Adam Prudhomme
Editor
A two-acre lot within Greater Napanee’s East Ward Park Lots will be made available to the County of Lennox and Addington for a nominal fee of $1.
Greater Napanee council voted to support making the land available for the county’s affordable housing project. The county is currently exploring several locations within its boundaries for their affordable housing project.
“Since the last time that this was brought before council the county has received additional funding for a second unit,” said Brandt Zätterberg, general manager of Greater Napanee’s Community and Corporate Services. “The ask now is for land to build eight units somewhere within the former subdivision. It hasn’t been quite determined which is the best location yet but it will be somewhere that will be minimal cost as far as implementing services.”
The two-acre lot would be more than sufficient for the units, but the intent is the additional space could be used at a later date for additional units.
“By them requesting this much room now, if they have to run water or sewer and roads and such into it, that’s forward thinking down the line that they’re going to be putting more units onto it,” said councillor Dave Pinnell Jr. “Right now they only have the funding for the units, as more funding comes in and they already have the land allocated, then it would probably be easier just to put the housing onto there.”
Mayor Marg Isbester said the housing is needed in the area.
“One will be a geared to income and the other will be what we’re talking about which is affordable, which is 80 per cent of the going rate,” said Isbester. “Only one will be geared to income and my thoughts are, though I don’t have an inside track, even though I sit on the PELASS (Prince Edward Lennox and Addington Social Services) committee at the county, we need the housing.”
Deputy mayor Max Kaiser added there are already waiting lists for the yet-to-be built units.
A final decision on from the county as to where the units will be developed is still pending. Other possible locations include Tamworth and Odessa.