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Affordable housing providers selected for 10 former surplus school sites
November 24, 2024
The City has selected affordable housing providers for 10 former surplus school sites, a major milestone in the effort to create more than 900 homes for Edmontonians in need.
“I am thrilled that we are one step closer to making this vision a reality. Too many Edmontonians are struggling to get by and can’t find the housing they need. Providing land to affordable housing providers is the best tool we have as a city to respond. These are not just new homes but new neighbours, better futures and stronger communities,” said Mayor Andrew Knack.
The 10 sites were reserved for schools for neighbourhoods built between the 1970s and 1990s. The sites were returned to the City in 2009 when they were no longer required by local school boards and in 2015, City Council designated them for affordable housing. With support from the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund, the City has dedicated resources to fulfill that vision.
“Every Edmontonian and Canadian deserves a place to call home. Our new government is catalyzing home building to make this a reality. Surplus school sites are one of the many tools in our toolbox to unlock the full potential of communities to build. This government is helping Edmonton build stronger, more inclusive communities,” said the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada.
"This is a strong example of partnership delivering real solutions. When we work together, we can turn good ideas into real homes for real people. These projects will mean stability, safety and opportunity for more than a thousand Edmonton families, and that's a win for the whole community," said the Honourable Jason Nixon, Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services and Minister responsible for Housing.
The housing providers were selected by the City through a competitive process that opened on National Housing Day in 2024. The selected projects offer housing across the affordable housing spectrum, from mixed-market housing (where some units are rented at below-market rates and subsidized by units rented at market rates) to deeply subsidized housing for very low-income individuals and families. Some projects are tailored to people who experience greater housing needs, including Indigenous people, Black Canadians, newcomers and women and children fleeing domestic violence. All the projects will offer affordable housing for a minimum of 40 years, the maximum term the City can secure under the Municipal Government Act.
The selected developers are:
Belmont: Civida, in partnership with Synergy Projects Ltd
Blue Quill: Bendera Housing
Caernarvon: Civida, in partnership with the Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations and Synergy Projects Ltd
Dunluce: Vivid Homes, in partnership with IslamicFamily
Kiniski Gardens: Right at Home Housing Society
La Perle: Beljan Development, San Rufo Homes and Art Homes
Lymburn: HomeEd
Miller: WIN House
Overlanders: Métis Capital Housing Corporation
Summerlea: Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations and Chiniki Group of Companies
Key Facts
The developments will provide approximately 1,300 new homes, including around 500 units with 3 or more bedrooms for larger families. About 70 per cent of the housing, or 925 units, will be on the affordable housing spectrum. Housing will be developed within the footprint originally intended for a school, leaving adjacent green space open.
To receive land or grant funding support from the City, affordable housing providers must provide housing at reduced rental rates as set out by the Maximum Allowable Rental Rates (MARR), which caps rent at 80 per cent of average market rates based on the CMHC's Annual Market Rental Reports.
One in eight households, one in four renter households and one in three Indigenous renter households are in core housing need, meaning they pay too much for housing or live in crowded or unsafe conditions and can’t afford to move.
For more information:
edmonton.ca/AffordableHousing
Media contact:
Hamdi Issawi
Senior Communications Advisor
Community Services
November 24, 2024
The City has selected affordable housing providers for 10 former surplus school sites, a major milestone in the effort to create more than 900 homes for Edmontonians in need.
“I am thrilled that we are one step closer to making this vision a reality. Too many Edmontonians are struggling to get by and can’t find the housing they need. Providing land to affordable housing providers is the best tool we have as a city to respond. These are not just new homes but new neighbours, better futures and stronger communities,” said Mayor Andrew Knack.
The 10 sites were reserved for schools for neighbourhoods built between the 1970s and 1990s. The sites were returned to the City in 2009 when they were no longer required by local school boards and in 2015, City Council designated them for affordable housing. With support from the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund, the City has dedicated resources to fulfill that vision.
“Every Edmontonian and Canadian deserves a place to call home. Our new government is catalyzing home building to make this a reality. Surplus school sites are one of the many tools in our toolbox to unlock the full potential of communities to build. This government is helping Edmonton build stronger, more inclusive communities,” said the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada.
"This is a strong example of partnership delivering real solutions. When we work together, we can turn good ideas into real homes for real people. These projects will mean stability, safety and opportunity for more than a thousand Edmonton families, and that's a win for the whole community," said the Honourable Jason Nixon, Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services and Minister responsible for Housing.
The housing providers were selected by the City through a competitive process that opened on National Housing Day in 2024. The selected projects offer housing across the affordable housing spectrum, from mixed-market housing (where some units are rented at below-market rates and subsidized by units rented at market rates) to deeply subsidized housing for very low-income individuals and families. Some projects are tailored to people who experience greater housing needs, including Indigenous people, Black Canadians, newcomers and women and children fleeing domestic violence. All the projects will offer affordable housing for a minimum of 40 years, the maximum term the City can secure under the Municipal Government Act.
The selected developers are:
Belmont: Civida, in partnership with Synergy Projects Ltd
Blue Quill: Bendera Housing
Caernarvon: Civida, in partnership with the Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations and Synergy Projects Ltd
Dunluce: Vivid Homes, in partnership with IslamicFamily
Kiniski Gardens: Right at Home Housing Society
La Perle: Beljan Development, San Rufo Homes and Art Homes
Lymburn: HomeEd
Miller: WIN House
Overlanders: Métis Capital Housing Corporation
Summerlea: Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations and Chiniki Group of Companies
Key Facts
The developments will provide approximately 1,300 new homes, including around 500 units with 3 or more bedrooms for larger families. About 70 per cent of the housing, or 925 units, will be on the affordable housing spectrum. Housing will be developed within the footprint originally intended for a school, leaving adjacent green space open.
To receive land or grant funding support from the City, affordable housing providers must provide housing at reduced rental rates as set out by the Maximum Allowable Rental Rates (MARR), which caps rent at 80 per cent of average market rates based on the CMHC's Annual Market Rental Reports.
One in eight households, one in four renter households and one in three Indigenous renter households are in core housing need, meaning they pay too much for housing or live in crowded or unsafe conditions and can’t afford to move.
For more information:
edmonton.ca/AffordableHousing
Media contact:
Hamdi Issawi
Senior Communications Advisor
Community Services
