Atikokan Progress | September 16, 2019 | M. McKinnon
The Town will donate the land at the former Elmcrest site for the proposed seniors’ housing project being advanced by Community Living Atikokan.
In a resolution that passed unanimously on Monday, Council also agreed to waive any associated development costs (such as building permit costs, sewer and water line work, etc.), and to develop a program to temporarily reduce property tax rates on the property. (Specifically, the resolution committed the Town “recognizes in principle there is a further need to support a tax break to Community Living Atikokan once the development is final…” and noted “Council is exploring funding models to support this need”.
Council’s decision means Community Living Atikokan can now apply for the mortgage.
“We can finalize our application to CMHC to obtain a mortgage through the National Housing Strategy,” said CLA executive director Jim Turner. “There are a couple of other things we have to do, but our goal is to start construction in the spring.”
CLA will hold an open public meeting about the project on Wednesday, October 2 at 7:30 pm at the Legion. Prospective tenants will be able to have their questions answered there. The developer behind the project, CVG Builders, will be on hand.
One of the keys to building the thirty-unit development affordably is doing it at the same time as a fifty-unit project in Conmee. That project is also going to CMHC for a mortgage this month.