Grey County Affordable Housing Action
January 23, 2025 - A County owned site in Dundalk was identified for redevelopment as part of the Affordable Housing Action plan. The site is located at 130 Rowe’s Lane in Dundalk, the current 11-unit building is being demolished. This site has approximately one acre of developable land. Staff proposed a three story, 40 unit building consisting of 16 bachelor apartments and 24 one bedroom apartments be developed to meet the greatest need according to the Grey County wait list in Southgate.
At the August 1, 2024 Community Services Committee meeting JPM Architectural Inc was awarded the architectural tender for the build in the amount of $348,250 exclusive of HST. JPM Architecture Inc formerly Allan Avis Architects is a local firm out of Goderich. They have successfully completed over 50 affordable housing, long term care and medical service projects and have worked with Grey, Bruce and Huron Counties. JPM Architecture is familiar with the typical project requirements for affordable builds and working with staff to meet Provincial or Federal funding guidelines and schedules.
The tender for services was divided into 3 schedules depending on funding and funding opportunities.
Schedule One $75,750
• Drawings Ready for Site Plan Approval
• Full Architectural Drawings Plans, Elevations, Building Sections, Wall Sections and Details with Full Code Review
• Full Class ‘C’ Cost Estimate for overall Building costs of project with cost Breakdowns (i.e. Architectural, Mechanical, Electrical, Structural, Site Work etc.)
Schedule Two $154,500
• Final Full set of Architectural, Drawings Ready for Tender, and Specification
• Civil Engineering Drawings and Specification
• Mechanical Engineering Drawings and Specifications
• Electrical Engineering Drawings and Specifications
• Structural Engineering Drawings and Specifications
• Other consultants if required
Schedule Three $118,000
• Architectural Oversight/Review Activities During Construction and Final Signoff
• Civil Oversight/Review Activities During Construction and Final Signoff
• Mechanical Oversight/Review Activities During Construction and Final Signoff
• Electrical Oversight/Review Activities During Construction and Final Signoff
• Structural Oversight/Review Activities During Construction and Final Signoff
• Other consultants as required
The Community Services Committee supported Schedule One of the architectural services to be completed to obtain architectural drawings and a Class C estimate. Staff applied and received $51,500 in Seed Funding from Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the remaining funds were from the Affordable Housing Reserve Fund.
Funding Opportunities
Two funding opportunities currently available require a Class B cost estimate, a full set of architectural drawings ready for tender and the ability to have a permit within 120 days. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation announced a new funding program called the Affordable Housing Fund which provides up to 75% of the costs of a build through a combination of a loan and a grant. The grant is significantly higher than previous programs at 30% of the 75% in eligible expenses. To apply a Class B estimate must be included in the business case. The Last Mile Funding was announced on December 13, 2025 by the Province. It provides top up funding for affordable and supportive housing projects that are in the advanced stages of construction or shovel ready and able to start construction within 120 days of signing a contribution agreement. A full set of architectural drawings that are tender ready are required to meet the 120 day start deadline. Grey County submitted a business case to meet the funding deadline of January 10, 2025.
Financial and Resource Implications
To meet the requirements for these funding opportunities and future funding program requirements, staff are seeking approval to move forward with architectural services under schedule two at a cost of $154,500 exclusive of HST or $157,219 inclusive of HST. These costs were not included in the 2025 budget. Staff are proposing the $157,219 be funded from the Affordable Housing Reserve Fund. After taking into consideration this unbudgeted expense, this reserve is projected to have a balance of $451,300 at the end of 2025.
