Project to bring affordable housing to Deakin Drive
Housing Hub’s Director of Development, Paula Castonguay, presented the Hubs’ latest plans to Woodstock Town Council during their regular meeting on Oct. 14. Mayor Trina Jones noted that this project has been underway for the last year and a half and will likely take many more years to complete.
“This isn’t an over-night two year development project,” Jones pointed out. “This is a fifteen year development project. So over the course of ten to fifteen years certainly things may shift and change.”
Housing Hub New Brunswick is proposing to develop 23 acres of land, currently owned by the Carleton Manor. Sitting along Deakin Drive, within walking distance of many amenities, makes it a promising location for the project, which aims to provide affordable homes for low- to middle-income earners.
Currently, they are proposing a mix of duplexes, row houses, and apartment buildings, with ground-level space for daycares and other commercial businesses. The goal is to provide housing that serves a wide range of needs, from seniors to Social Development clients, families, and urban professionals.
They received confirmation from Carleton Manor that it is willing to continue working to move the project forward. The Town is looking to meet with the Manor within the next couple of weeks to refine essential details and secure funding from the Regional Development Corporation. They also need to decide who will own the project and how the municipality will be involved. Another critical decision that needs to be made soon is who will be the project manager.
While there is a clear need for more affordable housing, Councillor Mike Martin pointed out that one challenge is defining what affordable housing is and figuring out how to build it while still making it worthwhile for developers.
“The term affordable housing has been out there for 15 years, and it’s different for every person, every family,” Councillor Martin said, “Somehow that definition is going to need to get a little bit more defined.”
Inspired by the work done by the Rising Tides in Moncton, New Brunswick, Jones believes that non-profits might be instrumental in making truly affordable housing available here as well. Mayor Jones explained that all non-profit-driven community initiatives in Moncton have added 153 affordable housing units in just two years at well below-market value, proving that, in the right hands, it can be done.
Council plans to hold an open house for the project before the end of the year.
