The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is taking another step to tackle the current housing crisis.
The municipality wants to buy 3.43 acres of vacant land at 700 Park Avenue East in Chatham from Vitesco Technologies Canada Inc. for $925,830 to move its Public Works operations and address community housing needs.
Buying the land would allow the current Public Works operations located just down the street on Park Avenue East and Park Street to move to the new location, opening the door for more affordable housing on municipally-owned lands at the current Public Works site.
"Property at the corner of Park Street and Park Avenue East, adjacent to the Pet and Wildlife Rescue facility, would be an ideal location to develop an affordable housing build," read the report. "Administration recommends potentially developing a housing development consisting of a combination of both affordable rent and attainable market rent units."
Councillors will be asked to approve the Vitesco Technologies deal Monday night.
A report authored by Director of Municipal Housing Development Ray Harper and General Manager of Infrastructure and Engineering Services Edward Soldo said the waitlist for affordable housing has grown considerably in 2023, adding that at the end of December of 2023 there were 1,025 households on the waitlist in need of housing.
The report showed 45 per cent of those on the waitlist are non-seniors looking for a 1-bedroom apartment, 32 per cent are families, and 23 per cent are seniors.
"Administration has been approached by several private non-profit housing providers, as well as commercial housing developers looking for opportunities to develop more housing for the community," said the report. "The Park Avenue East, Chatham land parcel (current Public Works site), once shovel ready, would also strengthen the Municipality of Chatham-Kent’s future affordable housing grant proposals that are geared towards shovel-ready projects and compressed timelines."
Administration said preparation of the new site and transitioning Public Works operations will take approximately three months.
Purchase of the land will be funded from the Strategic Development Reserve if it's approved by Council Monday night, administration said, adding that any development on the old Public Works property would be considered in future capital budgets or reports to Council.
