Construction began Thursday on a $23.6-million affordable housing project in Mill Woods, marking one of the first developments on surplus school sites the city sold to developers last year. The Kiniski Gardens project in Burnewood will deliver 68 affordable homes, split evenly between three-bedroom townhouses and single-bedroom units, with a parking lot for 76 cars.
Project Details and Location
The site, located at 4320 41 Ave. NW next to Julia Kiniski School, sits within a small-scale residential neighbourhood with three other schools within walking distance. The development is being undertaken by Right at Home Housing Society, a non-profit organization.
Marisa Redmond, executive director of Right at Home Housing Society, said the project aims to provide stable housing for families. “Housing is the foundation upon which people build their lives,” she said.
Affordability Commitments
Funding agreements require rents to be capped well below average market rates, based on annual Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data, for a minimum of 40 years. Redmond stated that rates at Kiniski Gardens will be between 60 and 80 per cent of market prices, and she hopes to extend affordability beyond the four-decade commitment. “Our goal is to maintain them as affordable housing in perpetuity,” she added.
City's Housing Initiative
The groundbreaking follows a November 2025 announcement by the city that 1,300 new housing units, including 950 affordable ones, would be built after selling 11 surplus school sites to developers at reduced prices. The city had held the land since 2009. Mayor Andrew Knack emphasized the importance of using surplus land to boost housing supply. “It’s not affordable for everyone. More than 46,000 households are living in unsafe, overcrowded, or unaffordable homes and simply cannot afford better options,” Knack said.
Funding Sources
The nearly dozen projects are funded through a mix of housing initiatives, including $100 million from the federal government’s housing accelerator fund and $77 million from a joint provincial-federal agreement supporting seven of the projects. For Kiniski Gardens specifically, the city is providing the land, valued at $2.5 million, and a $3.4 million construction grant from the accelerator fund. An additional $5 million comes from joint provincial-federal funding, while Right at Home will cover the remainder through traditional financing.
Other planned projects are in Belmont, Blue Quill, Caernarvon, Dunluce, La Perle, Lymburn, Miller, Overlanders, and Summerlea, each at different stages of development, according to Mayor Knack.
