A dedication and community celebration was held at the new Clarke Court Saturday, a 32-unit affordable housing project named after Ann Clarke located in the community of Kingsland, across Glenmore Trail and Chinook Centre.

It was six years ago that the City of Calgary approached the Kingsland Community Association about building affordable housing on an empty parcel of land near Macleod Trail.

The association welcomed the request, despite not having an exceptionally big need for affordable housing in their neighbourhood.

“Not in Kingsland particularly. We have other affordable housing close to us here, but we saw a need in the city as a whole. And this piece of land just lent itself to this building. So we were very happy to see it here,” former community association president Ann Clarke said.

The development has a wide range of unit sizes, from studio to three bedroom units which are in high demand. There is also a range of prices, which vary from fully subsidized at $350 up to $1,095.

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“This building is a fantastic new model where we have a mix of homes for people who require a deep subsidy and near market renters. So it provides a blend and it provides a lot of options for families as their household income and their circumstances change,” Sarah Woodgate, director of Calgary Housing with the City of Calgary and president of the Calgary Housing Company, said.

The Calgary Housing Company (CHC) will manage the building. CHC manages more than 10,000 affordable housing units with more than 25,000 tenants and provides a variety of mixed income housing options.

The Calgary Homeless Foundation said the number of rentals available in Calgary may appear to be good news but the going rates are still too steep for many families who have been hit by layoffs.

“Affordability is the issue. We may have some vacancies now, but that doesn’t mean people can pay the rent or the cost to get in,” Diana Krecsy, president and CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation, said. “Demographics have changed as well. We have a lot more families that need help as well. It’s an absolutely critical need. Calgary is one of the least affordable cities for housing to live.”

The community expressed concerns about parking in the area as well but residents were told many of the people moving in would not have vehicles and that the site was chosen in part because of the many transit options around Kingsland.

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“The city really wants to put this kind of building in communities and you have to be realistic. Communities have to be realistic,” Clarke said.

Clarke has been on the board of the Kingsland Community Association for more than 30 years.

“I feel unhappy when people say ‘no, don’t put it in my community.’ They are beautiful buildings and people need places to live. We need places for people to live that are not as lucky as all of us,” Clarke said.

The Calgary Housing Company has 4,000 households on their wait list for affordable housing. Residents will be moving into Clarke Court this fall.

There are two more affordable housing developments currently being planned in the Calgary communities of Wildwood and in Rosedale.

Two others were completed this year in Crescent Heights and Bridgeland.