1 Case Study: Regent Park

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Regent ParkToronto, ON

Context

Archetype Characterization

• Archetype:Existing Neighbourhood Revitalization

• Density: N/A

• Size:2,087 units, existing 28 ha site, 5,115 units, future 28 ha site

• Mix:Retail, commercial, institutional and residential

Integrated Community Energy System Application

• All buildings in the development will be connected to a district energy system. The system will produce high-efficiency heating and cooling for all the residential and commercial buildings in Regent Park.

• The district energy system will have the potential to generate electricity from green sources like cogeneration, solar and geothermal in the future.

Spring 2009

COMMUNITY ENERGY CASE STUDIES:

District Energy Community Biomass Solar Wind CHP Heat Pump

• Over the past two decades, Regent Park has been the subject of a number of fruitless revitalization discussions.

• The most recent initiative was started in the mid 1990’s by the Ontario Housing Corporation (the previous owner of the site) and the Ministry of Housing and culminated in 1997, however, the development did not proceed.

• The recent transfer of responsibility for public housing from the Province to the City of Toronto’s Community Housing Corporation created an opportunity to re-examine the possibility of redevelopment and regeneration.

• Regent Park is Canada's oldest and largest community housing project with most structures having gone without major capital upgrades.

Drivers and Rationale to do the Project

2 Case Study: Regent Park

Benefits

• The district energy system will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 8,000 tonnes a year during phase one of the neighbourhood revitalization.

• The 30-year savings will be about 400,000 tonnes, which is equivalent to taking more than 66,000 cars off the road for a year.

• The design of the Community Energy System makes it a more efficient way to heat and cool the buildings in Regent Park - up to 50% more efficient (in terms of GHG emissions) than a typical heating and cooling arrangement.

• The energy costs 15% less than traditional systems.

• The energy system will use a component system which will allow Toronto Community Housing to seamlessly add or switch to renewable sources of energy, like solar or geothermal power in future.

• There is also the potential to sell excess electricity to the Ontario power grid through Toronto Hydro.

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April 2002 - 2003

Regent Park Revitalization Study and Action Plan commissioned and approved by Toronto Community Housing Board

May 2003 - 2004

Obtained planning approvals and conducted in infrastructure and planning studies

July 2003

Regent Park Plan was approved by shareholder (City Council)

Summer/Fall 2003

Sought provincial consent for redevelopment

Created organizational structure/development corporation for redevelopment

Fall 2003

Developed relocation plan and community plan

Winter 2003 - 2004

Located/constructed off site geared to income units

January 2005

Planning was approved

Winter 2006

Demolition began

Fall 2006

Construction of first phase began

Spring 2009

The first group of tenants scheduled to move into new homes

Timeline and Status

Project Description

• Regent Park is a public housing development that is being redeveloped into a combination of mixed-use buildings with a wide variety of retail, commercial and institutional uses along with a diversity of residential building types in downtown Toronto.

• Built between 1948 and 1959, the development contains 2,087 rent-geared-to-income units (RGI), accommodating a population of approximately 7,500.

• The new plan will retain all of the RGI units and will add an additional 3,000 market units in a mixed income community consisting of residential, retail, community service, institutional and park uses.

• Upon completion, approximately 5,000 residential units will be created, representing an estimated population of 12,000.

• The redevelopment plan is based on a 10-12 year build out.

3 Case Study: Regent Park

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District Energy System: • The boilers and chillers are located in the base of the 22-storey Toronto Community Housing building at the

corner of Dundas and Sackville Streets.

• A distribution system of insulated underground pipes will deliver heating, cooling and hot water to buildings throughout Regent Park.

• The Regent Park Community Energy System has the future potential to connect to buildings outside the Regent Park development, to provide them with heating, cooling and hot water.

• The primary fuel will be natural gas but the system is designed so that it can easily incorporate solar energy or geothermal power.

• There are future plans to use cogeneration which could produce up to five megawatts of power.

• The Regent Park Community Energy System will be capable of delivering 11 megawatts of heating and up to 2,350 tonnes of chilled water when it comes online for phase one.

• The system will be fully operational when the first buildings are complete in spring 2009.

• Additional boilers and chillers added during future phases of the Regent Park Revitalization will increase output to

30 megawatts of heating and 3,700 tonnes of cooling.

• GHG reductions will total 8,000 tonnes a year during phase one, and a total of 400,000 tonnes over 30 years. That's the equivalent of taking more than 66,000 cars off the road for one year.

• Toronto Community Housing will run the Regent Park Community Energy System as a joint venture, in partnership with Corix Utilities, a leading energy industry expert.

o Toronto Community Housing will retain control through 60% ownership.

Considerations for Implementation and Ownership

• Nearly 400 households from phase one - about 1,160 residents - were relocated. All residents who were relocated had the right to return once the new buildings are completed. All moving and related costs are paid by Toronto Community Housing.

• The Daniels Corporation is the developer/partner with Toronto Community Housing for phase one. Daniels oversees the design of the new buildings and will build all the buildings. They will also sell the market units.

Project Description (Continued)

4 Case Study: Regent Park

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Costs and Financing

• The redevelopment of the rent-geared-to income units at Regent Park will cost close to $450 million.

• 90% of the funding for the project will come from reinvested operating savings, reallocation of the Toronto Community Housing capital repair funds to new construction, funds from the sale or lease of surplus land, a Toronto Community Housing equity contribution of $30 million and long-term debt financing.

• To run the district energy system, Toronto Community Housing is investing $36 million and Corix Utilities is investing $24 million.

Relationship to Other Best Practices

• All new buildings built as part of the Regent Park Revitalization will be built to LEED Gold standard certification.

• A lot of the challenges with the construction of a development with such a large energy plant are to co-ordinate the mechanical and structural requirements closely.

• Work is ongoing to complete construction of the first phase of the development, and lessons are still being learned.

Lessons Learned (as of February 2009)

Additional Information

• Additional information may be obtained from the Toronto Community Housing Corporation’s web site at www.torontohousing.ca/regentpark

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