Province funds first-ever school built in a condominium building
In an effort to get more schools built, the Ontario government has announced a first-of-its-kind solution.
It’s funding construction of an elementary school in a condominium building.
The province announced a commitment to spend $44 million on the project in partnership with the Toronto District School Board and Menkes Developments.
The arrangement sees the construction of a 455-space Lower Yonge Precinct Elementary School in the podium of a mixed-use condominium building at Yonge and Harbour Street in downtown Toronto. The province expects the model could be replicated as a solution to meeting the education needs of working families in urban and high-density environments.
“With many families living in condos and high-density urban communities, we believe their children deserve access to modern and safe schools in the hearts of their communities,” said Education Minister Stephen Lecce. “I am proud to deliver this progressive urban school within a high-density condominium project. This innovative partnership will provide access for young families to a state-of-the-art school in the heart of Toronto.”
The project is part of a provincewide investment of more than $600 million to support new school and child care spaces. The overall investment will support 78 school and child care related projects. As part of this investment, the province dedicated more than $565 million to create more than 19,700 new student spaces and 1,500 child care spaces at schools across the province.
“The new Lower Yonge Precinct Elementary School will be a great new addition to our city and will provide much-needed space for students,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory. “We know that in a growing city like Toronto, we need unique and creative approaches to creating important public spaces like schools. This new project between the provincial government and Menkes Development will bring the school right into the community at a new mixed-use condominium.”
The investment is part of the Ontario government’s commitment to provide $14 billion to support school construction over 10 years. There are currently more than 300 child care and education building-related projects in development across Ontario with more than 100 actively under construction.
In addition, the province has allotted more than $600 million to support ventilation improvements in schools across Ontario to support a safer return to school.
The Toronto District School Board has benefited from an investment of $65.8 million for ventilation improvements and has almost 16,000 HEPA filter units in place.
Featured image: Lower Yonge Precinct community.