Medicine Hat Community Housing is proposing to build an affordable housing project on land located near Spencer Street between the city's fleet garage (shown left), the Canada Post distribution warehouse (centre) and the Albert Health Detox Centre (left). - New photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
A plan to build a new affordable housing complex in central Medicine Hat is in the advanced planning stages, a city hall committee heard on Monday as they gave initial approval to donate land for the initial 40-unit project.
Medicine Hat Community Housing made the official request for a municipal contribution to the project, which will be used to leverage grants to complete the project from the federal National Housing Strategy program, including a provincial matching grant.
Eventually, 80 units might be constructed near Spencer Street to address a local shortage in low-cost rental units detailed in a report last year by MH Community Housing.
According to the report and figures used by the city planning department, which dealt with the initial request, there are approximately 390 applications for low-income housing on file.
“We know from the reports that there are people on the waiting list and there is a need for this type of housing,” said Robin Miiler, the chief administrative officer of the housing agency.
“We are partnering with the community wherever we can… and have funds of our own exactly for this purpose.”
The city’s land department would contribute land, valued at $400,000, to fulfill a federal grant requirement to have municipality participate in the project, as well as service the parcel ($375,000) with utilities and handle the legal and subdivision fees ($25,000). That would be paid back into the Invest Medicine Hat working capital budget from reserve funds, if approved by city council at its Dec. 19 meeting.
In 2009, the city donated land valued at $1.1 million toward the society’s 50-unit complex in the Southlands community.
The new project’s legal address is 1482 Fifth Ave S.E., but the vacant land sits near Spencer Street, behind the only remaining private residence on that stretch of road that parallels the Seven Persons Creek.
It is bordered to the east by the city fleet garage, the Canada Post Distribution centre to the east and the Alberta Health Detox Centre to the west.
Part of the parcel is occupied by community garden plots managed by Community Food Connections and the remainder is a small stand of trees that runs up the coulee wall beneath the Southeast Hill.
The plan for the site envisions four buildings of 20 units each in townhouse style, said Miiler. Two buildings in the initial phase would see 40 units built within 18 months of federal and provincial grant approval.
That application requires a municipal contribution, meaning it would only be officially submitted once approved by council.
