Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Affordable Housing Legacy
In April 2011, Infrastructure Ontario issued a Request for Qualifications inviting expressions of interest from non-profit housing providers to purchase and operate affordable housing at the Pan Am/ Parpan Am Athletes’ Village site.
Wigwamen was fortunate enough to be able to partner with the March of Dimes Canada, which has been at the forefront of the disability movement for over 50 years, as well as Accommodation, Information and Support, a supportive housing provider that has been operating continuously since 1972. Our group was one of twenty to express interest, and one of six to be short-listed and go on to submit a much more detailed proposal.
We were over the moon when, in December, 2011, we were advised that we were the successful proponent, and prouder than you can imagine when, on First Nations Day, 2012, we signed the Agreement of Purchase and Sale.
The building and land at 75 Cooperage Street are being purchased from Infrastructure Ontario after the Pan Am/Parapan Am games, and after the building has been converted from games mode to affordable housing legacy mode.
From the outset, there has been a wonderfully collaborative process, with Wigwamen and its partners being integrally involved in the layout of our units, the selection of materials and colours, and the overall design of the building.
A Building to Behold
We will be acquiring a LEED Gold, twelve storey, 145 unit building within the fantastic, re-developed West Donlands, comprised of:
- 58 one-bedroom apartment units
- 58 two-bedroom apartment units (48 with two washrooms, and 10 with one washroom)
- 23 three-bedroom apartment units
- 1 four-bedroom apartment unit
- 5 four-bedroom townhouse units
Thirty-one of the units will be fully accessible, including, among other things, remote door-operators. Some other features that we’re pretty thrilled with include:
- A laundry room on the second floor, with an adjacent play area viewable from the laundry room
- A 1,054 sq ft amenity room on the ground floor
- A roof-top amenity terrace on the 10th floor
- Green roofs on three different levels of the building
- An outdoor mews with space for children to play
The entire neighbourhood, including our building at 75 Cooperage Street, will be connected to an Intelligent Community Network constructed by Beanfield Metroconnect. An ultra-high-speed broadband fiber optic network will deliver the fastest and most economical high speed internet in the city. We’re wired!
Onward and Upward
In April of 2012, excavation began for the Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletes’ Village, with construction of the buildings starting shortly thereafter. The construction photo gallery follows the rise of our building at 75 Cooperage Street. Click the photo below to view.
Sneak Peek Preview
On June 17, 2013, Wigwamen’s staff and Board members attended a Sneak Peek Preview of the Pan Am / Parapan Am Athletes’ Village building site, and were finally able to see our building in progress! Check out the video and photo gallery by clicking the photo below for some highlights of the day.
Staff and Board Tour
December 10, 2014, provided an opportunity for Wigwamen’s staff and Board to tour the new building. It’s fair to say that everyone was quite impressed!
Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletes’ Village Handover to Toronto 2015
On February 20, 2015, Wigwamen attended an event at the new Cooper Koo Family YMCA to witness the Province of Ontario present the “key” to the Athletes’ Village to Toronto 2015. View the announcements of the day: Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletes’ Village Backgrounder; What People Are Saying; February 20, 2015 Handover of Athletes’ Village to Toronto 2015.
Interior Modifications Underway
The Pan Am and Parapan Am Games were a huge success, and Canada was well represented by its athletes. Now that the Games have ended, interior modifications are underway to convert the dorm-type layouts to apartments, to install finishes that weren’t put in place for Games usage, and to install other necessities such as security systems and appliances.
April 29, 2016
It’s ours at last! With modifications complete, the building has been turned over to Wigwamen to prepare for occupancy.
May, 2016
Appliance deliveries are underway. The start of tenant move-ins is now days away, and the excitement level is high!
Mid-May to December, 2016
Tenants began to move in during the month of May. June and July maintained a hectic pace throughout, with the majority of tenants arriving at their new homes during this period.
By the end of the year, our new building was fully occupied. We’re really happy with the way this project has turned out, and look forward to being able to provide this quality housing to our tenants for many decades to come.
