Hotel converted into affordable housing with dozens of units for rent in Brampton

A former hotel is about to reopen its doors to dozens of lower-income renters and youth seeking transitional housing in Brampton.

The Region of Peel will cut the ribbon on a new 67-unit affordable housing project  in Brampton this week called Birch Place, a two-storey complex that used to be a Comfort Inn hotel.

The building has been a hotel since the 1980s but was purchased by the region in 2021 with plans to convert the property into affordable housing. With 50 rental units and 17 transitional housing units for youth between the ages of 16 and 24, the region is set to open Birch Place on Friday.

Birch Place is on Rutherfurd Drive and is located near public transit routes with units ranging from bachelor suites to one-bedroom apartments with barrier-free options available for residents with disabilities. The new development features outdoor amenity spaces, an indoor common area, and extensive renovations including new elevators, flooring and air conditioning. There’s a shared laundry room facility and utilities include hydro and water.

Over 16,000 households in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon fall under the region’s affordable housing system, and the region says there’s a particular need for more youth transitional housing as identified by the Peel Housing and Homelessness Plan.

The region has been pushing to increase its housing stock as Ontario and much of Canada is grappling with an affordability crisis. Housing advocates have called for rental replacement bylaws in Brampton to protect tenants from what have been called “renovictions” and “demovictions.”

Other recent housing announcements include $18 million funding for a 150-unit affordable housing development in Brampton’s Mount Pleasant community, a 118-unit project on Lakeshore Road in Mississauga and a development specifically for families escaping violence.

The unveiling of the new Birch Place affordable housing development is this Friday in Brampton. For more information on affordable housing options and projectS in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon visit www.peelregion.ca.