Affordable Housing Plans Move Forward!
During the municipal election campaign, I heard from many residents who expressed their concern about the lack of affordable housing in Ottawa. I was impressed that many of these affordable housing supporters were not in need themselves. Bay Ward residents recognize the importance of having affordable housing in our community for those who struggle to find a place to live. Currently many working families pay more for rent than what they can afford. As a result, little money is leftover for life’s necessities. I was pleased that the city budget set aside $15 million for affordable housing to deal with this problem, and I fully supported this effort. The city has now gone a step further by setting aside plots of city owned land to be used as affordable housing sites. All these locations are close to transit to ensure that residents will not need to own a car.
The following are the sites that will be designated for affordable housing in Bay Ward:
- Lincoln Fields Station just east of the current Transit Station at Carling. This land was previously owned by the NCC and is now a city property that can be used for affordable housing.
- 1181 Richmond Road (former McEwen Gas Station) this site has contaminated soil so will take a while to be prepared for development but can be potentially developed for a smaller project.
- Pinecrest 417 Corridor This is land previously owned by the province for the bus transit 417 interchange that will no longer be required with the LRT station. This land is adjacent to the Foster Farm Community.
- 747 Richmond Road is on the edge of Bay Ward in Kitchissippi Ward. It is the strip mall near Cleary Avenue that will be torn down with the LRT Stage 2 construction. This site had previously been considered for the Cleary Station which is now going to be located on the Byron Linear Park. The property will include ground level commercial development.
All these sites are within a short distance of LRT Stage 2 stations, therefore they fit the definition of Transit Oriented Development. There are no plans yet available for any of these sites. For a copy of the full list of properties throughout the city click here.
I will keep the community informed as information becomes available for the Bay Ward sites.