Plans to more than double the capacity of Ellwood House, the affordable housing residence for seniors in Alta Vista, have moved forward with the approvals of $9.5 million in capital funding, a site plan and rezoning applications.
“Ellwood House is thrilled at the success of its funding request through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Housing Accelerator Fund,” Janice Horton, chair of the Ellwood board says. “This will be a significant contribution to the project, which will also require mortgage funding and a capital campaign.”
She says the funding allows Ellwood to work with partners, St. Thomas the Apostle parish, the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and the City of Ottawa, in completing the project to deliver 38 more affordable housing units for seniors.
Before the $9.5 million can be accessed the board must:
- negotiate a long-term lease with St Thomas the Apostle and the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, owners of the land;
- complete architectural drawings as required to get a building permit; and
- apply for the building permit.
While the outcome isn’t in doubt, negotiating the lease is the top priority because it is a condition for getting CMHC funding. And when it’s obtained the lease has to be approved by the City – and it all takes time.
The Rev. Tim Kehoe, rector of St. Thomas, says the parish is in “full bore” negotiations with Ellwood’s executive board and representatives of the diocese. The agreed lease terms will go to a parish town hall to be followed by a special vestry council meeting, both expected in October. The next step will be approval by the Diocese’s property and finance committee.
The board has hired Turner & Townsend, a project management firm specializing in affordable seniors housing. Horton says the firm “has a deep understanding of capital programs and will apply this expertise to finding the best value for money and highest quality for the realization of the Ellwood House Extension.”
Greg Stallard, the senior project manager, is working with the Ellwood board to compile the cost of pre-development work and to secure funding. There will be legal fees to finalize the lease. Architectural drawings must be 80 per cent completed – up from 30 per cent at present – to apply for a building permit. The permit itself comes with a fee.
The goal is to file for a building permit by November. Allowing for a month that is required for the City to review the application and given that the City is strongly supportive of the project, the building permit may well be issued by year’s end.
The $9.5 million is part of $176.3 million allocated by the CMHC Housing Accelerator Fund to the City of Ottawa. The fund is designed to provide incentives to municipalities to encourage local initiatives such as Ellwood that remove barriers to affordable housing.
The board expects to mount a capital fundraising campaign to complete the financing. But until all government subsidies are in place it’s impossible to establish a realistic goal.
The extension will be located on the site of the former rectory which has been rented out for many years. The tenants have been kept informed as the project has progressed. The parish is providing them with information to assist them in their search for new accommodation before the end of the calendar year.
The project builds on 35 years of successfully providing safe, affordable housing for seniors in Alta Vista. The common areas of existing Ellwood House will be renovated to accommodate more tenants.
Two lots, with separate buildings and services, will be integrated into one campus with expanded utility services, more parking, more trees, landscaping and a new drop-off area for Ellwood House.
Sixty per cent of the apartments will be earmarked for tenants listed on the City’s housing registry and the remaining 40 per cent will be available for online applications subject to approval by Ellwood’s housing manager.
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