November 4, 2015
Manitoba Government Partners with Co-op to Build Affordable Housing in Wolseley
– – –Project will see up to 60 New Homes, Sustainable Building Practices: Premier Selinger
The Manitoba government is partnering with a community co-op to create a new housing project featuring communal spaces and sustainable building practices in Winnipeg’s Wolseley neighbourhood, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
“We know that Wolseley residents have been actively engaged in the future of this site and we are pleased to see this exciting new project move forward,” said Premier Selinger. “The goal is to create a community within a community, built on shared co-operative values, quality housing and a commitment to sustainability.”
Located on the site of the Old Grace Hospital on Evanson Street, the development will feature up to 60 new housing units in three buildings. It will include a central courtyard, a garden and other communal spaces where families can gather.
The Manitoba government has committed to supplying conditional funding that will help the Old Grace Not-For-Profit Housing Cooperative Ltd. (OGHC) include affordable housing. The conditional commitment involves entering into a long-term ground lease as well as a funding and operating agreement with OGHC. Under the funding agreement, the province will provide up to $70,000 per affordable housing unit for up to 30 units.
The OGHC was created in 2012 to provide members with affordable homes in a diverse and sustainable community. The OGHC is expected to oversee all aspects of the development through a community-based co-operative housing board of directors. To supplement provincial support for the affordable housing units, OGHC will also be responsible for securing other necessary funding for the project to move forward.
“We are honoured that our proposal was chosen for the development of this site, which reflects the vision of our members, supporters and Wolseley residents,” said Laura Sevenhuysen, vice-president, OGHC. “We have been guided by a commitment to collaboration, community development, environmental sustainability and international co-operative principles. This co-op will create a stable, intentional community of residents who will care for the property and contribute to the neighbourhood.”
The project is being developed as a housing co-operative, targeting seniors and families with mixed income. Half of the units will be designated as affordable housing and some will have rent geared-to-income so OGHC can offer reasonable monthly housing charges for lower-income households. All other units would be set at market rates.
The Manitoba government and OGHC are also working with provincial conservation experts to design and install a permanent replacement habitat for chimney swifts, a threatened bird species previously living in the hospital chimney.
This housing redevelopment has been carefully designed to reflect input from a number of community consultations, the premier noted. It will meet provincial green building and accessibility standards while complementing the scale and character of the Wolseley neighbourhood. Construction is expected to begin next year, Premier Selinger said.
"Our community has been a very vocal proponent of locally appropriate redevelopment that articulates with the diverse composition, character and feel of the neighbourhood, and which does not unduly impact upon existing residents either in terms of the size of the development or the planned use,” said Cynthia Neudoerffer, president, Wolseley Residents Association. “We are hopeful for genuine engagement and dialogue with the OGHC in the coming months as the plans for the site redevelopment are finalized and construction begins. We look forward to welcoming them into the neighbourhood.”
Premier Selinger noted the 30 affordable housing units in this development will help support the Manitoba government’s current commitment to enable the delivery of 500 units of new affordable housing and 500 units of new social housing. In 2014, the Manitoba government reached its five-year goal to provide funding commitments toward the delivery of 1,500 new units of affordable housing and 1,500 units of social housing throughout the province.
The Manitoba government is also providing in-principle support for the OGHC to develop an adjacent property at 905 Preston Ave. into affordable and market-rate housing in a later phase of the project.
For more information about Manitoba’s housing programs, visit www.gov.mb.ca/housing.
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