Habitat breaks ground on Transcona development

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This article was published 29/10/2021 (1409 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A vacant, three-acre plot of land in Transcona will be transformed into housing for more than 50 low-income families, as Habitat for Humanity Manitoba embarks on its largest residential build to date.

On Friday morning, officials with the organization and a handful of local politicians turned the sod on a 55-unit townhouse development on the 900 block of Pandora Avenue West.

The Habitat project is expected to go up in phases, with work beginning in earnest early next year. Foundations for five homes are expected to be complete by the second quarter, and 15 homes will be built by the end of the calendar year.

Once the non-profit’s build is wrapped, as many as 275 people are expected to take up residence in the new community after contributing at least 500 hours of sweat equity. The development will represent 12 per cent of all Habitat homes in the province.

According to Habitat, the homes are expected to retail around $300,000, while the average family income for buyers is below $50,000.

Habitat provides a no-interest mortgage for a period of 15 years, and monthly payments are based on a family’s ability to pay, officials said. No down payment is required.

Sandy Hopkins, chief executive officer for Habitat for Humanity Manitoba, said in recent years the charity has placed a greater emphasis on large scale, multi-family developments, as opposed to building one or two homes on smaller plots.

“We’re always in the market looking for things, but more typically we’re buying a place where we can build one home or two homes,” Hopkins said Friday, following a brief program that included remarks from Families Minister Rochelle Squires and Coun. Shawn Nason (Transcona).

“This is a far more productive way to do it, plus it’s a community.”

Habitat purchased the parcel of land — which was initially zoned for manufacturing use but rezoned in September — in the summer of 2020 for about $2 million, Hopkins said. It will cost the charity another $1.5 million to service the land.

Hopkins said finding suitable properties for large infill developments in Winnipeg has been difficult for Habitat. In the case of the Pandora Avenue property, the seller had received two other offers from buyers interested in commercial developments, but chose to sell to Habitat for a residential project, Hopkins said.

Meanwhile, Nason encouraged neighbours living next door to the development to get involved with the build once construction begins, saying it can be a life-changing experience. At a public hearing to rezone the land in September, more than 50 people registered in opposition to the development.

Nason said residents who remain concerned about the project should “give change time,” adding Habitat projects blend into the community.

“These are people that are wanting to have a home, an affordable home, just like the people who set up residence in this area. I welcome them with open arms,” Nason said.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca