Site of former Catholic school to be used for affordable housing project
Posted May 2, 2025 06:00:00 AM.
Last Updated May 2, 2025 11:05:08 AM.
An old Catholic school on Chalmers Street South in the Galt area of Cambridge will soon have new life.
Cambridge council voted on Tuesday to approve a rezone and official plan amendment for the site of the former St. Ambrose Catholic Elementary School at 25 Chalmers St. S. to be used for a future multi-unit residential development.
The site was one of two that were selected by the city late last year to be fast-tracked for housing as part of the city’s involvement in the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), which is looking to meet specific goals with city-owned properties by the end of 2026.
Two public meetings were held to gather input in November 2024 and February. Nicole Goodbrand, a senior planner with the City of Cambridge, said a traffic study that was completed showed there could be an impact on Main Street in particular.
“To mitigate those potential concerns, the study recommends adjustments to the traffic signal timing at the affected intersections,” she said. The planner noted that traffic lights are controlled by the Region of Waterloo.
Any potential development would be capped at four storeys, and could also be used for “institutional and small-scale commercial uses.” A conservative number used in the traffic study determined that a proposed development could house around 228 units, but a solid number has not been confirmed.
“We’ve heard countless stories of persons who have no place to live; they have been searching for years and are looking for an affordable home,” Scott Hamilton, Ward 7 Councillor, said. “I think it’s an exciting project on behalf of the city to work through the HAF initiative to bring forward such a great proposal with a lot of potential to do a lot of good for our residents.”
St. Ambrose Catholic Elementary School operated from 1956 to 2016. Since it’s closure, it’s been mostly vacant. The city bought the property in 2019.
Next steps are for the city to hire a builder for the development, and are aiming to have it done by the end of November.
