Affordable Housing Developments

Municipal Affordable Housing initiative to create a five-unit family housing development on 24 Redwood Crescent as well as a six-unit family housing development on 179 Eugenie Street in Chatham.

As part of the development process, administration has recommended expanding Jaycette Park infrastructure, consistent with the forthcoming Parks & Recreation Master Plan update, to create a vibrant and welcoming space by incorporating amenities tailored to the needs of residents. Primarily, the initiative will involve the installation of a small basketball/multi-use court, catering to the recreational needs of the youth in the neighborhood. This addition not only promotes physical activity and healthy lifestyles but also fosters a sense of community engagement and social cohesion. In addition to the basketball/multi-use court, the enhancements will introduce a small pavilion with picnic facilities, providing residents with inviting spaces for relaxation, socializing, communal gatherings, and the ability to enjoy the outdoors safely and healthily and with protection from harmful UV exposure.

Furthermore, the enhancement of the park will include the strategic planting of trees and pollinator-friendly plants. This ecological component not only contributes to the beautification of the park but also serves to improve the local environment. By emphasizing the conservation of rainwater and promoting sustainable landscaping practices, such as native plantings and permeable surfaces, the project aligns with principles of environmental stewardship and resilience. Through these integrated efforts, the project aspires to not only enhance the physical infrastructure of the park but also to create a dynamic and sustainable community space that fosters health, and cultivates a sense of community belonging, well-being, and environmental consciousness among residents of all ages and backgrounds.

In addition, administration is working on an agreement process to implement an easement request with Hydro One through their corridor that would connect the residents of Redwood Crescent and surrounding neighbourhoods with accessibility to Jaycette Park.

A 3D-rendered conceptual video helps illustrate these affordable housing developments.

Administration has been working on developing affordable housing throughout the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, especially on municipal-owned and underutilized land parcels. As of June 2025, Chatham-Kent’s Centralized Waiting List (CWL) of households in need of affordable housing is at 1,396 households. The CWL experienced an unprecedented 31% degree of growth in 2024.

The community has experienced an increasing need for affordable units and Figure 1 further illustrates the demand for community housing in Chatham by unit type.

A pre-design, feasibility and costing process was completed for a five-unit development on Redwood Crescent, Chatham and a six-unit development on an approximately 0.42 acre or 0.17 hectare portion of underutilized land in Jaycette Park on Eugenie Street, Chatham.

Administration identified that 24 & 28 Redwood Crescent in Chatham are vacant lots owned by the Municipality and combined are approximately 0.44 acres or 0.18 hectares. They abut “single-family dwelling” neighbourhoods and are zoned OS1 with zoning description Open Space. As the owner of the property, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent intends to develop a family five-unit two-storey Community Housing building containing three three-bedroom and two four-bedroom units. Below are 3D-rendered conceptual drawings of the Redwood Crescent development.

Administration recommended constructing a family six-unit two-storey Community Housing building containing four three-bedroom and two four-bedroom units at the Eugenie Street location. Both Redwood Crescent and Eugenie Street builds offer 1:1.5 parking spaces/unit and are close to community transportation, schools, and a community park. Below are 3D conceptual drawings of the Eugenie Street development.

As housing need spans the entire rental housing continuum in Chatham, Chatham-Kent Housing Services intends to offer three units designated as “Attainable Market Rentals” charging Average Market Rent (AMR), four units designated as “Affordable Rentals” charging 80% of AMR and four units designated as “Deeply Affordable units” with rents priced at the “maximum shelter allowance” rate provided under the Ontario Works Act and its Regulations. These Affordable Housing developments construction will be funded through a combination of the use of Chatham-Kent’s 2024-2025 Canada Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI) & Ontario Priority Housing Initiative (OPHI) Year 6 allocations, potential successful grant applications, municipal reserves and affordable housing base budget funds.

On July 15, 2024, council approved the report Affordable Housing Build Redwood Crescent & Eugenie Street Chatham, ON – RFP for Design which detailed how these vacant Municipality of Chatham-Kent owned properties that would be ideal locations to provide affordable family housing.

At its April 28, 2024, meeting Council approved the recommendations detailed in the Tender Award - T25-239 - Redwood Crescent and Eugenie Street Chatham - Affordable Housing Townhouses report. Administration was approved to award the contract to Barrineti Construction Ltd. to construct these two affordable housing projects. These ideal locations will provide much-needed affordable and family housing to the community. Construction is set to begin summer of 2025 with project completing targeted for fall of 2026. Ongoing project updates will be provided below once underway.

Across the street from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent-owned existing Westcourt Villa Housing property, there is a vacant piece of Municipality of Chatham-Kent-owned land that would be an ideal location for a large affordable/market rent mixed housing development.

Administration recommends developing an affordable/market rent mixed housing development on this unused vacant land.

This concept has the advantage of allowing older families and "baby boomers" to age in place as unit size needs change when children leave and adults move into a senior cohort. This also provides a wide range of social and health benefits through intergenerational interaction and assistance. This development allows Chatham-Kent to develop a project that will be a benefit for all cohorts on the Centralized Waitlist.

Municipal departments are working on this project together on ways to utilize this land to provide much needed affordable housing units and for how the balance of any unused portions of the land could be used to provide other amenities, such as a park to the community.

On August 12, 2024, Council approved administrations recommendations in the detailed report titled Affordable Housing Build 199 Westcourt Blvd. Wallaceburg ON - RFP for Design and Construction Tender. These recommendations included authorization to proceed with the full design for a 72-unit affordable housing development on the 199 Westcourt Boulevard, Wallaceburg vacant municipally owned land.

This five-storey Community Housing building containing 37 one-bedroom, 25 two-bedroom units, 5 three-bedroom units and 5 four-bedroom units, will be a mixture of affordable, deeply affordable and attainable market rents. This energy efficient and accessible building is designed meet both the community needs and to be eligible for upper-level government funding programs such as Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) program guidelines. Each floor will have a common shared terrace and the building contains two elevators. The building will feature a common room that will help tenants access rotating community programming and provide the opportunity to engage with other tenants and build a sense of community at the building. There will be an office available for the use of Tenant Relations Case Managers and their in-situ clients. The building offers 1.5 parking spaces/unit and features laundry rooms on each floor. The building is an appropriate distance from Wallaceburg’s downtown core and close to community transportation, schools, and a grocery store.

The full design process is underway and if the project is approved for construction then further project updates will be provided below.

Conceptual drawings below: