The Town of Okotoks recently announced the purchase of three acres of land in D'Arcy for affordable housing.

The $2.6 million acquisition was in partnership with Westwinds Communities, who have proposed to build a sixty unit facility on the land.

Fourty five of those units would be affordable housing units, with the other fifteen classed as "market housing."

Mayor Bill Robertson says the purchase is a big step for Okotoks.

"When people have to pay more than thirty percent of their disposable income on housing, to provide shelter for themselves which includes costs such as power and water and so on, then it's deemed under the Canada Mortgage and Housing rules to be unaffordable. Rents are still relatively high in Okotoks, and there's a critical need for affordable housing."

According to a release from the Town, Westwinds has offered to reimburse the Town for land costs for the market units.

Robertson says the non-profit will be handling the building of the units.

"The Town, I have to emphasize, is not going to build it, nor will we be a partner in the building. We're basically providing the land to facilitate the construction by Westwinds, of this facility."

The purchase comes after recommendations from the Affordable Housing Task Force, dating back to November of 2018.

Shawn Rose, Chair of the Affordable Housing Task Force, says the acquisition shows the Town's commitment to providing affordable housing.

"In order to access any of the funds from the National Housing Strategy, local municipalities have to demonstrate a serious commitment to supporting that initiative. The easiest way to do that is actually having land to contribute to that project. It's a key component to having access to those federal funds."

In their release, the Town says they intend to engage the community, and will be offering several opportunities for feedback and engagement.

For more information on the Affordable Housing Task Force, click here.

To view the town's full release, click here.

 

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