FLORENCE STREET PROJECT

Our pilot project will create 179 units of mixed market and permanently affordable rental housing, owned and governed by the community

This development represents the creation of community wealth that will be preserved in perpetuity by the land trust.

We are committed to demonstrating that affordable housing can be beautiful, dignified, and healthy for residents, that it can create vibrant, sustainable communities, and that building for climate resilience is crucial to the well-being of the entire region.

Construction technologies will include low carbon panels and cross laminated timber as a path to accomplishing the ambitious goal of creating a series of durable, net-zero buildings that will be more affordable to operate over the lifecycle of the development than standard buildings.

We are currently doing the pre-development surveys and work necessary to have the property rezoned and our financing application to CMHC submitted.

We expect site preparation work to begin in late summer, with the first two 36-unit buildings ready for occupancy in the fall of 2026.

Take the Huntsville Community Insight Survey

The crisis of lack of affordable and accessible housing is directly connected to the climate crisis. We should and can address both together.

The Muskoka Community Land Trust is a founding partner of G.R.E.A.T. (Green Resilient Environmental Affordable Together), alongside Fourth Pig Green & Natural Construction, Karis Disability Services, Community Living Huntsville, Tooketree Passive Homes, and Scaled Purpose.

G.R.E.A.T. received funding from the National Housing Strategy and the Investment Readiness Program to demonstrate the viability of a purpose-built rental sixplex that is sustainable, with a mix of deeply affordable and accessible, below market, and market rental units. Our goal is for the G.R.E.A.T. Co-op to be one of the first tenants of the Florence Street Project.

Learn more about G.R.E.A.T. here

Timeline

Stay Updated

January 2022: Town of Huntsville offers a 4 acre parcel of land on Florence Street to the MCLT for the development of affordable housing
January 2023: Town of Huntsville offers a 7.5 acre parcel of land on Florence Street in place of the original 4 acre parcel
August 2023: Completion of an initial business plan and site concept for Florence Street
October 2023: Rental housing prioritized as the model for Florence Street after community consultations, business plan and site concept amended
January 2024: Large scale community engagement and Indigenous engagement begin through the funding support of the Community Housing Transformation Centre
June 2024: Raising the Roof hired as development manager
August 2024: Negotiations with the Town of Huntsville on the conditions for land transfer begin
November 2024: Community Engagement report released
December 2024: District of Muskoka approves an investment of $320,000 into pre-development work on Florence Street
January 2025: Mosaik Architects Collaborative hired as architect
January 2025: Huntsville Town Council agrees with the conditions of the land transfer and directs staff to address work with the MCLT to complete