March 21, 2025
Lori-Anne Gagne, chief executive officer of Victoria Park Community Homes, says the start of construction of a 261-unit affordable-housing building at 60 Caledon Ave. has been a long time coming.
Teviah Moro The Hamilton Spectator
Victoria Park Community Homes marked the start of construction on its long-planned 261-unit affordable-housing project on the Mountain with a “ground-seeding” ceremony on a blustery and rainy first day of spring.
“May 60 Caledon be the inspiration for the creation of more desperately needed affordable housing of all types,” CEO Lori-Anne Gagne read from a sheet of paper before placing it in a biodegradable capsule she planted in the dirt.
The hope is that when construction wraps up on the $146-million project in 2027, Victoria Park can cut the ribbon under sunny skies, Gagne said.
The six-year journey from concept to construction on Caledon Avenue, which is near Upper James Street and Mohawk Road West, was marked by challenges, she noted.
In fact, at times, “it seemed like it wouldn’t go ahead,” said Gagne, noting securing funding made for a complex task.
A key component was the city’s sale of the 7.2-acre former public school board site for $5 million, considerably lower than its roughly $10-million market value, she noted.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) contributions formed the thickest layer of a funding “lasagna” baked from various sources:
A $76.7-million loan and $19.5-million grant from the CMHC;
In addition to the former Mountain Secondary land, which the city bought from the public board for $3.13 million in 2018, the municipality also provided $13.7 million in waived costs;
The city, through its housing secretariat, also granted $1 million, and flowed $5 million from Hamilton’s allocation of the federal Housing Accelerator Fund;
Tapping into its existing assets, the non-profit contributed $22 million of its own equity.
Mayor Andrea Horwath noted the city has “codified” its commitment to affordable housing through the secretariat, which evaluates non-profits’ applications for funding according to set criteria.
“My wish is that these homes provide peace and security for generations of Hamilton families, and we know that’s exactly what this is all about,” she said during the event.
Victoria Park’s project moves forward as more than 6,000 households await subsidized units, with private-market rents having soared beyond reach for many.
The homes at 60 Caledon are geared for women facing domestic violence, adults with developmental disabilities, Indigenous families and people with mental-health challenges.
“The majority of this project is targeted for those working class that can’t afford the full market rent,” Gagne said.
Roughly 57 per cent of the units are to be affordable, while the rest are to be rented at market rates.
That’s the current business plan, but the hope is Victoria Park can make the community “100 per cent affordable” come 2027, Gagne said.
The mix includes 51 three-bedrooms, 128 two-bedrooms and 82 one-bedrooms. Of those, 26 per cent are accessible units.
The project features a pair of mid-rise apartment buildings and five blocks of back-to-back townhouses. The public will have access to green space on the site.
Initially, Victoria Park’s project was met by pushback in its suburban central Mountain host neighbourhood, Coun. John-Paul Danko said.
“I’ve got to tell you it didn’t get off to a very great start,” Danko said during the event alongside Horwath and local Liberal MPs Lisa Hepfner and Chad Collins.
But after “several iterations” of design and public consultation, the project won favour, he said.
Much of Hamilton’s affordable stock is in the lower city, but Ward 8 also needs such housing, Danko said.
“This project is really a flagship for what can be done on the Mountain.”