Tiny homes, a new County-of-Simcoe run affordable housing project and a possible future land trust are all options being explored for town-owned properties following preliminary direction from Collingwood councillors this week.
Council has given staff preliminary approval to offer up town property at 7882-7888 Poplar Side Road to the County of Simcoe to build a new affordable housing project on the site. If the county agrees to a new build on the Collingwood south-end property, the county will have two years to get shovels in the ground or else the town will take it back to explore other options for the land.
“If it’s scheduled into never-never land, I have a concern. We need the housing now and there are other options available to us,” said Mayor Yvonne Hamlin.
During their Jan. 8 committee of the whole meeting, councillors drilled into what to do about their properties at 29 and 45 Birch St. and 7882-7888 Poplar Side Road. The properties have been identified by the town through the affordable housing task force as ripe for development of affordable housing options, and council is considering how to best support that goal.
In a staff report on the matter, the town’s housing co-ordinator Jenn Rae noted that staff recommended partnering with the County of Simcoe on a build on one or both of the sites.
“Partnering with the county would be the quickest and most fiscally responsible way to support affordable housing units in large-scale builds,” said Rae during Monday’s meeting.
Rae said the two properties being considered on Birch and Poplar have an estimated sales value between $1.6 million and $3.2 million.
Also under consideration at Monday’s meeting were options to donate the properties to a future land trust, or for the town to put out a request for expression of interest to the open market.
Rae noted that the town has been approached by private developers interested in building on the lands, however, staff weren’t recommending selling as an option at this point.
The county delivers both social and affordable housing for low-to-moderate income households across Simcoe County through the Simcoe County Housing Corporation. The county put out a call for proposals in 2023 for municipally-owned land to build future affordable rental, supportive and mixed-income housing projects over the next 10 years. If projects are approved, the county would take on construction costs, administration and maintenance of any buildings it constructs.
Properties under consideration must be at least two acres, and must have available water servicing within five years. Whether the land is donated, or offered at a cost will also impact the county’s decision on which properties get approved.
The deadline for applications is March 1. The county is expected to present the best options as part of their 10-year building plan at a County of Simcoe committee of the whole meeting this summer for approval.
Coun Christopher Baines asked how much time the county typically takes from when shovels are in the ground to completion of their housing projects.
Bradley Spiewak, the county’s director of social housing noted that it typically takes about 18 months depending on the length of the design phase, adding that as the county has a few such projects under their belt, they are now streamlining designs.
Other examples of such projects across Simcoe County include 475 and 485 Second St. in Collingwood, 175 Zoo Park Road in Wasaga Beach and the Orillia Campus of Care project, which is expected to open to tenants in 2024.
Hamlin asked whether efforts could be made through the project to include housing for people with a variety of incomes.
“We need social housing, but we really want to support the people who work here,” she said. “Our business community is having trouble attracting employees because there’s no housing.”
Spiewak said that if Collingwood were selected, there would be a robust consultation process between the county and the town, as well as members of the public, to come to consensus on design, which services might be provided within the project, number of units and rent estimates.
“What you articulate in your proposal is important,” said Spiewak.
Three residents attended Monday’s meeting to speak on the matter. Concerns raised by residents were mainly those of safety.
“I’m more in favour of a community-based approach,” said Mary Ellen Sheffield, noting there have been many safety concerns surrounding the county’s existing buildings on Second St.
“I like the idea of a land trust, or even a co-op.”
Mark Burke, who owns property on Poplar, spoke about the amount of traffic a new apartment building would bring to the Poplar and High St. area.
“The safety concerns have to be addressed. They are real,” said Burke.
The town’s planning director Summer Valentine responded to Burke’s concerns, noting that any access to a building built on the site would be from the Phase 3 Summitview subdivision, and not from Poplar or High. Valentine noted that safety concerns would be addressed at the site plan stage of the planning process.
At the end of discussion, council approved putting the land at 7882-7888 Poplar Side Road up for consideration to the County of Simcoe’s call for proposals, at a cost of zero dollars. If the property is not selected by the county, or is selected but ground isn’t broken on the site within two years, the town will take back ownership of the land to consider donation to a future land trust or not-for-profit housing corporation.
At Monday’s meeting, Coun. Kathy Jeffery put forward an amendment to remove the Birch St. property from the discussion with no further direction given by councillors on future plans for the property. The amendment was passed by councillors by a 5-4 vote.
“That way, we can maintain a partnership with the county, but we also keep a couple of properties here to work with in terms of the (affordable housing) task force and their recommendations for the land trust,” said Jeffery.
Also approved by councillors on Monday was a direction for staff to proceed with a request for expression of interest for development of other small properties under its ownership for innovative housing proposals, such as tiny homes.
All decisions made by councillors at Monday’s meeting will need to ratified at the next regular meeting of council before going into effect.
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