Affordable housing projects moving forward to Saskatoon city council

Three locations in Saskatoon — a downtown gravel parking lot, a portion of land next to the Lakewood Civic Centre and an empty lot at the corner of Broadway Avenue and Ruth Street — are on track to become affordable housing hubs.

On Wednesday, Saskatoon's standing policy committee on planning, development and community services recommended city council approve three affordable housing projects, totalling 256 units, and the associated incentives to build them.

In June 2024, council authorized city administration to start accepting proposals to build housing on city-owned land, with priority given to applications from non-profits, housing co-operatives and Indigenous organizations.

With $15 million from the federal government's housing accelerator fund — which is meant to increase housing across the country — the city offered incentives of $50,000 per unit and five years of incremental tax abatements. 

As a part of the deal, the projects had to meet certain criteria, including meeting housing accelerator fund timelines, making sure units remain affordable for at least 20 years and renting all affordable units to low-income households.

3 projects recommended

The largest application comes from Camponi Housing Corporation, a Métis housing organization looking to build 120 units on a portion of 1635 McKercher Drive, adjacent to the Lakewood Civic Centre. 

Camponi's proposal includes wraparound supports, a community garden, training space, common room, daycare, confectionary and more.

Angela Bishop, chair of trustees for Camponi, said their waiting list for affordable housing grows daily.

"Currently for our entire portfolio, we have over 800 individuals and families that are on our waiting list for any affordable housing that we have," Bishop said at Wednesday's committee meeting.

While the organization is getting $5.6 million in capital grants and almost $1 million through the incentive, Bishop said the deal doesn't come without a cost for Camponi, which still has to cough up around $3.5 million for the land alone.

Another project, slightly smaller at 112 affordable units, is being proposed by the Saskatoon Open Door Society (SODA), which has its own unique vision for what is currently a parking lot at the corner of 23rd Street East and Third Avenue North.

"SODA is embarking on a transformative initiative to create Welcome Place Affordable Housing Community, a purpose-built, centralized facility that integrates affordable housing with comprehensive community services," said Ahmad Majid, the fund development and communications manager at SODA.

Majid said the downtown hub would also offer wrap-around supports like settlement and integration services, social and emotional support, children and youth services, food security programs, classrooms, an ethnic grocery store and a daycare.

"Between October 2022 and October 2023, Saskatoon's population grew by 14,400 individuals, the largest year-over-year increase in the post-war era, with 85 per cent of that growth attributed to newcomers," said Majid, while highlighting the critical need for affordable housing options.

The report from city administration lists $5.6 million in grants and about $850,000 in tax abatements for SODA.

The smallest affordable housing project in the report is a for-profit build by a private business. It would be located at the corner of Broadway Avenue and Ruth Street, with 24 affordable units.

It's getting $1.2 million in grants and around $100,000 in tax abatements.

City administration noted in the committee meeting that even if the building is sold, the next owner would have to maintain the agreement with the city, including keeping the rent affordable for at least 20 years.

Housing better than parking lots: expert

Ehab Diab, an assistant professor in the department of geography and planning at the University of Saskatchewan, supports the projects.

"I think this is very promising to add this affordable housing in a different area of the city and I'm very excited particularly with the one that is going to be in the downtown.… I think downtown needs more residents," said Diab.

Diab said building more housing in the downtown will help improve public transit ridership, while also providing low-income people with more accessibility to transit. 

"When we get more people living in downtown, we'll get more activity going on like economic activities … maybe a grocery store hopefully, so we need this," he added.

Compared to someone using a parking lot, Diab said, it's a benefit to everyone to have more people permanently living in downtown.

"This is very important, more than [a] bunch of parking places."