Barrie Construction News staff writer
Construction is ramping up on a new 30-unit affordable rental housing development in Collingwood following an official groundbreaking by the County of Simcoe and the Town of Collingwood.
The three-storey building at 29 and 45 Birch Street will provide affordable rental housing for seniors, working families and individuals on the county’s affordable housing waitlist.
The project will more than triple the number of residential units previously planned for the site, increasing capacity from nine to 30 units.
While site work is now underway, much of the construction has already taken place offsite. The prefabricated building has been under construction at an offsite location throughout the winter and is expected to be delivered to Birch Street in the coming months.
The project was identified as an opportunity to use prefabricated construction because of its size, timing and cost.
Collingwood responded to the County of Simcoe’s 2024 Municipal Call for Proposals by offering land at 29 and 45 Birch Street for the development.
The development will increase housing density on existing municipal lands and supports the county’s Building Up Simcoe County affordable housing strategy and Homelessness Prevention Strategy, as well as the Simcoe County Housing Corporation Affordable Housing Development Master Plan and Collingwood’s Affordable Housing Master Plan.
Collingwood Town Council adopted an affordable housing master plan in November 2023. The plan included 26 recommendations to address the local housing shortage, including using municipally owned land to increase the supply of affordable rental housing.
Leveraging municipal land for affordable housing projects led by the county or local organizations was a key priority of the plan.