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Habitat for Humanity eyes former railway land

March 22, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Habitat for Humanity has an eye on Orangeville’s former railway property.

Eden Grodzinski, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Halton-Mississauga-Dufferin told town council on March 18 that the organization sees an opportunity in the town’s surplus land to bolster affordable housing.

She said images of volunteers building one house at a time come to mind with thoughts about the organization. But they’re growing, she said, and becoming a bigger partner in Ontario’s drive for 1.5 million more homes.

“While volunteer builds are an essential part of our DNA, we are now finding it’s more economical to build multi-residential developments,” Grodzinski said.

In fact, the group has taken to partnering with private builders that create larger condominium developments.

“They provide us with turn-key units at an affordable rate which we in turn provide to lower income families,” she said.

Each family pays a mortgage geared to their income. That is then recycled back into constructing more affordable housing.

“There is also a second silent mortgage attached to each property which is held by Habitat,” she said. “This second mortgage reflects the difference between what a homeowner can afford and what the market value of their home is.”

Any market gains are shared by Habitat for Humanity and the homeowner.

One of the factors that’s contributed to the inadequate supply of affordable housing is a lack of youth skilled trade workers, she said. The group has a program in which high school students build tiny homes on school grounds.

“The units are then provided to Indigenous communities or local community groups to use as emergency shelter,” Grodzinski said.

Orangeville’s population is growing, but the stock of affordable housing isn’t keeping pace, she said. Even when a unit is found to lease or rent in this town, the rents paid surpass affordability.

The average resale price for an Orangeville home is $850,000, she said. And that’s way above what a typical household can afford.

The organization has investigated how to increase affordable housing options in Orangeville. And much potential has been seen in the former railway lands at 49 Townline.

Of that, about three acres could accommodate housing, while the remaining more than five acres could be developed into municipal parkland.

That site has a capacity for up to 90 one-to-three-bedroom units of a stacked townhome design. Those units will remain affordable in perpetuity, she said.

“It is an ideal location close to transit, shopping, and many other amenities,” she said.

Grodzinski suggested the group and the municipality enter into a memorandum of understanding to outline a land partnership.

Mayor Lisa Post said council is looking for more housing options.

Councillor Joe Andrews, the chairperson of the town’s homelessness task force, said affordable housing is an issue of which many people are aware.

There’s an awareness of the province’s housing shortfall. And the average income level is one of the pressing issues in affordability, he said and asked how long it would take for the partnership with Habitat for Humanity to come to fruition.

“One of the pressing issues that exists in our society is the affordability issue now versus how long it takes to build,” he said.

The proposal consists of 90 units, which isn’t a quick build.

She said however long it takes has much to do with the municipal planning process.

“I have seen developments take anywhere from three to 12 years,” Grodzinski said. “It really depends on the planning process.”

Something that can extend the timeline is if there are environmental issues at the site that would need to be remediated.

“Construction is the easiest part,” she said. “Buildings like this can be done in anywhere from 18 to 36 months, depending on how you phase it.”

Tim Kocialek, the town’s infrastructure services general manager, said the former railway lands were impacted by the railway operations. He said sampling has been done in the past and there’s been indication of hydrocarbon contamination.

Additional groundwater sampling has been done in the last few weeks and a report to council is forthcoming, he said.

“There would be cleanup required before the property is used for other purposes,” Kocialek said.

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