Team picked to study feasibility of Providence Commons project in Kingston

A team has been chosen to study the feasibility of the potential Providence Commons project in downtown Kingston, Ont.

The group behind the idea to redevelop Providence Manor at 275 Sydenham St. into a community housing hub announced Wednesday that Tim Welch Consulting Inc. (TWC) and partner Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd. (SZA) have won the bid to lead the study.

Providence Village Inc. (PVI) has been helping the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, the owners of the Providence Manor property, to determine the future of the 220,000 sq-ft. building once a new home for the long-term care home is built on Princess Street.

“We are delighted to engage Tim Welch Consulting and Shoalts and Zaback Architects in this essential business case evaluation as part of the next exploration and feasibility phase of the prospective Providence Commons project,” said PVI president and CEO, Laurie French, in a release.

“Their extensive experience, spanning from a local understanding of the site and design to a comprehensive grasp of available solutions and creative collaborations across Ontario, uniquely positions them to examine the feasibility of this ambitious project and engage with potential local partners to deliver their housing initiatives, programs and services.”

Kingston city council approved a plan to provide up to $50,000 from its Affordable Housing Capital Subsidy budget to examine the feasibility of the project in September 2022.

The release from PVI said the potential Providence Commons project would support the critical needs of affordable housing and community services for vulnerable populations in Kingston and surrounding area, with a specific focus on women and women-led households.

The consulting team will “explore and present positive and financially viable solutions” as well as work to seek out potential partnership arrangements with a mix of not-for-profit agencies, community groups and/or private sector organizations over the next few months.

The team will then develop a feasibility assessment business case, which will ultimately inform the next steps in the project, PVI said.

“PVI looks forward to the valuable insights and recommendations that will arise from TWC’s expert analysis and community partner engagement,” the release said.

“Upon the successful completion of TWC’s feasibility study, PVI will deliver an informed recommendation to the Sisters regarding the suggested future use of their property at 275 Sydenham Street based on the findings and conclusions presented in the report.”