Empty office tower to become affordable housing complex, shelter in Calgary downtown core
Work is underway converting a vacant Seventh Avenue Calgary office tower into 82 units of affordable and specialized housing.
The project, with funding from both Alberta and the federal government, is being undertaken by the City of Calgary in collaboration with The HomeSpace Society, a non-profit housing provider, will see the conversion of a 10 floor tower by building 82 units on the first six floors.
Two other floors will be reserved for shelters and transitional housing with another floor for administrative office use and possibly child care.
"If you imagine what's going to happen in this space its going to be a place where a family lives so it's absolutely possible to do a conversion like this," said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek.
The $30 million project is part of Stronger Foundations, the province's 10 year strategy to improve and expand affordable housing.
"Alberta’s government is proud to support this innovative project to help people who may need to stabilize in a shelter and then access transitional housing before moving into an affordable housing unit – all in one location," said Josephine Pon, Alberta Minister for Seniors and Housing.
"This is an example of how smart partnerships and building on community expertise will help us meet the diverse housing needs of Albertans."
The federal government kicked in $16.6 million under a Rapid Housing Initiative to address Canada's affordable housing crisis.
“Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home," said Ahmed Hussen, federal Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, and Minister responsible for CMHC.
"It will matter even more as we recover from COVID as we have an economic and social recovery to make sure that no one is left behind," he said.
The project is expected to create around 220 jobs.
Experts say projects like these are one solution to Calgary's estimated more than 30 per cent downtown office vacancy rate by adding more residents in the core.
"We need a wide variety of housing, including affordable housing, including rental housing, but also market-based housing. We know from decades of research, that downtown cannot be vibrant, unless there are people living there," James Stauch, director of the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University.
Stauch adds that socio-economic diversity in terms of residents and housing supply is crucial to improve downtown vibrancy.
"It really creates that sense of community that we need to bolster in our downtown so it is truly a place where people wish to live and make a home as well as a place to work and have some entertainment," said Mayor Gondek.
Residents are expected to move in by the end of the year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.