Alternative Housing at Bechtel

It has been a busy couple of weeks in the development of the six new affordable homes on Bechtel Street. On Monday, December 6, the first nine containers arrived by truck and were moved by a crane into place. These containers make up the three ground floor units. Once in place a layer of concrete was poured on top of the containers for sound and fire protection.

On December 17, the second floor containers arrived and were craned into place. All of the containers arrived fully finished with countertops, flooring, windows and doors. The six soon to be homes for people in our community are now being hooked up to water and electricity services.

Next steps for the project include:

• Installing the stairs and railings
• Adding exterior cladding and a sloped roof

We have reached another major milestone for the Bechtel affordable housing project! The City of Cambridge has approved the building permit application. This means that the homes meet all of the Ontario Building Code regulations. Modifications of the containers continues, with walls, ceilings and flooring now being installed. Once the modifications and onsite work to prepare the property is complete, the containers will be transported to the property and installed.

The Bechtel Street alternative housing project has reached another major milestone in its development. The City of Cambridge has granted the project site plan approval. This means that work can begin on-site to prepare the property for the installation of the six new homes.

Over the coming weeks, there will be increased activity on the property. This includes trucks coming in and out, workers on-site, and the presence of heavy equipment and machinery. All of this activity is required to prepare the property for the new homes. The work to take place during this time will include:

• Digging up the existing parking lot
• Excavating the area where the new building will be located
• Preparing in-ground infrastructure to service the new homes
• Pouring the foundation for the new building

While the on-site work is taking place, the containers will continue being transformed into new homes, with walls and floors to be built next.

The next step will be receiving the building permit approval, which will allow the containers to be moved from the factory and be installed on-site.

All 18 containers for the new housing at Bechtel St. have arrived on site at the NOW Housing facility where they will be transformed into energy efficient, affordable homes for six households in our community. The pictures below show the before and after transformation that will occur.

Stay tuned for next steps from the Region, including Site Plan Approval and submitting the building permit application.Before: Shipping containers as they arrive on site

After: Energy efficient affordable homes

The Bechtel Street alternative housing project has reached a major milestone in our development! The City of Cambridge is now reviewing the Site Plan Application. The review is to ensure the development is safe, efficient and meets all policies and regulations.

The Bechtel Project Team is also excited to share two images of the building. One is from the view of the existing building on the property and the other is the view from Bechtel Street. The colour and design elements reflect feedback received from the neighbourhood meetings held in December.

Next steps for the Region include responding to any questions or comments that arise during the Site Plan Review and beginning the work required to obtain a building permit.

View from the existing building

View from Bechtel Street

DST Consulting Engineers Inc. will be on site at the Bechtel property on January 19^th, 2021 from 8:00am-5:30pm, weather dependent. They will be testing the soil and rock conditions underground. This work will help determine the type of foundation and paving materials needed for the new six-unit housing complex. The work will be performed by a drill rig that will complete small test holes in various, preplanned locations.

The work will be slightly noisy and the contractor will require access to the parking lot during this time.

Tenants of the building will receive notices directly from Region of Waterloo Facilities and WRH with additional information and instructions for parking relocations.

Region of Waterloo Project Coordinator, Nolan Smith, will be on site at the beginning of the day to ensure the consultant has everything they need to complete the scope of work.

If you have any questions about this work please send an email to: Bechtel@regionofwaterloo.ca or call 519-575-4400 ext 3443.

Meet the Developer

The alternative housing coming to 127 – 161 Bechtel Street now has a developer, and you’re invited you to learn how these new homes will be built in your community. We’re looking forward to hearing your feedback and questions around how these new homes will enhance your neighbourhood and the broader community.

We are hosting two virtual neighbourhood meetings so that the developer, NOW Housing, can showcase their ideas for the property. During this meeting, there will be an opportunity for you to provide feedback on things like building design and greenspace.

If you would like to attend one or both of the virtual neighborhood meetings, please register at the link(s) below for the meeting(s) you wish to attend. After you give register, you will be sent the zoom link to the meeting by email.

Monday Dec 21 from 10-11am Register here

Monday Dec 21 from 7-8 pm Register here

If you would like to participate in the on-line meetings but do not have access to a computer, please call 519-575-4400 ext. 3443 and leave a message. We will call you back with a way to join by phone. If you require other accommodations to attend this meeting, please email Bechtel@regionofwaterloo.ca or call the number above and leave a message.

A recording of the presentation will be made available on this page after the meeting. In addition, the community will have another opportunity to provide input on the ideas for the property through a survey that will be posted after the meetings.

The Bechtel Alternative Housing Project in Cambridge has a proposed developer.

The project’s evaluation team is recommending that Now Housing and Masters of Building Assembly supply and install the units planned for 127-161 Bechtel St.

The recommendation will go to Council for discussion on November 17^th and a decision on November 25^th.

The report with the recommendation will be posted on the Region’s website today by 4:30 p.m. as part of the agenda for the November 17^th meeting. The report itself will be posted on this Engage page in the Key Document section as of November 11^th.

You can view the meetings on YouTube and register to speak through the clerk’s office.

If approved, next steps will include the developer gathering input from the community on the design of the alternative housing.

The call for development proposals for alternative housing at Bechtel closed October 7th. A team of staff from relevant departments, including housing and finance, are evaluating the proposals according to the design guidelines approved by Council and informed by community input. The guidelines require developers to consider:

• Where the new units will be located in proximity to the existing buildings;
• How the new units will blend with the existing buildings; and
• How landscaping and community spaces will be incorporated.

The proposal that best meets these guidelines will go to Committee of the Whole on November 17^th and Regional Council on November 25^th for final approval.

The developer will gather design input from the Bechtel community in December and/or January.

The Region of Waterloo is now accepting expressions of interest for the development of 127-161 Bechtel Drive. Developers will incorporate feedback from the community into their submissions for alternative housing. The deadline to submit an expression of interest is October 7^th. View the Expression of Interest document here.