New affordable housing projects approved in Elmwood

East Kildonan

Transcona

The East Kildonan-Transcona community committee held a regular meeting on Nov. 20.

A public hearing regarding a subdivision and rezoning application for 545-569 Watt St. was held. The proposal would create one commercial mixed-use lot, which would include up to 100 residential units, 41 of which would be affordable, 30 of which will be social housing units. Another lot will be zoned for high-density multi-family housing in order to build 250 mixed-income dwelling units, about 74 of which would be affordable housing units. The land is owned by the city, with the residential site to be sold and developed by Futuremark Development, while the mixed-use property would be developed by the Elmwood Community Resource Centre, which currently occupies the building on site.

The application was approved.

Nina Condo, executive director of the Elmwood Community Resource Centre, spoke in support of the project.

“We have been providing services from counselling and mental health, gender-based wellness programs, and after school programs (since 2001),” Condo said. “We currently have three locations, and three satellite locations … With this application we would like to not only consolidate our locations under one roof, but expand what we offer, by adding 100 units of housing.”

Condo noted that, should the project be approved, the ECRC will be able to offer more programming under one roof, whereas it now offers programming in locations spread throughout the neighbourhood. Representatives of other community groups in the area spoke in support of the project, and the work of the ECRC in general. Nobody was registered in opposition or for information.

“I think this is a fantastic project,” Coun. Emma Durand-Wood (Elmwood-East Kildonan) said in support. “We need more housing of every type in our city and this ward … I’m hearing lots of support in the community for ECRC’s involvement in this and the services they deliver.”

During the regular meeting, a $5,000 communities fund grant for the Transcona Legion and a $1,000 per capita grant for the Senior Resource Finder were approved.

Plan approvals for a new garage at 20 Dr. Michael K. Grace Lane, a new, 18-unit multi-family dwelling at 815 Pandora Ave. W, and landscaping at 1555 Regent Ave. W were all laid over until the committee’s next meeting.