Timeline for Regina affordable housing project delayed

A large affordable-housing development complete with a grocery store and a parkade in downtown Regina is at least three years from completion.

Namerind Housing, a 100-per-cent, Aboriginal-owned company, announced the 175-unit project in 2015 for the corner of 11th Avenue and Lorne Street.

The major project is expected to help revitalize the downtown area, bringing several new residents to Regina’s core.

“People that will be using transit, they’ll be shopping, working. We believe there will be students and seniors, young people. It’s going to be a mix,” said Namerind Housing President Robert Byers.

The project, called Namerind Place, was expected to be ready for move-ins within five years of the announcement, but it remains a parking lot.

“I don’t think 2020 is realistic anymore. I guess maybe I was a little naive to think that this would happen a lot faster than it does,” Byers said.

The project is currently going through the application process for funding from the federal government. In October, the company submitted an application to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) for funding through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund. The fund provides $5.19 billion in loans and $2.26 billion in capital contributions as part of the national housing strategy.

Byers said they’re waiting for a decision on the application and expect one sometime in 2019.

“We’re pretty optimistic this year because of the comments we’ve received telling us it’s a great submission, that we’ve scored high,” he said.

Namerind Place will cost $110 million to build. Namerind Housing has invested $9 million into the project and plans to get more funding through financing and all levels of government.

Once the application to the CMHC is approved, Byers expects construction to begin within one year. The project will take 24 to 30 months to build involving an estimated 500,000 hours of work.