Opportunity Villages Community Land Trust is hoping for a spring groundbreaking for The Brickworks, its Chatham affordable housing project.
Opportunity Villages Community Land Trust is hoping for a spring groundbreaking for The Brickworks, its Chatham affordable housing project.
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Judy Decou, land trust president, said the organization looks forward to taking the next step, noting the COVID-19 pandemic “slowed a lot of things down.”
“We’re hopeful that by spring we’ll have shovels in the ground, if not sooner,” she said Wednesday.
The trust received approximately $97,000 from the federal community services recovery fund during 2023-24, which assisted after the pandemic.
Most of the funding went to consultants planning to remediate the brownfield property, other professionals preparing preliminary designs for the 30 small-home units and a common building, and marketing experts to educate prospective homeowners and potential investors, the trust stated in a recent media release .
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The balance went to office equipment and supplies, participating in the new Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts and the University of Toronto’s social purpose real estate program, and to commercial general liability insurance and legal fees.
Plans for The Brickworks, to be located on Taylor Avenue in east Chatham, include small, affordable homes, ranging from 56 to 84 square meters (600 to 950 square feet).
The aim is to provide another option for low-to-moderate-income individuals and families seeking to transition out of rental accommodation into home ownership.
“There are people who want to be able to live in a home like that and in a community like ours,” Decou said.
The land trust is currently working through the environmental remediation process at the site.
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Decou said it’s too soon to say how long the $8.5 million project will take to build, given the construction options and whether it will be done incrementally.
“There are various opinions about that,” she said. “We’ll probably do it in stages, rather than put up all the houses at once.”
Although they have no plans to expand the Taylor Avenue project, she said its success will determine the feasibility of pursuing similar developments elsewhere in the community.
Last month, a public information session was held to provide further details for prospective homeowners and investors.
Decou said about 40 people were in attendance, but expected to “have a lot more interest as the property starts changing.”
For more on the project, visit ovclt.ca
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