Ottawa
The federal government is giving an updated glimpse into which of its properties could be converted into housing by developers, with Ottawa leading the pack.
About 40% of the properties in a first batch of listings are in Ottawa
Faith Greco · CBC News
· Posted: Aug 29, 2024 3:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 29
Construction workers at the site of an affordable housing project in Ottawa’s Wateridge Village on Sept. 28, 2023. Two nearby federal properties are open for proposals for housing developers. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)The federal government is giving an updated glimpse into which of its properties could be converted into housing by developers as it tries to boost supply and lower the cost of living.
The next step in the Public Lands for Homes Plan laid out in the spring is a list of properties, currently numbering 56 across the country, that the government said have the potential to support housing and are “available” to be developed.
Five of these properties are open for proposals as of earlier this week when this first batch of listings was released. The others are for interested groups to ask about.
The list will “grow regularly,” according to a news release Thursday about two such properties in Ottawa.
Federal gov’t plans to lease public lands through new housing strategy Ontario has more than half of the listed properties with a total of 32.
Ottawa is the top community with 22 properties, or about 40 per cent of the total. Some were previously listed as surplus.
Kingston has two on King Street W. near Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard.
Families, Children and Social Development Minister Jenna Sudds, who’s also an Ottawa MP, announced Thursday that a listing with two neighbouring addresses is open for proposals are in Wateridge Village near the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.
Families, Children and Social Development Minister Jenna Sudds, left, with fellow Ottawa MPs Yasir Naqvi, centre, and Mona Fortier at Thursday’s announcement. (Joseph Tunney/CBC)The plan there is to build approximately 495 units, with a minimum of 30 per cent or about 150 units dedicated to affordable housing.
“Our government owns the largest real estate portfolio in the country and by unlocking some of these lands for housing we can get more homes built faster and at prices that Canadians can afford,” Sudds said.
Sudds said the goal is to keep the lands public, instead allowing for developments through low-cost leasing wherever possible.
Ottawa’s full list as of Aug. 29, 2024 Six listings on Tremblay Road west of St. Laurent Boulevard. Five at Tunney’s Pasture: four along the Colombine Driveway and one at 100 Chardon Dr. Four around Heron Road and Riverside Drive: 1500 Bronson Ave., 875 Heron Rd., 2670 Riverside Dr. and 2720 Riverside Dr. Two listings around Wateridge Village, including the one noted above taking applications. 1745 Alta Vista Dr., the National Defence Medical Centre. 1495 Heron Rd., the former Federal Study Centre. 552 Booth St., a former Natural Resources site that’s had redevelopment talk before. 122 Bank St., the Jackson Building. 171-181 Bank St., part of L’Esplanade Laurier. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Faith Greco is a news reporter for CBC Ottawa. You can reach her at faith.greco@cbc.ca.
With files from Joseph Tunney and Andrew Foote
