversion previously announced.

Something strange happened there.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/fa...ch-empty-properties-as-housing-1.7463342

jammer139 · #25 Posted **Feb 23, 2025, 1:13 AM**

LFP article on the same "Landlord" proposal for affordable housing.

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/thes...-buildings-may-become-affordable-housing

jammer139 · #26 Posted **Mar 10, 2025, 3:23 AM**

Progress on converting the old IBM office building on Dufferin into affordable housings is noticeable now with interior remodeling well under way. Wonder how many surprises the crews are finding with the plumbing, electrical and HVAC retrofits in this old office building? I would think they will replace the windows as well.

jammer139 · #27 Posted **Mar 22, 2025, 12:20 PM**

CTV piece on additional funding for housing showing the old IBM building.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/london/video/2025/03/21/were-putting-this-money-to-work/

jammer139 · #28 Posted **Mar 22, 2025, 5:45 PM**

CBC piece on the IBM building remodel project by Sifton.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/st...converted-into-apartment-units-1.7488942

jammer139 · #29 Posted **Mar 25, 2025, 12:33 PM**

Nice repurpose of the old school in St Thomas into a supportive housing project.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/sh...turned-into-supportive-housing-1.7492090

jammer139 · #30 Posted **Apr 1, 2025, 7:22 PM**

What does this say about interest in working with the landlord on affordable housing projects?

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/core...-affordable-housing-there-were-no-takers

jammer139 · #31 Posted **Apr 18, 2025, 2:57 PM**

Lots of progress now on the old IBM building on Dufferin Ave residential conversion. The old windows are being removed now to be replaced with all new units. The internal work on electrical, plumbing, HVAC and communication rough-ins is moving along with the new partition wall builds.

jammer139 · #32 Posted **Jun 3, 2025, 7:19 PM**

City strikes deal with the landlord to convert vacant office building to residential.

In total, 41 units will be built in the building at 685 Richmond St., at the corner of Richmond and Mill streets, which has been vacant for the past five years. The building is located directly north of the Ceeps.

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/city...e-long-vacant-office-building-into-homes

CBC article - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/fa...nversions-using-city-incentive-1.7551034

jammer139 · #33 Posted **Jun 13, 2025, 12:52 PM**

Could the city build housing on the OEV parking lot and the Horton-Ridout parking lot?

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/plan-to-put-housing-on-city-parking-lots-gathers-steam

https://www.ctvnews.ca/london/article/th...ve-closer-to-redevelopment-into-housing/

MolsonExport · #34 Posted **Jun 13, 2025, 2:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jammer139

City strikes deal with the landlord to convert vacant office building to residential.

In total, 41 units will be built in the building at 685 Richmond St., at the corner of Richmond and Mill streets, which has been vacant for the past five years. The building is located directly north of the Ceeps.

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/city...e-long-vacant-office-building-into-homes

CBC article - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/fa...nversions-using-city-incentive-1.7551034

I was happy until I clicked the link and saw this:

Schmuel strikes again! and with double-digit Morgan.

ssiguy · #35 Posted **Jun 13, 2025, 11:59 PM**

Ya, it's kind of nauseating seeing Farhi there but if it results in more housing combined with reducing office vacancies then I am still on board. I see that this with the other 2 conversions underway will take up 185,000 sq feet of vacant space and that's quite a chunk of the 1 million sq feet vacancy.

As for Ridout & Horton, I think the idea of residential is an excellent one for many reasons. It will add yet more people to the core, it will help develop the River's District and very importantly it will help connect downtown to Wortley Village.

Right now that huge empty lot is a real psychological barrier between the 2 much like the railway tracks are between downtown & SOHO. It would help create a more continuous shopping/entertainment experience.

Djeffery · #36 Posted **Jun 14, 2025, 1:26 PM**

I think the tracks and the river are more barriers to connecting downtown with Wortley than this lot is, not to mention there is still a bit of distance there too.

I think that lot would be a perfect place for affordable housing. It's not going to attract the higher incomes that anything on the north side of the tracks would. Heck, even if Copps sold their property (which would be a huge plus), Tricar could attract a higher income clientele on that site than this one would practically next door, even with the CN line running along the property. Maybe the city, instead of selling that, should be looking at a similar development as what they are doing at Southdale and Millbank. A cluster of 6 or 7 floor buildings

Maybe this should have been the site talked about for a replacement of Thames Park pool. A nice community centre with indoor pool on this site would be a great draw from Old South as well as downtown.

jammer139 · #37 Posted **Jun 14, 2025, 4:49 PM**

The Horton-Ridout parking lot is rather problematic for a couple of reasons.

1. The site is contaminated as it was formerly home to a number of factories in the distant past. Hence why they mentioned selling as is with caveat of the contamination.

2. It's on the river flood plain and sits only a few meters above the river level in the summer dry season. UTRCA will have concerns about any building on the site.

The OEV parking lot has considerable potential even with the loss of the public parking lot. When the Uptown was in its glory days with stores like the Met and Hudsons and many other unique retail businesses that parking lot got really good use. Those of you old enough to remember when they would shut down Dundas and bring a ferris wheel and rides and have sidewalk sales in the summer at the start of back to school sales? What a difference 50 years makes.

Djeffery · #38 Posted **Jun 14, 2025, 5:13 PM**

I had wondered about the flood plain, but I don't ever remember the water going over Horton St. Definitely have heard of the need for an environmental cleanup there, which I think either the city will have to do to sell the land, or they will basically have to give the land away to someone who will clean it up. I do remember back in Fontana's term, he talked with Larry Tannenbaum's company (the guy who is the third, soon to be second, partner in MLSE) about cleaning up the Hydro lands along the river when the city was talking about that riverfront project from Ridout back to the hospital lands. Maybe they should get back in touch with that company again, although I'm sure there are plenty of other companies that also will undertake this.

ssiguy · #39 Posted **Jun 14, 2025, 6:02 PM**

The City already knows that either they are going to have to clean up the site themselves or sell the lot for a song and letting the developer do it. It's far better to let the developer do it because no developer is going to spend that amount of money and then let it sit as a parking lot ala Farhi.

jammer139 · #40 Posted **Jun 14, 2025, 7:01 PM**

Sifton has started installing the new window units on the south side of the former IBM office building on Dufferin Ave.