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Affordable Housing Development

The Region of Durham is committed to providing a full range of safe, accessible and affordable housing in our community.

Durham Regional Local Housing Corporation is Regionally owned affordable housing and the region’s largest non-market housing provider. We are modernizing and redeveloping many of the properties. Redevelopment sites will provide more units, improve designs and provide a better unit mix with more on-site amenities.

Durham Region is also working to support the creation of more affordable housing through partnerships with developers and non-profit organizations.

This webpage is dedicated to sharing information on the progress of Durham Region’s affordable housing development initiatives.

Housing Durham sites

Durham Region is transforming Regionally owned community housing into vibrant, walkable, climate resilient and inclusive mixed-income communities.

An existing, out-of-date 16-unit building will be redeveloped with a new 30-unit, three-storey building that will fit in with the surrounding neighbourhood. The new building will include a mix of unit designs, new common amenity space, universal accessibility, improved environmental sustainability and a better overall layout. The site is a short distance away from medical services, offices, shopping and community services.

The design will be informed by the Town’s designation as an official Bee City, as well as an existing public art piece carved from a century-old black walnut tree that celebrates Whitby’s environmental conservation efforts.

Site plan approval will be required from the Town of Whitby. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2026, with the new building planned for opening in 2027.

Located on 1.5 acres in central Oshawa, the Christine Crescent site is the first phase of the Region’s redevelopment efforts in this neighbourhood. The proposal will redevelop 12 outdated, semi-detached units to include two new mid-rise buildings, totaling approximately 160 units, with sizes ranging from one to four bedrooms.

On-site amenities will include common activity rooms, central green space and dedicated bicycle parking. A rooftop patio will overlook Chopin Park. As part of this project, improvements will be made to the east side of Chopin Park to improve accessibility and provide new recreational opportunities for the community.

Site plan approval will be required from the City of Oshawa. Redevelopment is scheduled to begin in 2026.

Located on 4.7 acres, the Malaga Road site is at the corner of Oxford Street and Malaga Road, close to Cordova Valley Park and Community Centre, and a short walk to the Oshawa Creek and the Joseph Kolodzie bike trail.

The site currently contains 65 townhouses that require replacement. The proposal will redevelop the entire site with a mix of affordable and market rental units in two new mid-rise apartment buildings, stacked and back-to-back townhouses containing approximately 439 units. Sizes will range from one to four bedrooms. New buildings will have a mix of unit designs, new indoor and outdoor common amenity spaces, universal accessibility, improved environmental sustainability and a better overall layout.

An official plan amendment and site plan approval will be required from the City of Oshawa. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2028.

The Region of Durham purchased the former Grandview Children’s Centre on a four-acre property at the northwest corner of Townline Road and Bloor Street in March 2025. The property includes a 2700 m2 (29,000 ft2) building that will be used for children’s programs. Parts of the site along Townline Road are proposed for a mix of market and affordable housing.

A new four-storey building with 36 units is proposed at the corner of Townline/Bloor, and 16 townhouses are proposed along Townline Road. The site is ideally suited for families, with a new Regionally operated child care centre to be located in the existing building and Terry Fox Park located nearby.

Site plan approval will be required from the City of Oshawa. Construction on this site is expected to commence in 2027, with occupancies in 2028.

Retrofit projects

Durham Region is actively working to enhance its affordable housing stock through various retrofit projects. Notable initiatives include the 155 King Street project in Oshawa and the 655 Harwood Avenue project in Ajax. These retrofits aim to modernize existing buildings, improve energy efficiency, and ensure safe, comfortable living conditions for residents. By investing in these upgrades, Durham Region is committed to providing sustainable and affordable housing solutions that meet the needs of its growing community.

Regional partnership sites

The Region of Durham works with partners, including developers and non-profit organizations, to support the development of affordable housing. Below are examples of partnerships:

The Region is in the process of seeking development partners to design, develop, operate and maintain new mixed income rental housing on the Ritson School site in the City of Oshawa.

This revitalization project will transform this community and create a safe, inclusive and desirable neighbourhood to live, grow, visit and stay. This opportunity would provide approximately 500 residential units comprising a mix of not less than 30 per cent affordable units per building, in at least four buildings, together with ground floor non-residential space.

The transformation of the site will include new public spaces, improvements to the existing heritage designated former school building, future abutting buildings and public open space areas. Space planning, remediation and capital improvements to the heritage former school building will be undertaken by the Region to facilitate its transformation into a future community hub. This will be a multi-phase project. It is anticipated that the first stages of development could commence in 2027.

For more information on this project, visit durham.ca/RitsonSchool.

The Province of Ontario owns a seven-acre site in the Town of Whitby, Region of Durham, that has the municipal address of 590 Rossland Road East. It is occupied by a multi-tenant government office building, a parking lot and vacant land. Durham Region owns the adjacent 2.9 acre site at 650 Rossland Road East that contains a Regional Police and Collision Reporting Centre, a parking lot and vacant land. These lands are currently underutilized and hold great potential for redevelopment and housing opportunities.

The Harwood Achilles site, located in downtown Ajax, is another planned partnership initiative that will help address the need for affordable housing. Currently in the predevelopment stage, this site aims to provide mixed affordable and market rental housing for residents. This project will require site plan approval from the Town and could commence by late 2027.

At Home Incentive Program

The At Home Incentive Program (AHIP) supports the development of purpose-built affordable rental housing in Durham Region through direct capital funding and by supporting expedited planning approvals. In the first three years of the program, Regional Council approved $30.5 million in AHIP funding to help create 350 new affordable rental units in Ajax, Clarington, Oshawa, Pickering, Scugog, Uxbridge and Whitby.

DeveloperRegional investmentAffordable units supportedLocation
Riverbank Homes$5,500,00075109 Colborne Street West, Oshawa
Kindred Works$1,950,000131066 Dunbarton Road, Pickering
Otter Creek Co-operative Homes$2,500,00018835 McQuay Boulevard, Whitby
Ledim Developments$5,000,00078310 Kingston Road East, Ajax
Kindred Works$2,750,0002515-23 Main Street, Uxbridge
Muslim Welfare Canada$5,750,000551589-1603 Highway #2, Courtice
Borelia Cooperative Homes Inc. $2,688,0001610 Borelia Crescent, Port Perry
1465 King Street Inc. $4,812,000701465 Highway #2, Courtice
Total$30,950,000350

Homelessness supports

The Region of Durham supports the development of properties that help people on their journey from homelessness to permanent housing. This includes Beaverton Heights, Oshawa Micro-homes and 1635 Dundas Street East.

Beaverton Heights is a 47-unit transitional housing residence that provides accommodation and access to wraparound services to help promote life stabilization. Blue Door, the service operator at Beaverton Heights, provides wraparound supports, including on-site meals in a dining hall, rental and tenant support, and support with life skills building, employment services, mental health and addictions, and other supports.

The micro-homes pilot project in central Oshawa features 10 units for temporary, transitional housing with supports. The micro-home units are located on land acquired by the Region for the Gibb Street and Olive Avenue road realignment and widening project at the corner of Olive Avenue and Drew Street. Once the scheduled road work commences, the units will be relocated to a permanent site.

1635 Dundas Street East is a multi-phase initiative aimed at providing safe and inclusive housing support solutions. Since opening in March 2024, the shelter has provided a safe and supportive environment to over 100 individuals. Phase 2 now focuses on creating housing units with health and social supports and services.