Toronto breaks ground on affordable housing project at 35 Bellevue Ave.

Ontario Construction News staff writer

The City of Toronto has launched construction on a new affordable and supportive housing development at 35 Bellevue Ave. The project, operated by the Kensington Market Community Land Trust (KMCLT) and St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society, will add 78 new homes for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The project team includes:

• Builder Gillam Group
• Architect Montgomery Sisam Architects
• Landscape Architect Baker Turner Inc.
• Building Materials Element5
• Electrical Quasar Consulting Group
• Engineering MTE Consultants, Entuitive, Thornton Tomasetti
• Green Infrastructure Pratus Group Inc.

The building will be constructed using mass timber technology, designed to meet or exceed the City’s energy efficiency standards under the TransformTO Net Zero Strategy and the Toronto Green Standard. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

The new development is the latest project under Toronto’s Public Developer Delivery model, introduced last summer to accelerate the creation of affordable rental housing on City-owned lands. Mayor Olivia Chow and Councillor Dianne Saxe (University-Rosedale) attended the groundbreaking ceremony, marking the second project launched this week under the model.

KMCLT, which owns and operates affordable housing in the neighbourhood, is partnering with St. Clare’s, an experienced provider of supportive housing in Toronto for more than 20 years, including in the Kensington Market community.

In addition to affordable rent, tenants will have access to wrap-around services to enhance their housing stability, health and well-being.

This project follows the success of the Public Developer Delivery model, which allows the city to directly manage housing targets, expedite approvals, and accelerate development. Toronto’s goal is to begin construction at five “housing-ready” sites, with 35 Bellevue Ave. and 11 Brock Ave. the first to break ground in 2024.

Other sites in the model include 405 Sherbourne St., 1113-1117 Dundas St. W. (Toronto’s first mass-timber building), and 150 Queens Wharf Rd.