The non-profit developers behind a proposed $115 million “green” housing high-rise in Kingston’s Kingscourt-Rideau District say they’ll need City Council’s financial support for the project take root.
Limestone City Cooperative Housing (LCCH) has unveiled the first draft of its proposal to transform a vacant lot at 900 Division Street, near Elliott Avenue, into a 14-storey, 248-unit building with a vertical garden and other unique features.
“It would put Kingston on the map for its architectural design and innovative use,” says Councillor Jeff McLaren, a Council representative on the LCCH board (McLaren is the board chair) who is also helping to spearhead this first-of-its-kind “attainable housing” development.
The co-op is seeking $2.29 million from the City as a “line of credit” in order to fine-tune the development plans.
“It’s a loan, not a grant,” McLaren explains of what the group is asking of council.
He says the City’s financial backing will help LCCH go after much larger construction loans and grants.
Council is to debate the merits of the development and the co-op’s financial ‘ask’ at its next meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024 (the agenda for which has not yet been published).
During an interview with Kingstonist, the veteran Meadowbrook-Strathcona District councillor had not yet seen the latest staff recommendation to Council on whether or not it should essentially become a guarantor during the project’s early stages.
But it was councillors who first gave the newly-formed housing cooperative the boost it needed by giving the group preferred status on the prime city-owned property for one year to come up with design, business and funding plans. For now, Council has held off declaring the Division-Elliott property surplus to municipal needs and selling it to the private sector. The site was initially purchased by the city over 20 years ago as the future site of a fire station.
Council also committed $50,000 in seed money to help the LCCH retain architects and other professionals to advance its housing proposal.
In addition to a Council loan, McLaren says the group will pursue grants of $250,000 from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and $350,000 from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to further refine its housing designs and business case to achieve what is known as a Class ‘B’ estimate.
In construction lingo, a Class ‘B’ estimate is prepared when a project is at the detailed design stage. The LCCH project is currently listed as Class ‘D,’ a broad concept plan. Reaching Class ‘B’ would, in turn, allow the project to qualify for much larger grants and capital loans to cover the estimated $115 million construction costs, McLaren explains.
At first blush, the building almost looks like it’s been abandoned and reclaimed by the forest. But a closer inspection reveals a unique high-density design for Kingston that’s touted as a “lasting and sustainable” structure with a design goal life expectancy of 200 years, according to plans listed on LCCH’s website.
Architectural designs show the stepped-back building gushes greenery with agricultural features worked into the plans. The designs emphasize energy sustainability and food self-sufficiency with an industrial size vertical farm on the first three floors, according to the co-op.
“It would grow tomatoes and root vegetables. It’s more than enough to meet the food needs of the building’s occupants, especially as a vegetarian,” McLaren adds.
The designs also incorporate rooftop greenhouses, green trellises, and new solar panel technology to resemble wood, glass and stone features, plus two levels of underground parking, a courtyard with internal-facing verandas, and central HVAC systems.
McLaren says the building’s zero-carbon footprint will start with its construction frame materials made entirely from cross-laminated timber, a new generation of engineered mass timber product, noting Ontario recently allowed wooden structures as tall as 18 floors.
The Meadowbrook-Strathcona councillor is very enthusiastic about the project, saying it ticks all the boxes to tackle Council’s own strategic priorities like affordable housing, food insecurity, lower carbon footprints, and climate change resiliency.
He describes the concept as “a first for pretty much the world.”
City officials have said the size of the property lends itself to a higher density potential, emphasizing the urgent need to create more housing in Kingston.
“Very preliminary information indicates that the overall project cost could range between $170 million to $180 million,” according to a February 2024 report by the City’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Lanie Hurdle.
McLaren says the project, even with Council’s financial support, is still years away from realization. It will take about three years before the building is shovel-ready and another two years of actual construction.
“I am 100 per cent sure we’ll have to go back to the drawing board,” he says, adding the group has already heard initial feedback and concerns from City planners about the building’s height, setbacks, and other design elements.
At 14 floors, the building would tower over single-family homes in the neighbourhood. The proposed development would still need to go through the regular zoning and site plan approvals process before it is able to break ground.
Under the not-for-profit housing co-operative concept, building residents are co-op members, not tenants, and are expected to contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of the building, such as tending to its vertical gardens, through mandatory volunteer hours. Additionally, LCCH cannot charge more in housing costs than what is reasonably necessary to maintain the building and pay off debts and obligations.
McLaren remains confident City Council will continue supporting the attainable housing development through its loan request.
He adds: “The city has given a lot more than that for a lot less.”