LFP article from Saturday:
https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/...s-to-city-hall
Landmark affordable housing projects eyed for old SoHo hospital lands
A group of affordable housing agencies has hit a milestone in the ambitious development planned for the old Victoria Hospital lands, applying to rezone the SoHo properties for apartment buildings.
Five new apartment buildings are planned, between five and 11 storeys, plus the redevelopment of two former hospital structures that are still standing, the health services and War Memorial children’s hospital buildings along South Street.
The development will cover an entire block, bounded by Hill, Colborne, South and Waterloo streets, with another apartment building across the street, on the east side of Colborne Street. An application to rezone the lands was filed with city hall and is expected to come before politicians in the coming months.
“This is a really important first step. It is exciting,” Greg Playford, a member of the London Community Foundation advisory team that’s working with the housing agencies.
It sets out the design for the development and “allows the planners and the architects to go forward with the detailed planning,” he said. The SoHo Vision Alliance is a six-agency team, including Chelsea Green Home Society, Homes Unlimited, Indwell, Italian Seniors’ Project, London Affordable Housing Foundation and Zerin Development Corp.
“We’re not aware of any other place in Canada that has brought six independent, non-profit organizations together,” Playford said.
Each organization is developing its own building, or in Indwell’s case, redeveloping the existing hospital structures. The bulk of the financing will come from a low-interest loan through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund.
More than half of the 600 units planned for the development are expected to be affordable, between 300 and 400. Some will be “deeply affordable,” and the remaining units will be rented at average market prices.
Playford said that range is a central pillar of the project.
“The mixed income(s) will be the hallmark of this project. You’ll have people paying high market rents and people on deep subsidies and a lot in between,” he said.
The entire complex will be pedestrian-friendly and community-oriented, Playford said, with an underground parking lot and a focus on public space, such as the courtyard on the southeast corner of the site.
There’s also an emotional connection for many, with memories of the old hospital lands connected to life events such as employment and bringing home new babies. It’s also located close to the Thames River and the Thames Valley Parkway multi-use path.
“It’s a great location, probably the best infill site in the city,” Playford said.
SOHO VISION ALLIANCE DEVELOPMENT
-New 5-storey building on the northwest corner of the lot, at Hill and Waterloo streets, built by Homes Unlimited
-New 5-storey building on the northeast corner of the lot, at Hill and Colborne streets, built by the London Affordable Housing Foundation
-New 5-storey building facing Hill Street, between the Homes Unlimited and London Affordable Housing Foundation developments
-New 11-storey building and attached 5-storey building on the east side of Colborne Street, built by Italian Seniors’ Project
-Redevelopment of the 2-storey health services building, on the southwest corner of the lot, renovated by Indwell
-Redevelopment of the 3-storey War Memorial children’s hospital building, on the southeast corner of the lot, renovated by Indwell
-New 6-storey building facing South Street, between the two redeveloped hospital structures, built by Zerin
-Public courtyard on the southeast corner of the lot, in front of the War Memorial building
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