County plans Nov. 9 opening celebration for Kathleen Avenue housing

The 50-apartment development includes 14 accessible supportive units. County records trace its construction and anticipated $16.5-million cost as the housing waitlist exceeds 1,100 households.

Lambton County will mark the opening of 50 new deeply affordable apartments on Kathleen Avenue on Nov. 9, bringing a housing project endorsed in 2024 to its official opening while more than 1,100 households remain on the county’s centralized housing waitlist.

The three-storey building at 471 Kathleen Ave. in Sarnia contains 50 one-bedroom apartments. Fourteen are barrier-free supportive units to be operated by March of Dimes Canada.

The county’s current project update lists an anticipated total cost of $16.5 million, or approximately $330,000 per apartment across the full project.

According to the county’s Nov. 2 media advisory, households on its centralized housing waitlist face average waits of approximately four years.

The ribbon cutting begins at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9. The media event will include remarks from local dignitaries, media availability and an opportunity to tour the building.

County council endorsed the development in 2024, and Sarnia City Council approved a zoning bylaw amendment for the site that year, according to the county’s project timeline.

The county tendered construction in February 2025. Its procurement record lists May 26, 2025, as the award date.

S.E.M. Construction Limited was selected as the contractor and began site work in 2025. The company describes the development on its project page as a $13.4-million construction project.

The Journal’s earlier construction coverage documented work through 2025, as the building moved from foundations and structural work toward enclosure. Occupancy was expected in fall 2026.

In September, the county invited residents to suggest a name for the development. Its announcement said all 50 apartments would be deeply affordable, rent-geared-to-income units, with residents expected to begin moving in during late fall.

County council adopted a recommendation on naming the building at its Nov. 4 meeting, according to the county’s meeting highlights. The county has said the selected name will be announced at the official opening.

The May 2025 At Home in the County of Lambton report update modelled a total cost of approximately $17.4 million before HST. Its potential funding sources included $1 million from the county, $1.1 million through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, approximately $7.67 million in Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation grants, and approximately $7.65 million in CMHC loans or debentures.

County staff had applied for CMHC funding at the time, and the federal amounts were estimates.

Kathleen Avenue follows another county housing addition at Maxwell Park Place on Maxwell Street. The county says that 24-unit expansion, including six barrier-free supportive units served by March of Dimes Canada, was completed in February 2026.

Both developments add housing to a system where demand continues to exceed available units. The county’s 2026–2035 Housing and Homelessness Plan, approved in June, identifies expanding affordable housing, protecting existing stock and developing services for people with complex needs among its priorities.