Despite some concerns about the potential financial burden, Chatham-Kent is moving forward with another affordable housing project in Chatham.
During Monday night’s meeting, Chatham-Kent councillors narrowly voted 10-6 in favour of purchasing the property at 110 Sandys St. in Chatham for $1.699 million to develop more affordable housing units in the municipality.
The property is currently home to Meadow Park Long-Term Care home, which will be moving to a newly constructed facility on the corner of Keil Drive North and McNaughton Avenue West in the spring of 2026.
Administration is now expected to move forward with preliminary designs for a housing development consisting of 34 affordable and attainable one-bedroom and bachelor-sized units. The estimated cost for preliminary designs and renovations to the existing property is $8,864,115, with the building ready for occupancy in by the end of 2027.
However, several councillors voiced concerns prior to the vote about the possible impact the purchase could have on taxpayers.
“I don’t think that us continually buying these properties to eventually fix up is what we should be doing at this point in the economy. It is going to add to our taxes at some point, whether it comes from reserves, which is tax money, or not,” said Ward 2 Councillor Ryan Doyle.
Back in August, council also approved the purchase of the former St. Agnes elementary school building and property at 55 Croydon St. in Chatham for a similar affordable housing project.
“My feeling is that we can’t continue to purchase assets when our taxpayers are being crippled by the continued imposition of increased taxes,” said Ward 4 Councillor Rhonda Jubenville.
However, municipal staff emphasized that Chatham-Kent, like many other municipalities in Ontario, is facing a serious crisis due to a lack of affordable housing. Staff also informed council that the municipality does not currently own other assets that could add as many housing units as quickly as this project.
“I can appreciate the position that council is in… however, I do believe that this is a good purchase. I do believe there is a desperate need for housing in the community,” said Jodi Guilmette, CK’s general manager of health and human services. “I think that we need to consider looking at purchasing, I think we need to consider looking at building to address some of the needs. Otherwise, I’m not sure we’re going to get the community to step up and provide those kinds of supports that are needed.”
According to the municipality, there are around 1,250 households in need of affordable housing on the CK’s Centralized Waiting List, which represented an 8.5 percent increase over the last three months. At least 875 of those households on the waiting list are looking for units in Chatham.
“It’s definitely an issue that comes to this table far too often, but it really speaks to the severity of the problem that we’re facing,” said Ward 5 Councillor Aaron Hall. “This is something that’s not going away.”
As part of the approved motion on Monday, municipal staff has been instructed to seek grant funding from upper levels of government and potential partnerships to offset the project’s capital costs.
