Despite some questions, Dryden Council has sent a Vancouver based company a letter of support regarding a proposed affordable rental housing project.
Anhart Community Housing Society is looking to expand and requires local support to proceed with a federal funding application.
Mayor Greg Wilson says their letter offers some municipal assistance in order to proceed:
1. Prioritize any planning permits to achieve the delivery timescales noted in the RHI response.
2. The City of Dryden does not have any additional development charges.
3. Property taxes for new Multi-residential dwellings in our community are assessed under a new tax class that represents a 79% discount compared to existing multi-residential dwelling. This tax class is applied to 35 years.
(*NOTE: The new tax class for multi-residential dwellings applies to all of Ontario, not just Dryden. The province instituted it in 2017 to encourage more construction of multi-residential units)
4. Provide access to land opportunities to expand the program if available.
Wilson says “There’s enough caveats on there. It’s kind of standard procedure as far as I am concerned. So that’s why I’m saying nothing alarms me.”
Council does have concerns around ensuring the proper housing is built, how much control the City will have over the project and a lack of knowledge on the company.,
Staff stress that Anhart wants to be part of the community and the City will have the final say if the multi-family development can be built.
They go on to say providing support in the form of a letter only makes sense.
Anhart visited the community in the fall of 2019 and made a presentation to Council.
