More affordable homes coming to Wilson Avenue in Kitchener
An exciting redevelopment is happening at 82 Wilson Ave, where the Region of Waterloo is replacing an outdated, 16-unit walk-up building with 48 one-bedroom units for low-income seniors. Construction is proceeding well this summer on this fully-accessible new building. Plumbing’s been completed and exterior walls are going up for floors four, five and six.
“The new building at 82 Wilson is an example of how the Region is working to address the affordable housing crisis. This building is uniquely designed with a link to the adjacent 84 Wilson building, with a shared elevator providing access in both buildings. With this innovative design, residents in the surrounding buildings will be able to access amenities such as a commercial kitchen, community programming space, outdoor garden with benches, and a dedicated space for the Region’s community paramedicine program,” says Dana-Jill Stroeder, Project Manager.
The new building is also being designed as a net-zero carbon building. It’s designed to high efficiency standards and there is no natural gas connection to the building.
82 Wilson in Kitchener is one of many affordable housing properties owned by Waterloo Region Housing. The previous building here had just 16 units, so this rebuild triples its housing capacity. It’s one of six affordable housing properties the Region is revitalizing. Once construction has finished, these six properties will be upgraded from 214 units to 883 units.
Adding these new buildings to our inventory will make a huge difference in the lives of many people waiting for an affordable home. The Wilson Ave construction is on track to have seniors in their new homes by summer 2025. This project is a great example of innovation and community partnership. We are excited to welcome residents to this new building!
As house affordability continues to impact our community, the Region of Waterloo is committed to creating more supply. We know that communities thrive when everyone has a place to call home.
That’s why in 2021, we launched our Building Better Futures strategy, a multi-pronged plan to increase the number of affordable homes the Region builds every year from 50 to 500. With help from federal and provincial partners, we are well on our way to meeting that goal.
Building on land we already own (as we’re also doing on Lauris Ave in Cambridge and Kingscourt Drive in Waterloo) means we can build faster and expand our Waterloo Region Housing services for the people who already live here. It’s a great way to create more affordable, accessible and energy-efficient housing options for the community.
Earlier this month, we celebrated an important milestone for the 82 Wilson building. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation announced $2.4 million to help fund this project. Thank you to our federal partners for making this investment in the community. Working together, we will tackle the affordable housing crisis.