Edmonton’s population is growing rapidly and there is a significant gap for both purpose-built rentals and non-market affordable housing. To maintain Edmonton’s affordability and livability, we need to ensure there are housing options for all residents in every area of the city.
The Surplus School Site Program aims to help meet Edmonton’s housing needs by offering shovel-ready land below-market value and construction grants for affordable housing development.
Land Sale or Lease Below Market Value
Subject to Executive Committee and/or City Council approval, the City-owned sites will be sold or leased at below market value for non-market affordable housing which may include mixed-income development.
Land Servicing Subsidy
Subject to Executive Committee and/or City Council approval, funding may be provided to assist in delivering the required servicing to sustain the proposed development.
Items that qualify for funding include offsite infrastructure upgrades required by City departments or external agencies or utilities.
Affordable Housing Construction Grant
The City will provide up to 25% of total capital costs for affordable housing, including the value of land. A minimum of 30% of total units in a project, or across a portfolio of proposed projects, must be secured as affordable to be eligible for the grant. Grants of up to 40% will be considered for projects that offer deeper affordability and/or exceed energy efficiency requirements.
You are welcome to submit on a single site or a portfolio of sites. The listings will be open until at least January 31, 2025.
Buyers must acknowledge the involvement or assistance of any Licensed Real Estate Brokers within their submission.
To Apply
- Review Application Submission Information and the Submission Checklist*
- Email submissions to propertysales@edmonton.ca
*If you are applying for a portfolio of sites, please contact the City's Housing Action Team to discuss your application before you submit.
Email: kyle.payne@edmonton.ca to schedule a meeting.
The City reserves the right at its discretion, to accept, reject, or further negotiate with any or all applicants and/or cancel or modify this offering.
Next Steps
Upon the City's review, you may be contacted to further negotiate and formalize a sales or lease agreement.
The City will begin engaging in negotiations with the top applicants after the listing period has ended, no earlier than February 1, 2025. Pending approval of the Executive Committee and/or City Council to sell or lease the sites below-market, we anticipate that all sites will be awarded and legal agreements finalized by April 1, 2025.
Surplus School Sites Program Guide
Attachments
- Submission Checklist
- Application Submission Information
- Land Value Contribution
- Disbursement Schedule
Eligibility
This opportunity is open to non-profit organizations, for-profit entities and general partnerships between non-profits and for-profit entities that demonstrate:
- Commitment and competence to complete the proposed development.
- Expertise and proven ability to undertake the proposed development.
- Financial soundness, including:
- Financial and operational ability to complete and maintain the development.
- Capacity to handle development risks (for instance cost overruns, delays).
- Managerial competence and capabilities.
- Demonstrate that the organization is financially stable enough to meet its obligations and continue its business for a sustainable future.
Developments that the City will consider for sale or lease and funding on the sites include, but are not limited to:
- Affordable near-market rental
- Mixed-income developments with an affordable housing component
- Mixed-use developments with an affordable housing component
- Mixed-use / mixed-income developments that include affordable home ownership along with affordable housing rental units within the larger parcel
- Rent-geared-to-income/deep subsidy
- Permanent supportive housing
Additional consideration will be given to Indigenous organizations that have current Memorandums of Understanding or Letters of Intent to work collaboratively on Housing initiatives with the City of Edmonton.
Mandatory Minimum Requirements
Applications will be reviewed to ensure that they meet minimum mandatory criteria.
Highest priority will be given to submissions that provide:
- Greater amounts of affordable housing units under a long-term agreement
- Deep rental subsidies
- Energy efficiency
- Accessibility options for tenants
- Value to City investment
There is no direct scoring for these priorities. A City of Edmonton selection panel will identify the preferred buyers and enter into negotiations on grant funding allocation and preferred sites if a portfolio application is submitted.
Submissions must include a project plan outlining key development milestones confirming their ability to meet timelines as set out in the sales or lease listing(s).
- Excludes single detached housing.
- Must conform to all applicable regulations of the assigned zone.
- The development must remain affordable for a minimum of 25 years from the date of the issuance of the last occupancy permit (or equivalent). A maximum agreement term of 40 years on a land sale or 99 years under a land lease. Proposed developments with a longer affordability term are preferred.
- Affordable units must be rented at or below the Maximum Allowable Rental Rates (MARR). At a minimum, 30% of total residential units must have rent payments that do not exceed 80% of average market rental rates, or rent geared to income with rent payments that do not exceed 30% of the occupant’s gross household income and tenants meet income thresholds, applied either to the individual project or portfolio of projects proposed.
- Additional eligibility or payment criteria for occupants may be proposed for consideration by, or imposed by, the City of Edmonton.
- A 5% equity contribution to the project must be provided by the Applicant, except in special cases as determined and documented at the discretion of the Director level of the area implementing the Surplus School Site Program Guide.
- Applicants must provide evidence of the financial viability of the proposed development, including all sources of capital construction funding, pro-forma statements for the operations including (but not limited to) supplemental information on key cost drivers such as staffing, insurance, maintenance, rental income, vacancy management and allowances, ability to fund future capital upgrades and other financial details as the City deems necessary for assessment.
- The number of units, grant funding requests, and unit costs will be reviewed as part of the application process. Where costs are higher than the amounts provided in the current Altus Canadian Cost Guide, the City may ask the applicant to provide rationale.
