Prince Edward County councillors heard a proposal for a 560-unit housing development just outside Picton at Wednesday’s planning committee meeting.
The development is proposed for Inkerman and Nery avenues just southeast of Picton. It features condominium blocks with 462 three-storey stacked back-to-back townhouses and 98 three-storey street townhouses as well as a central private park, pedestrian paths and trails, semi-private courtyards and a community centre.
The area for the proposed development already has two churches and 38 existing single and semi-detached dwellings.
Fred Heller, of FLC Group, explained that existing tenants of the area would be offered accommodation in the new condominium.
“Existing tenants will be offered accommodation in the new development either for purchase or for rent. Other than that they will be given all the correct notices that are needed under the Ontario Landlord/Tenant Act.”
Councillor St-Jean expressed concern that people would be left with nowhere to go if they either didn’t want to live in the new development or couldn’t afford to.
“Do you recognize that this could be perceived as gentrification of an existing low-to-middle income community? That’s the question. I’d also like to state that I recognize that this community needs some TLC, it needs to be developed and I’m excited to know that somebody’s actually willing to do that. But I do have this great concern that a lot of the individuals up there will have no place to go despite what Mr. Heller is offering which I understand is a fairly generous offer.”
Further concerns were expressed by councillors about the lack of nearby commercial area and the fit of the uniquely styled townhouses in the surrounding area.
There is also a down payment assistance program that would be offered for 5% of the units through the developer, according to Heller, to help lower and middle income families. The range of down payment assistance would be 15% to 25% of the purchase price.
The development would be done in nine phases, beginning with two and then one every year following, meaning the development would take between eight and nine years. The median price for a unit within the first phase would be $380,000 with units starting at $275,000.
A decision on the proposal by council is expected at a future date
