Barrie Developer Introduces Affordable Condo Project Using Modular Techniques

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Sean Homes is launching an affordable condo project in Barrie, utilizing innovative construction methods and housing incentive programs to offer units at competitive prices.

In response to a sluggish condo market, some developers are shifting their focus towards purpose-built rentals or larger, pricier units. However, one developer in Barrie is taking a different approach by leveraging modular and standardized construction techniques to reintroduce affordability into the condo market. Sean Homes’s latest project, named 405 Essa, is strategically located on the west side of Essa Road, just north of the intersection with Ferndale and Veterans Drive in south Barrie. The project promises a groundbreaking offer: potential homeowners can own a condo for less than what they would pay in rent. The pre-construction studio units are priced at $249,990, with monthly payments, including mortgage, taxes, and condo fees, starting at an attractive $1,500. The development will also feature a variety of unit types, including lofts, one-bedroom options starting at $399,990, and two-bedroom units beginning at $499,990. While the final pricing for some unit types is still being determined, Sean Mason, the founder of Sean Homes, aims for 70% of the units to be affordable, each priced under $425,000. Mason emphasizes the target demographic for these condos, stating, "This is housing for someone making $24 an hour. That’s someone who is a construction labourer, a painter, a waitress, or a cook. Not a chef, but a cook. That’s who I’m trying to serve." To further enhance affordability, Mason has adapted Barrie’s Development Charge (DC) waiver program, which was originally designed for rental developments that offer at least 20% affordable housing in intensification corridors, to apply it to this for-sale condo project. In exchange for a full city fee waiver, Mason has committed to ensuring that 20% of the building will consist of affordable units. Remarkably, about 70% of the smaller units qualify for Ontario’s automatic provincial DC exemption for affordable housing, meaning that the city waiver effectively subsidizes the remaining 30% of market-rate units. Additionally, Barrie has recently reduced its DCs by 50%, further decreasing the project's overall costs. Mason highlights the financial implications of this initiative, stating, "For an investment of around $1.5 million, they’re getting approximately 90 affordable, for-sale condo units in the City of Barrie. When I speak with staff, they say, ‘our return on investment here is amazing.’" Another significant aspect of the project is the use of modular and standardized construction methods. The development will be constructed using large cross-laminated mass timber panels, which allow for quicker and more cost-effective installation. Mason notes, "We order the largest panels they can fit on a truck. So it’s affordable. Because then when you’re lifting pieces up, you’re only lifting one big piece instead of three different smaller pieces." To enhance efficiency further, standardized balconies are being imported from the UK, with Mason claiming they can install one every 15 minutes. The project will also incorporate new technologies such as interior source heat pumps to minimize energy costs, plasma phase change hot water technology that eliminates the need for a central boiler, and robotic parking stackers that reduce the necessity for additional underground levels, thus saving on materials and construction time. The seven-storey mixed-use development will feature 134 residential units with contemporary interiors and retail space on the ground floor. Amenities planned for the building include a coffee bar in the lobby, a co-working lounge, a year-round sauna and snow lounge, and fitness classes including boxing and yoga. The construction is anticipated to commence this winter, contingent on a successful sales launch scheduled for the end of October, an outcome Mason is optimistic about. Occupancy for the 405 Essa project is projected to begin in two years.

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