- Three years of financial history of the applicant, as evidenced by Audited Financial Statements.
* If the Applicant does not have 3 years of financial history, as evidenced by Audited Financial Statements or on the discretion of the City, the City may require a third-party guarantor to provide financial backing through a Guarantee Agreement with the City.
Development must achieve at least Tier 1 of the 2020 National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB).
Projects must meet all minimum building code accessibility requirements. However, developments that meet higher accessibility standards, including, but not limited to, universal design, visitable units, units designed for persons in wheelchairs, and barrier-free bathrooms are preferred.
Current Listings
Site Studies
Site studies are available upon request to potential purchasers of the property. Potential purchasers are obligated to sign an acknowledgement form that limits their ability to disclose and rely on the contents of the reports.
Please send your request to propertysales@edmonton.ca.
Belmont - Affordable Housing
Address: 13207 - 37 Street NW
Land Area: 1.41 hectares or 3.5 acres (approximately)
Status: Available
Dunluce - Affordable Housing
Address: 12030 - 162 Avenue NW
Land Area: 1.00 hectare or 2.48 acres (approximately)
Status: Available
Lymburn - Affordable Housing
Address: 7204 - 184 Street NW
Land Area: 1.40 hectares or 3.47 acres (approximately)
Status: Available
Summerlea - Affordable Housing
Address: 9104, 9020 - 175 Street NW
Land Area: 1.00 hectare or 2.46 acres (approximately)
Status: Available
Blue Quill - Affordable Housing
Address: 2710, 2810 - 112 Street NW
Land Area: 1.40 hectares or 3.47 acres (approximately)
Status: Available
Kiniski Gardens North - Affordable Housing
Address: 4320 - 41 Avenue NW
Land Area: 1.20 hectares or 2.98 acres (approximately)
Status: Available
Miller - Affordable Housing
Address: 4910 Matheson Way NW
Land Area: 1.34 hectare or 3.31 acres (approximately)
Status: Available
Wedgewood - Affordable Housing
Address: 1003, 1021 - Wedgewood Boulevard
Land Area: 1.13 hectares or 2.79 acres (approximately)
Status: Available
Caernarvon North - Affordable Housing
Address: 14903 - 121 Street NW
Land Area: 1.40 hectares or 3.45 acres (approximately)
Status: Available
La Perle - Affordable Housing
Address: 9611 - 189 Street NW
Land Area: 1.13 hectare or 2.80 acres (approximately)
Status: Available
Overlanders - Affordable Housing
Address: 12770 - Victoria Trail NW
Land Area: 1.29 hectares or 3.18 acres (approximately)
Status: Available
Costs and Funding
The successful developer will be responsible for paying for all applicable permits, fees and taxes unless noted below. Funds from the construction grant for affordable housing can be allocated by the developer to offset the costs of permits and fees.
Estimates based on the 2024 Fee Schedules:
| Applicable Fee | Details |
|---|---|
| Development Permit and Compliance Certificate Fees |
See Section 2 of the 2024 Planning and Development Fee Schedules |
| Building and Trade Permit Fees |
See Section 3 of the 2024 Planning and Development Fee Schedules |
| Servicing Agreement Inspection Fees | See Section 1, Additional Land Development Fees of the 2024 Planning and Development Fee Schedules |
| Off-site levies | N/A to Surplus School Sites as subdivision is already underway and costs will be born by the City. See Off-site Levies Questions and Answers |
| Sanitary Sewer Trunk Charge Fee |
Effective May 13, 2024, the SSSF Oversight Committee has agreed to pause SSSF charges, including SSTC and Expansion Assessment charges. For details, see Sanitary Servicing Strategy Fund Pause on Fee Collection. Through November 2026 all SSSF costs on affordable housing are paused. |
| Property taxes | Use the City’s Property Tax Estimator to see how much property tax your project is estimated to be charged annually based on the value of the land and proposed improvements. Property tax exemptions or relief may be available for properties held by non-profit organizations and religious bodies. Grants may also be available to offset municipal property taxes for non-profit entities operating affordable housing. For more information see Tax Exemptions and Relief. |
The City has identified the expected servicing costs for each site. These costs will be covered by the City of Edmonton through the Land Servicing Subsidy which is detailed in the Surplus School Site Program Guide.
To request a copy of the land servicing study for your prospective site(s) email propertysales@edmonton.ca.
Funds for the development of Surplus School Sites comes from the Housing Accelerator Fund. The City’s maximum contribution would be $99M for all of the sites.
For more, see Housing Accelerator Fund.
No, Surplus School Sites will not be eligible for the Infill Infrastructure fund, however they will be eligible for similar benefits through the Land Servicing Subsidy as detailed in the Program Guide.
No, Surplus School Sites will not be eligible for the Affordable Housing Investment Program, however they will be eligible for the similar benefits through the Affordable Housing Construction Grant as detailed in the Program Guide.
Housing Need in Edmonton
The City of Edmonton believes all residents deserve access to safe, adequate and affordable housing.
According to the City's Housing Needs Assessment, 1 in 4 households that rent in Edmonton are in core housing need, meaning they pay too much for housing or live in crowded or unsafe conditions and can't afford to move.
Affordable housing is offered at below-market cost for households that earn less than median income for their household size.
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