Ontario Construction News staff writer
The second phase of the City of Toronto’s modular housing initiative (MHI) includes two sites that will create about 128 modular homes.
Locations announced this week are city-owned property at 64 at each of the 175 Cummer Ave., next to Willowdale Manor, and at Trenton Ave. and Cedarvale Ave. The new modular homes will provide stable, affordable housing and support services to individuals experiencing homelessness.
“Modular housing has enabled us to act quickly by building new homes in months, not years while leveraging underutilized properties that the city already owns,” said Mayor John Tory.
“Building supportive housing makes sense and is a good investment for the health of our residents and our communities. This partnership model for building and operating new supportive housing, with support from all orders of government and community partners, is critical to supporting the health and well-being of our city.”
Staff evaluated land across Toronto using criteria that included: local demand for affordable housing, development potential of the site, current environmental status, local infrastructure, access to public transit, access to health and other community services, as well as the zoning by-law and other considerations.
It is expected that an additional site will be announced in spring 2021.
NRB Modular Solutions was the successful proponent of the request for proposal (RFP) issued by CreateTO and has been selected as the building manufacturer. They are working with a team of consultants to prepare site plan applications for each site, which will be submitted for review. Once the site plan application is approved, construction of the modular homes can begin. The City will select qualified non-profit housing providers to operate the homes and provide support services.
Capital costs for Phase Two are estimated at $26.6 million.
Modular housing is prefabricated in a factory and then transported to the site where it is assembled and can be implemented at a lower cost and in a shorter timeframe than traditional housing construction models. The first phase of the MHI at 11 Macey Ave. and 321 Dovercourt Rd., was completed within nine months and provided 100 affordable supportive homes.
It provides a unique opportunity to respond rapidly to Toronto’s urgent homelessness situation, while also reducing pressure on the City’s shelter system.
“Toronto Community Housing recognizes the urgent need for more affordable supportive housing to tackle homelessness and reduce pressure on the city’s shelter system during the pandemic. We are pleased to contribute to creating more affordable housing by providing land adjacent to our seniors building at 175 Cummer Ave. as the site where 64 clean, safe, modular homes will be built and occupied before the end of the year through this innovative partnership,” said Kevin Marshman, president and CEO.