SoHo housing project ready to rent first affordable units

CBC News

· Posted: May 14, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

One of the developers from Vision SoHo Alliance is present accepting applications for the archetypal disposable units successful the newly-named Village SoHo analyzable successful London.  

Zerin Development Corporation is portion of a radical of six non-profit developers who have been moving since 2022 to alteration the Old Victoria Hospital grounds into a monolithic lodging task with 690 units — including 410 affordable units and 280 market-rate units. 

"It has the imaginable to beryllium thing truly special," said Greg Playford, the London Community Foundation typical with the Vision SoHo group.

What volition beryllium the first finished building,  Zerin Place, built by Zerin Development Corporation, is located astatine 370 South St. and features 119 units successful total, including 60 affordable ones, each geared toward seniors. 

The market-rate units successful Zerin Place commencement astatine $1,695 per period for a one-bedroom apartment. The exemplary units volition beryllium disposable to presumption aboriginal this period and volition beryllium move-in acceptable successful the fall. 

Playford said helium expects the affordable units to spell rapidly but directed those funny successful applying for them to cheque the caller Village Soho website.

"We could person built 800, oregon astir apt 8000 affordable units, and they'd beryllium successful demand," Playford said. "We're conscionable touching the surface, but it's 1 measurement astatine a clip and I deliberation we're making thing truly impactful."

Now successful the last stages, the Village SoHo task has overcome obstacles. Construction was delayed successful 2023 erstwhile Indwell, 1 of the different non-profit developers, was forced to scramble for funding. Indwell is redeveloping the erstwhile War Memorial Children's Hospital and Victoria Health Services Building into supportive flat units.

Despite past difficulties, Playford said everything is connected track.

"As analyzable arsenic the task is, it's been a large occurrence time-wise," Playford said. "We are connected schedule. We are connected budget."

A mixed-income community

Sister Joan Atkinson chairs the committee astatine London Affordable Housing Foundation (LAHF), different subordinate of Vision SoHo Alliance. She is disappointed that Village SoHo won't beryllium providing more affordable units, but she believes it is beneficial to make a mixed-income community, she said. 

"If everybody is astatine the precise lowest level of income, cipher is capable to bash precise overmuch to assistance each other," she explained.

Atkinson also added that the mixed exemplary is communal successful affordable lodging crossed Canada. There are a batch of costs successful a task similar this, she said. Some non-profits, including LAHF, get less subsidies and often request to wage backmost authorities wealth implicit time, and charging market-rate for immoderate units tin assistance screen immoderate costs. 

Playford agreed, pointing retired that it's the market-rate rent prices that assistance offset the affordable units. He besides saw merit successful the societal aspect.

"It creates a amended community."