Work is set to begin soon at the site of an affordable housing project in Chatham that has been years in the making.
Site remediation of the 2.6 acres of land between Taylor Avenue and Memory Lane is expected to begin as early as this fall for The Brickworks project.
Established by the nonprofit organization Opportunity Villages Community Land Trust (OVCLT), the project will see 30 small homes constructed and made more affordable through a community land trust. The Brickworks will aim to provide an opportunity for low to moderate-income residents to move from renting to actually owning a home.
During a public information session held on Wednesday, project manager Rose Linseman said OVCLT is currently working toward approving the site plan, gaining the relevant permits, and finalizing contracts with a contractor and financial institution.
“If those all line up, we could start doing something this fall, especially on the remediation,” she said. “A lot of the land in Chatham-Kent is brownfields right now so we do have a property in the middle of Chatham that does need some remediation… There will be some soil removal and then prepping the land for services.”
The current plans for the housing community include single, duplex and triplex units ranging from 600 to 950 square feet, with one, two and three bedrooms. Four of the units will be made to accommodate those with accessibility needs and all of the units will be designed as net-zero, energy-efficient homes.
Linseman said construction of the homes could begin anytime after remediation work has been completed at the site. Once shovels are in the ground, it is estimated that the entire project could be completed within a year to 18 months.
The initial estimated budget for the Brickworks was around $8.5 million, however, a set official budget has yet to be finalized.
Since the project began in 2019, OVCLT has raised tens of thousands of dollars through municipal grants and community donations. However, Linseman said there is still a way to go.
“We are doing home ownership [and] a lot of the grants and different opportunities are for projects that are for rentals,” she said. “So we do have more difficulty being able to do that.”
As a volunteer-led, non-profit group, the OVCLT is continuing to seek out donations, partnerships, investors and additional volunteers to assist with making The Brickworks a reality.
“We do have some loans and some grants we’ve been given from some community members but we’re definitely looking for some more to get the ball rolling,” said Linseman.
For more information on OVCLT and The Brickworks, click here.