Hamilton celebrates opening of 55 units of affordable housing

HAMILTON, ON – The City of Hamilton is increasing the supply of affordable housing with the opening of 106 Bay Street North, an innovative CityHousing Hamilton (CHH) development offering 55-units of affordable, near net-zero community-focused housing.

New CityHousing Hamilton building at 106 Bay Street North delivers more affordable community-focused housing units

106 Bay Street North exemplifies inclusive, sustainable, and affordable urban living, providing a forward-thinking housing strategy, that is transit-oriented, and community-focused. The development is part of CHH’s plan to ambitiously expand Hamilton’s affordable housing supply.

"We are doing everything we can and leveraging every available resource to increase the affordable housing supply in Hamilton,” said Mayor Andrea Horwath. “Including utilizing city-owned surplus lands, and repurposed parking lots like this site - to build affordable housing across the entire City of Hamilton as identified by the Housing Secretariat. Here at 106 Bay Street North, we have a brand new 55-unit CityHousing Hamilton building, with a good mix of both single and family units that will be a blend of deeply affordable, rent geared-to-income, and moderately affordable – meaning half market rent. That is 55 NEW homes that are primarily dedicated for women and their children who are fleeing violence, who are currently homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. These are vulnerable women and children that will now have a safe and stable home. Not only are buildings like these moving us forward on our Council Priority to increase the supply of affordable housing, but they also help us accelerate our response to climate change, another important priority for City Council. This new build is as high performing a building as you can get.”

“The opening of this building marks our ongoing commitment as a city to providing affordable housing for Hamiltonians. Over the past six months, CityHousing Hamilton has added 79 brand new spaces for people to call home, with another 82 projected to open by summer,” said Nrinder Nann, President, CityHousing Hamilton Board and Ward 3 Councillor. “These tangible results can be accomplished when we prioritize housing solutions like the reusing of City parking lots to unlock funding and directly meet needs that exist across our city.”

Transit-Oriented:
106 Bay Street North hosts innovative partnerships to provide affordable alternative transportation options through Communauto’s car-share program, with two car-share cars available directly on site. All households will receive memberships to Hamilton Bike Share which are also available nearby. The building is close to HSR and GO bus stops and is also within walking distance of a future LRT station.

Community and Family-Focused:
This multi-generational building features 35 one-bedroom units, and 20 three-bedroom units uniquely designed for families. The project replaces 45 (of 91) deeply affordable rent geared-to-income (RGI) units from the Jamesville site and adds 10 new moderately affordable half-market units to Hamilton's housing supply. As is the standard for all new CityHousing Hamilton buildings, 20 per cent of units are barrier-free to meet or exceed Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards.

Multi-phase Development:
The building does not have tenant parking, which allows for a second phase of development on the site as funding allows, providing a sustainable and scalable solution to deliver more much-needed affordable housing in the city.

Sustainability Focus:
The building is Passive House certified to deliver near-net zero energy performance, reinforcing CityHousing Hamilton’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.

“This building is a scalable, sustainable, and forward-thinking housing solution showcasing innovative partnerships to provide alternative transportation options while allowing for possibility of further densification on site,” said Adam Sweedland, CEO, CityHousing Hamilton. “Creating a building like this, as energy efficient as it is, as livable as it is, takes a tremendous amount of thought, intentional design, and planning, and so I thank everyone who has been involved in bringing this building to life.”

A breakdown of funding for the $28 million housing project includes:

• $12.4 million from the federal government through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Co-Investment Fund and MLI Select Loan that was announced in 2023.
• $10.7 million from the City of Hamilton through the Poverty Reduction Fund and Affordable Housing Fund.

Through the Affordable Housing Development Project Stream, the City of Hamilton has committed to a contribution of $1.6 million to the 106 Bay Street North project,” said Justin Lewis, Director, Housing Secretariat. “The Housing Secretariat is honored to support initiatives like this, and we are committed to continuing our work to find affordable and supportive housing solutions for all Hamiltonians.

Quick Facts

• About CityHousing Hamilton
  • CityHousing Hamilton has a portfolio of 7,142 units of affordable housing in the city, providing homes for more than 13,000 Hamiltonians.
  • CityHousing Hamilton manages close to 50 per cent of the purpose-built affordable rental stock in Hamilton.
• About 106 Bay Street North
  • In 2018, CityHousing Hamilton acquired the former underutilized parking lot land from the City of Hamilton with the aim to help increase the supply of affordable housing.
  •  82 per cent of units are deeply affordable rent geared-to-income; 18 per cent of units are moderately affordable ‘half-market’ rent.
  • 35 one-bedroom units; 20 three-bedroom units; 20 per cent barrier free.