Wallaceburg is on its way to getting more affordable housing.
Council voted unanimously in awarding a $30.9 million construction contract to S.E.M. Construction Limited to build the proposed development at 199 Westcourt Boulevard.
“It is a very good thing for our community in Wallaceburg,” said Councillor Carmen McGregor.
“There is definite need for this, and I am happy to see that this is coming to fruition in our community.”
Mayor Darrin Canniff expressed his excitement on the advancement of the housing development.
“This has been in the works for a long time now,” said Canniff. “We got support from federal, provincial governments in different ways, it’s a very exciting opportunity in Wallaceburg, and Chatham-Kent for that matter.”
The five-storey municipal owned apartment building will include 72 units, consisting of a mix of one-to-four-bedroom units, construction is anticipated to start in July and take around two years to complete.
Currently, 1,455 households are on the centralized waiting list in Chatham-Kent for affordable housing, with 23 per cent seeking housing in Wallaceburg.
Along with the almost $19 million the municipality has secured in grants for the project, council approved borrowing $13 million over 30 years to help finance the remaining cost of the project along with using funds from the New Construction Reserve. Council learned the intention of the operating budget is to be cost neutral and a report will be presented to council at a later date with the operating budget.
