A proposed six-storey, 56-unit community housing project on the grounds of the former Grandview Children’s Centre in Oshawa will be unveiled to the public next week, with plans also including a 29,000-square-foot building to house a new childcare centre.
Housing Durham is hosting a drop-in open house to share updates about the 600 Townline Road community housing development project on Monday, June 15. Construction on the project is expected to begin next year.
Durham Region purchased the former Grandview Children’s Centre, a four-acre property at the northwest corner of Townline Road and Bloor Street, in March 2025. The purchase came nine years after the facility announced it was putting its home on the market and five months after the brand-new Grandview Kids Jerry Coughlan Building opened its doors in nearby Ajax.
The new Grandview Kids Jerry Coughlan Building opened in November 2024 to serve 6,000 children and youth with physical, communication, and developmental needs. Grandview Kids has been Durham Region’s only non-profit children’s treatment centre since its founding in 1953 and at the Townline Road location since 1983, focusing on specialized treatment and outpatient care for children with developmental challenges.
The redevelopment of the former Grandview site represents a significant and meaningful investment in community infrastructure for Oshawa, combining much-needed affordable housing with childcare services in a single integrated project. The location at Townline Road and Bloor Street places it in a well-established neighbourhood with convenient access to transit, schools, and community amenities.
The 56-unit housing component will add to Durham Region’s growing stock of community housing at a time when affordable housing and rental units remain in high demand across the region. The dedicated inclusion of a childcare centre within the development addresses another critically important need for families in the area.
The history of the Grandview site runs deep in the broader Oshawa community. First opened in 1953 in Rotary Hall as the Oshawa and District Cerebral Palsy Parents Council, the original facility offered local pediatric medical services so parents would not have to travel to Toronto for specialized health care.
In late 1954, the organization moved into its first permanent home within Simcoe Hall in Oshawa and began operating a children’s school. Land near Harmony Road and Townline Road was purchased for 300,000 dollars and a new purpose-built facility was erected in 1983 in the city’s southeast. The name changed to Grandview Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre of Durham Region two years later.
The building on Townline Road was originally designed to serve 400 children. At the time of its closing, it served more than 5,600 children with varying disabilities and had 2,600 more on a wait list. By the year 2031, the new Ajax facility expects to provide service to more than 10,000 children a year.
Residents of Oshawa and Courtice are encouraged to attend the June 15 open house to learn more about the project, view renderings, and provide feedback on the proposed development. Details about the open house location and timing are available through Housing Durham.
