A Hamilton non-profit housing organization has broken ground to expand an existing complex on Upper Wentworth Street.
The 126-unit, eight-storey, mixed-income apartment building is an extension of their townhouse complex on the city’s south mountain.
Currently, 1540 Upper Wentworth St. has 85 townhouses. In this development, 15 of them are proposed to be removed to increase the onsite unit count to 126.
The $60 million project, located near Rymal Road, will have 50 deeply affordable units for families waiting for subsidized housing.
Another 10 units will provide supportive housing for people with developmental disabilities and 74 units will be lower-end market rent.
According to Hamilton East Kiwanis Non-Profit Homes executive director Brian Sibley, the project first came to light in 2018. It underwent a one-year rezoning process, two-years of site planning, is expected to take two-years to build and completion/occupancy is expected in Q1 2027.
“The total cost (hard and soft costs) is $60 million but the construction cost is around $45 million,” said Sibley, with the project able to acquire the full capital stack in fall 2024.
Here is a cost breakdown:
- Mortgage – $28 million
- Kiwanis land equity – $2 million
- Kiwanis equity investment – $6 million
- City of Hamilton funding – $5 million
- City of Hamilton DC waivers – $3.9 million
- Funding from other levels of government – $15 million
With construction beginning seven-years after project conception, Sibley outlined the challenges of getting it off the ground with the COVID-19 pandemic leading to issues, cost escalation and the large size that required rezoning and extensive site planning.
“Lots of changes to the various funding programs led to the need for the development of many revised business cases to ensure project sustainability,” said Sibley.
Both the architect and builder were contracted through an extensive procurement process. The architect being SRM Architects and the builder, Schilthuis Construction.
According to the Kiwanis website, “The building is highly energy-efficient, achieving a LEED-Gold level of performance.”
When asked how this build compares to other Kiwanis projects in Hamilton, Sibley pointed to the $21-million, 60-unit recently completed Jack MacDonald Apartments at 6 Acorn Street. It consists of 32 deeply affordable units, 16 units of supportive housing for personals with developmental disabilities and 12-units at lower-end market value.
He also compared it to the $23-million, 55-unit, all-seniors building at 1362 Barton St. E. That makes up 17 units of deeply affordable housing and 38 units at lower-end market.
The Upper Wentworth Street project predates the Hamilton Housing Secretariat, but Sibley said it has been “closely involved.”
Hamilton City Council established the Housing Secretariat in April 2023. Its objective is to facilitate housing solutions that result in safe, affordable, rental and ownership housing for lower-income residents.
Kiwanis currently operates approximately 1,100 deeply affordable units in the Hamilton region with a goal to create an additional 400 units by 2028.
In working with various partners, they offer supportive housing to people living with developmental or physical disabilities.
