Quinte West City Council will hear a report on the housing status of the region at its upcoming council meeting on Wednesday.
On August 9, Quinte West City Council heard a delegation from resident Scott Hamilton about a proposed plan for the city to own five acres of land that would accommodate 80 self-sufficient modular homes.
Council directed staff to come up with a report looking into the feasibility of the plan.
In his report, Director of Planning and Development Services Brian Jardine stressed that it was the private sector that builds most housing and it is market forces that set prices.
He says it is not within the a municipality’s power to build housing or set costs.
In regard’s to Hamilton’s plan, Jardine says while it highlights the potential of low cost modular units and the speed of construction, there are aspects of the plan that require clarification.
Jardine says the municipality does not act as a residential landlord and is not resourced financially or through staffing to perform that role.
He says requesting a municipality to fund, construct and manage that sort of a project is currently outside its scope, finances and resources.
Jardine did not rule out, however, partnering with other levels of government that could fill the funding and property management roles that could enable similar projects to be implemented.
More on the report can be found at the City of Quinte West’s website.
