On schedule to open next year, construction of a 347-unit housing complex overlooking downtown Sudbury is well underway and projected to advance quickly.
“The first couple of floors are going to be a little bit trickier before the guys get the hang of it, but I think they’ll be putting in a floor a week,” Caneagle business affairs representative Joey Mastrogiuseppe told Sudbury.com this week.
As of this week, all of the building’s footings were in place and crews were working on the first of the building's 17 storeys.
A couple months behind their original schedule overall, Mastrogiuseppe said the delays have been worthwhile to help get the project done to the high quality they’re aspiring toward.
“It’s pretty much what we anticipated,” he said. “We took extra care, we’re very proud of this project and it’s an important project for us, so we probably overkilled a couple of things but we’re really happy with the way it’s looking.”
Made of precast concrete, he said forms are cast on-site before being raised up with a crane “like a Lego building” to assemble the structure, Mastrogiuseppe said.
A crew of approximately 30-40 people are typically on site working on the project, which will also house 80 child-care spaces on the main floor.
With the residential units geared toward seniors, Mastrogiuseppe said the child-care centre adds a unique confluence of generations to the building.
“We love that whole intergenerational aspect of it,” he said.
The developers have been in discussions with partners to offer such services as a physiotherapist, hairdresser, pharmacy or doctor’s office within the building, but nothing has been set in stone as yet.
Located atop a hill, a winding road will provide a main access to the building from Brady Street.
The project is the brainchild of developer Jack Wolofsky, who has been working on making Project Manitou a reality for decades. He was also the developer of the Cherry Gardens housing complex which neighbours Project Manitou.
The project’s total estimated cost is $110 million, which includes $73 million from the federal government (through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation), $8 million from Wolofsky and a $29-million bank loan.
The $73-million federal pledge consists of $3 million in funding and $70 million as a repayable loan.
“We’re really happy with the way we’re collaborating with all the government levels and the city, and we’re really proud of our labour force.”
Of its 347 units, 105 will be classified as affordable, which is defined as 80 per cent of the median market rate.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.