Empty downtown London office building to be converted to affordable housing

An empty office building in downtown London, Ont., will soon be converted into apartment units after a partnership between one of the city's biggest developers, a non-profit and the church that owns the land on which the tower sits. 

The eight-storey building at 195 Dufferin Ave., just east of Richmond Street, is leased by Sifton Properties and doesn't currently have tenants. It sits on land owned by St. Paul's Cathedral and will be transformed into housing run by Homes Unlimited, a non-profit housing provider. 

"We want to reimagine the building. Office space is not the most viable in downtown London and the real need in the community is for housing, and affordable housing," said Jim Foote, vice-president of Homes Unlimited. "We tried to think about what could be designed here, with this floor plate. We wanted to see, what could be done without tearing the building down." 

Construction will begin as early as this summer and people can start moving in by fall 2025. The building will have 94 residential units, including: 

"Sifton is a real leader in the community in housing and innovation," Foote said. "The city is looking to put some conversion funds forward, as was announced in the mayor's speech earlier this year." 

The city's plan is to offer up to $2 million for office buildings converted into apartments. One-bedroom units get just under $21,000 and two-bedroom units would get $28,155. The city plans to set aside $10 million in total for the conversions. 

London's downtown commercial vacancy is among the highest in the country at 28 per cent. 

Converting offices into livable units is notoriously difficult because of their layout, which includes large floor plates that limit window access and lower ceilings, as well as plumbing and ventilation issues. 

But Sifton and the partners have looked at those stumbling blocks and determined it can be done at the Dufferin building. "Sifton Properties Limited has proactively relocated all previous commercial tenants to alternative accommodations, facilitating an expedited construction timeline," the partners said in a statement. 

"Sifton will donate the building and oversee reconstruction phases for Homes Unlimited, who will assume operational responsibilities for the property." 

Working with Sifton and Homes Unlimited is a great opportunity for St. Paul's as well as for those who will eventually live there, said Kevin George, the cathedral's dean. 

"The problems are dire, the need for housing is evident, and anything we can do to add to the rental units available, we want to do," George said. 

"The building is currently vacant and it creates a golden opportunity. Everybody wins. This is an investment in the future of the city."