Toronto City Council has adopted a plan to develop 80 affordable rental homes within the new East Bayfront condominium building, known as the Bayside Pilot Project. One, two and three-bedroom apartments will be established in the mixed-use building, which will also house 225 condominiums and retail space.

The affordable housing portion, which will be designed by architect, Arquitectonica, will have its own separate entrance, elevators and parking. It will be designed to meet Waterfront Toronto’s Design Excellence and LEED Gold standards. In accordance with the Affordable Housing Office Design Guidelines, the building also meets Waterfront Toronto’s commitment to reserve 20 per cent of new waterfront community housing for affordable rental options.

The $26 million initiative will be built and operated through the combined efforts of the City of Toronto, Waterfront Toronto, and developers Hines/Tridel and Artscape.

“Building neighbourhoods for people of all income levels and life stages is a key part of our revitalization model,” says John Campbell, President and CEO of Waterfront Toronto. “Artscape’s mandate to make space for creativity and transform communities is a perfect fit for East Bayfront, a neighbourhood designed to be a hub for information and creative sector jobs.”

Located at Queens Quay and Lower Sherbourne Street, construction of the new rental units is expected to be complete by 2018 or 2019