Construction is officially underway on a new multi-building apartment complex near the Owen Sound Harbour.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held Thursday morning at the long vacant site of the former Black Clawson Kennedy foundry — 1144 1st Avenue West — to formally mark the start of construction on a 224-unit apartment development.
Representatives from project partners Hansa Financial and Kingsley Management, as well as Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy, Deputy Mayor Scott Greig, other councillors and city officials were on hand to celebrate the milestone.
It’s been a long time coming. The Black Clawson Kennedy foundry closed in 1996. Hansa Financial, one of the partners in the project, acquired the property in 2004.
“At that point it was, in a state of semi-demolished. Several buildings were still here. We acquired it and took it through demolition to the point where we are now,” says Hansa Senior Principal Al Way. “Then we decontaminated it. Because it was an industrial site for over 100 years. To get the ability to build residential, which is the highest and cleanest site requirement, we went through that process.”
The new apartment complex has been branded Harbour West. When fully built out, it will include six, four-storey buildings. All 224 units will be purpose-built rentals. Ten per cent of the apartment units will meet the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s “affordable housing” standard. Parking, green space and a community amenity building are also part of the development plans.
Loud sounds sometimes rang out from an excavator actively working at another end of the eight-acre property during the ground-breaking ceremony.
“We’ve been active in construction for about a month now,” says Kingsley Management Chief Operating Officer Geoff McMurdo. “We’re just crushing the old factory foundations, and then we’ll start doing some grading. All of the city services are here, so it’s just connecting.”
“We’ll gey into heavy construction later this year,” McMurdo adds.
Construction on the six apartment buildings will be completed in phases. McMurdo says the hope is the first building will have occupancy by late summer or early fall in 2026.
“The buildings will be built in sequence. We’re hoping to occupy buildings about one month in between buildings,” McMurdo explains. “In a perfect world, it’s about a six-month timeline from first to last occupancy.”
McMurdo also shared a story about a personal link to the 1st Avenue West property the new apartment buildings will be built on. He is originally from Owen Sound and says his grandfather worked at the Black Clawson Kennedy foundry for over 40 years.
“I do remember as a kid being toured through the buildings here,” McMurdo recalls. “Not only did I grow up in Owen Sound, but I definitely have some roots and links right to this site. It’s kind of a bit of a coming home for me, small world.”
Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy says it’s nice to see an old site that was “very productive in its day and change it to housing.”
“It’s nice for the harbourfront and nice for the River District,” Owen Sound Mayor Ian Boddy says. “Over the years we’ve talked about (how) downtowns really thrive when there’s a population in the area. And adding this type of population that can walk to the grocery store, and walk to downtown restaurants and stores is pretty important.”