Saugeen Shores is making some land available for new affordable housing in Port Elgin.
Surplus land between Wellington and Arlington Streets will be donated to Bruce County so 40 new units can be built.
The formerly industrial land has been used as a CN rail yard, a CO-OP feed mill, and by Kaake Construction over the years.
The county would like to sell some of its existing housing units in Port Elgin and either sell them to their current tenants or move them to the proposed new development.
Vice Deputy Mayor Doug Gowanlock says after years of industrial use, and vacancies on the land, the housing will be a good fit with the town’s plan to make it a residential area.
The land is located in the gap between the two sections of Market Street that don’t meet.
Gowanlock is concerned about that. He says everytime council has stopped up a section of street in the past, they’ve regretted it later. He wants to make sure council is taking a careful look at the issue this time.
Councillor Fred Schildroth says this could be council’s opportunity to make changes to the gap between the streets if it wanted to.
Smith says the County is excited about the prospect of developing new affordable housing.
He believes a solution can be reached on the Market Street gap and would like to have staff look at the issue further.