Work will start soon on the next phase of affordable housing in Owen Sound.
City council approved on Monday night the site plan for the next phase of development by the Owen Sound Municipal Non Profit Housing Corporation.
Three buildings comprising 26 one and two bedroom units will be constructed at 2150 6th Avenue East.
They’ll be situated to the south of the corporations recently opened first phase, four buildings comprising 34 units.
Council had agreed at a previous meeting to waive 37 thousand dollars worth of fees related to the next phase — including site plan and variance fees and building and plumbing permits.
The idea is to allow the construction to take place and then recoup the value of the waived fees through taxes after the units are finished and occupied.
The targeted completion date is September 2010.
Councillors spoke positively about the next phase.
Councillor Bill Twaddle calls it “another amazing success story for this city” and “a tremendous project.”
Mayor Ruth Lovell Stanners says the 26 new units won’t have a dramatic impact on the long waiting list for affordable housing — but they will help.
Lovell Stanners also says the board of the non profit housing corporation deserves a great deal of praise.
She says the board — which includes Councillor David Adair — has been working hard to get these units approved and built in a timely fashion.