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City approves affordable housing providers to build 387 homes on five City-owned sites

By January 28, 2025No Comments

Four affordable housing providers have been selected to purchase five parcels of City-owned land at below-market value in the communities of Crescent Heights, Erlton, Haysboro, Erin Woods and Shaganappi. These developments are expected to create 387 new affordable homes for Calgarians.

New to this round of non-market land sale, Indigenous organizations were given priority in an earlier application period to apply for a parcel of land. This latest initiative addresses all five outcomes of Home is Here – City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy.

“The need for affordable housing in Calgary is greater than ever, and selling city-owned land below market value to these affordable housing builders is a major step toward meeting that demand. By working with trusted organizations, we are not only providing more homes but also making our communities more inclusive,” Mayor Gondek said, adding this effort also supports Indigenous housing.

Land located in the following communities has been approved for sale to the following groups:
– Erlton and Shaganappi to Onward Homes;
– Erin Woods to Siksika Off-Reserve Affordable Housing (SORAH);
– Crescent Heights to Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary (AFCC); and,
-Haysboro to Liberty Housing Organization.

The successful applicants will have up to four years to construct the housing, including seeking planning approvals and community engagement.

“As Calgary continues to grow and evolve, the need for affordable housing becomes increasingly urgent. It’s not just about constructing homes; it’s about building vibrant communities where everyone can thrive. We are working towards ensuring that all Calgarians have access to safe, stable, and affordable places to call home,” says Reid Hendry, Chief Housing Officer.

Each parcel of land also comes with a per door funding of $75,000, which results in a $29 million contribution from the Housing Accelerator Fund to help non-profit affordable housing providers build quickly.

To date, The City has contributed $25.3 million in land value through the program, which enabled the development of 835 homes for Calgarians in need.

This round of land sales is the fourth portfolio of City-owned sites offered to non-profit organizations at below market value under the Non-Market Housing Land Sale program. The portfolio of City lands is sold below market value to give non-profit organizations the opportunity to develop affordable housing at a discounted rate. This program reduces the land cost for non-profit organizations, who can turn the savings into more support for affordable housing programs or services.

The Non-Market Housing Land Sale Program is part of The City’s Housing Strategy, which contains 98 actions that address the housing crisis and the multi-faceted housing inequities faced by Indigenous people who live in Calgary. More than 80 per cent of the Housing Strategy has been initiated within its first year. For more information on The City of Calgary’s effort to support more housing in Calgary, please visit Calgary.ca/housing.

Sean Chu

Sean Chu arrived in Calgary from Taiwan in 1985 speaking not a word of English, and within 7 years he was a sworn officer with the Calgary Police Service. From that point on Sean worked with the Calgary Police Service as on Officer for 21 years in a number of roles until 2013.

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