Disponible/available in: Français (French)
The proposal is for a six-storey, low-rise apartment building and two-stacked town homes, containing 16 homes each.
Project
The first phase of the redevelopment of the Rochester Heights community has seen the removal of 26 townhomes in the summer of 2018, on land at the northeast corner of Gladstone and Rochester. The proposed design is for a six-storey building with 108 apartments, coupled with two stacked townhome blocks along Balsam Street, containing 16 units each, for a total project count of 140 homes.
The design will create capacity for affordable housing, with a mix of studios, one-bed units, two-, three-, and four-beds. It will have a generous amount of indoor and outdoor amenity space, coupled with surface and underground parking, as well as bicycle parking.
The original townhomes were built in 1966 and had reached the end of their life-cycle. The design will pursue net-zero and passive house designations; the gold standard of sustainable design. The objective is for the building to produce as much electricity as it consumes. One of the ways OCH plans to accomplish this is to install a bank of solar panels. It will rival our largest solar panel array yet, at our Regina Lane townhomes, which produce enough electricity annually to power 12 homes.
All of OCH new-builds practice waste diversion. As the 26 homes were being vacated in Rochester Heights, five kitchens were salvaged to use as materials for renovations in other communities. Any metal recovered was sold, and the proceeds were donated to the OCH Foundation.
Status
Phase 1: Rehousing of 26 households completed.
Demolition of phase 1: Complete.
Construction to start: Summer 2019
Investment
The project is currently estimated to cost $40 million.
Funding
The project was awarded $11 million in funding from the Investment in Affordable Housing Program.
Expected completion date
2021
Community profile (pre-build)
- Rochester Heights is an Ottawa Community Housing neighbourhood made up of just over 100 townhouses in the West Centretown area.
- It is a family community located north of Raymond Street between Booth and Rochester Streets, close to the Asian and Italian communities. Schools, parks and recreational facilities
- Half of the tenants are single parents
- Built in 1966
