{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"New Housing Alternatives","title":"Transit, Timber, and Co-Ops","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1995,"description":"In this episode of New Housing Alternatives, hosts Cherise Burda and Dr. Ren Thomas speak with Graeme Hussey, President of Nesting Ground and Director of Affordable Housing at Windmill Developments. They explore how a sustainability‑focused private developer is partnering with non‑profits and co‑ops to deliver low‑carbon, mixed‑income housing, using the One Planet Living framework to make affordability and sustainability core requirements rather than trade‑offs.Graeme walks through flagship projects like the Kennedy Station co‑op community at 2444 Eglinton East, a nine‑storey mass‑timber building at 230 Royal York, and a 400‑unit, transit‑oriented mass‑timber development at 1460 Riverside Drive in Ottawa. He also breaks down the policy tools needed to scale this work—predictable low‑cost financing, municipal fee and tax relief, and federal support for offsite and prefab construction to unlock more climate‑aligned non‑market housing.Key Takeaways  Mixed market and non‑market housing is becoming the new normal. With high costs and declining affordability, many viable projects now blend market units with deeply affordable or co‑op homes in the same buildings, backed by partnerships and layered incentives.  Scale matters for non‑profit housing. It can take similar effort to build 20 units as 200; organizations like Nesting Ground aim to tackle the housing crisis by doing fewer, larger, multi‑hundred‑unit projects, often in multiple municipalities.  Sustainability is no longer optional. For long‑term non‑profit owners, energy efficiency, low operating costs, and low‑carbon materials (like mass timber) are central to both climate goals and affordability over the building’s life.  Modern methods of construction (MMC) and offsite building are key enablers. Prefab and offsite construction can deliver faster, better‑quality, more energy‑efficient buildings, and align well with federal priorities such as Build Canada Homes—if policy and funding de‑risk this sector.  Policy...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/BKM7lGJ2EZ_i6AuOOKCMh_Qqaj32gJ7zqd3Rfy62guQ/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS84Y2Jm/MjQxMjcyZmU0MzNh/ODQ3MWFjMWVlMWQ0/YWViNC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}