Affordable housing group shares need – and ideas
A residents’ group that’s looking at affordable housing spoke to council about what it called “the Markdale Challenge” and other issues.
Council called on staff to bring a report with initial thoughts and guidance on some of the points raised in the report.
The group is called AHIGH or Affordable Housing in Grey Highlands, and Reid Dennison made a delegation to Grey Highlands Council on Jun. 19.
NEED IS THERE
The group started off after a Grey Highlands Municipal League meeting, and its goal is permanently affordable non-market rental housing.
The initial motivation was the Markdale Hospital becoming available, but the group has since broadened its scope.
Mr. Dennison said that one of their committee members is part of the South East Grey Community Health Centre, which now helps people who are living in tents, trailers or vans living in out-of-the-way spots.
Looking at income of those in a one-mile radius of Markdale, and using 30 percent of income as shelter costs, he said one in five households have an income under $40,000, so could afford under $1,000. About 15 percent have an income from $40,000 to $60,000, for whom affordable housing cost is $1,000 to $1,500 per month.
Almost half of households have income under $80,000 for whom maximum affordable rents are $2,000.
He said employers will back up the statement that there is a shortage of housing.
CMHC rental data is not available for micro-levels. He gave an example of the most recent apartment building in Dundalk, and said that those rents would still not be affordable for one in three Markdale households using the CMHC no more than one-third of income standard.
The group has identified five sites in total. Others include the present Beavercrest, downtown Markdale sites and the county-owned parking lot at the rail trail.
The group would like to speak about the municipality about creating a land trust to make sure housing is affordable long-term.
Shops, services and a mix of housing are needed to re-vitalize downtown Markdale, and one feeds into the next, he said.
The group has found a non-profit developer, Crosswalk Communities, to work with members at this stage.
DEVELOPING PLAN
AHIGH is planning to host a public meeting in September.
Mr. Dennison said the point of the delegation was to work with council to identify the best site, and a plan that will attract the support of private and public dollars.
He posed the question of why should the municipality get involved. His answer was that this crisis affects everyone, including employers, service workers, children, and parents.
Mr. Dennison presented some requests:
1. Support for efforts to have the former hospital transferred to Grey County or Grey Highlands.
2. Municipal policy that would support a land trust
3. Consider waiving development-related fees on a case by case basis.
4. Assist in finding and applying for grants
5. Support with any other higher level of government.
Coun. Nadia Dubyk thanked the group for its work, and acknowledged the crisis of affordable housing.
“All orders of government need to be addressing this,” she said. “We all have a role to play in this.”
She said all the suggestions were important. She asked about the non-profit.
Crosswalk Communities is doing some initial pro bono work to assess the sites and the possibilities for development, Mr. Dennison said.
The initial phase, he said, would be to find start-up funds to do the initial work, costing about $50,000 to $100,000.
The group is not incorporated at this time but intends to be registered.
Mayor Paul McQueen said he asked the head of Brightshores about the possibility of that building, and heard that they were going through an assessment process.
He noted that Grey Highlands has incorporated Accessory Dwelling Units in its Official Plan.
He noted that the Town Of Blue Mountains had tried to make developers include affordable housing, but there was push-back, and it was dropped.
Mayor McQueen said that the old Beavercrest playground area for the new school is staying in the same place. So the old school would be “a perfect spot for development”.
He mentioned that the county had done a study identifying the county land now used as a trail parking lot as a possible spot for affordable housing.
Coun. Joel Loughead said the group had done good ground work and wanted to look at next steps. He suggested council could have a Committee of the Whole meeting with group members, the developer or others.
Emmett Ferguson, who has been involved with AHIGH also spoke to suggest that if staff could work with the group to gather facts about the sites that would help.
Councillors said that knowing any ramifications of land trusts would be valuable.
Coun. Tom Allwood said homelessness is complicated by many factors, and noted that the Town of Blue Mountains set up a group to work on affordable housing, and after six years was winding it down.
Crosswalk Communities develops modular building designs delivered in 12 months from permit to occupancy, said information supplied by the resident group.
M.T. Fernandes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Flesherton Advance
