Finishing Touches on the KDS Apartments Expansion Project
Written by Cynthia Jacques
December 19, 2019
Cahdco and the project team are in the home stretch of completing the King’s Daughters and Sons (KDS) Apartments expansion project! City occupancy has been granted, and final deficiency repairs are underway. Tenants will begin moving in to their new homes as of the end of December.
The existing KDS Apartments has been in operation for more than 50 years, providing affordable housing for seniors in the Glebe and Dow’s Lake neighbourhood of Ottawa. The original building was the first of its kind in the neighbourhood, and the newly completed addition is growing KDS’s noble mission. With the opening of the new expansion, the KDS Apartments community is changing its name to KDS Village.
The expansion includes 58 units for seniors, bringing the total number of units at the site to 128. Each new unit is visitable, and there are 10 fully barrier-free units and 16 adaptable units to meet changing mobility needs for those living at the KDS Apartments. The addition also includes expanded indoor and outdoor amenity areas, and space for on-site tenant support services with the goal of facilitating aging in place in an established central neighbourhood.
To acknowledge the legacies of KDS’s work in Ottawa over the years, Cahdco’s own Mark Sider was commissioned to prepare a triptych painting for the new building lobby (pictured below). The panels represent the following three contributions:
Fresh Air Cottage in Britannia (1906 – 1949) – A country experience for inner-city women and children
The King’s Daughters Guild (1909 – 1960) –A residence for single working women
The King’s Daughters Dinner Wagon (founded in 1968) – Meals delivered to homes, now known as Meals on Wheels
The newly expanded KDS Village itself is another great legacy that will commemorate KDS’s contributions to the community, by providing safe, accessible, affordable housing for seniors for many years to come.
