The Windsor-Essex Community Housing Corporation could be one step closer to adding a 145-unit residential building in east-Windsor — one of several zoning changes that could make way for more homes for both young and old.
Zoning for a 10-floor building on Meadowbrook Ln. near Essex Way is heading to the Development and Heritage Standing Committee Monday night. The corporation purchased property from the city with the goal of building a mix between affordable and mixed-rate housing.
Ward 7 Councillor and committee member Irek Kusmierczyk says it will help put a dent in a more than 4,000 person wait list for affordable housing.
"This is a remarkable project that's going to help us address many issues and it's an example of good planning as well," he says. "It's going to have a community hub on the ground floor, which is going to provide some additional services for the residents there. This is really going to help us out in terms of addressing some of the housing crunch that we're seeing here."
He says the community hub in Ward 8 will complement existing facilities in the area.
"It's close to Forest Glade where there are a lot of community amenities, parks and playgrounds, community centres and the arena. This is an excellent, excellent, choice for an area to build this type of housing and we're excited about this project."
Kusmierczyk says the timeline for the project will likely be discussed at Monday night's meeting.
Senior's Home Could be on the Way for South-Walkerville
Site of a proposed residential care facility for senior's on Seneca St. near Turner Rd. in south-Walkerville. (Photo via/www.google/maps)
New housing for seniors could also be on the way in south-Walkerville.
The Development and Heritage Standing Committee will make its recommendation to approve a zoning change that will make way for a residential care facility on Seneca St. near Turner Rd. Monday night.
Ward 4 Councillor and committee member Chris Holt says Dillon Consulting brought the proposal for the 56-bed facility forward last year but was asked to return after consulting residents.
"Change can be scary, the idea of a big building going up that's abutting your back yard is a scary prospect and you want to have those fears allayed," he says.
Holt tells AM800 News — if neighbouring home owners are satisfied with the plan — it's a great alternative to large long-term homes that tend to be on the outskirts of the city.
"People that will choose to live there probably have roots in that neighbourhood. There's been generation upon generation that have grown up in that area," he says. "The social connections or the amenities they've gotten used to, whether it's their church, whether it's their friends, they're still in the neighbourhood but they're able to transition to that next level of housing. That's one of the things I really liked about this."
The land currently houses a parking lot that separates an industrial area that includes the former General Motors property — Holt says the three-story building could serve as a buffer between the neighbouring houses.
Zoning changes and site plans still have to go to council for final approval.