Affordable Housing Developments

Municipal Affordable Housing initiative to create a five-unit family housing development on Redwood Crescent as well as a six-unit family housing development on Eugenie Street in Chatham.

As part of the development process, the Administration recommends expanding Jaycette Park infrastructure, consistent with the forthcoming Parks & Recreation Master Plan update, to create a vibrant and welcoming space by incorporating amenities tailored to the needs of residents. Primarily, the initiative will involve the installation of a small basketball/multi-use court, catering to the recreational needs of the youth in the neighborhood. This addition not only promotes physical activity and healthy lifestyles but also fosters a sense of community engagement and social cohesion. In addition to the basketball/multi-use court, the enhancements will introduce a small pavilion with picnic facilities, providing residents with inviting spaces for relaxation, socializing, communal gatherings, and the ability to enjoy the outdoors safely and healthily and with protection from harmful UV exposure.

Furthermore, the enhancement of the park will include the strategic planting of trees and pollinator-friendly plants. This ecological component not only contributes to the beautification of the park but also serves to improve the local environment. By emphasizing the conservation of rainwater and promoting sustainable landscaping practices, such as native plantings and permeable surfaces, the project aligns with principles of environmental stewardship and resilience. Through these integrated efforts, the project aspires to not only enhance the physical infrastructure of the park but also to create a dynamic and sustainable community space that fosters health, and cultivates a sense of community belonging, well-being, and environmental consciousness among residents of all ages and backgrounds.

In addition, the Administration is working on an agreement process to implement an easement request with Hydro One through their corridor that would connect the residents of Redwood Crescent and surrounding neighbourhoods with accessibility to Jaycette Park.

A 3D-rendered conceptual video helps illustrate these affordable housing developments.

The Administration has been working on developing affordable housing throughout the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, especially on municipal-owned and underutilized land parcels. In May 2024, Chatham-Kent’s Centralized Waiting List (CWL) of households in need of affordable housing increased from 1,103 to 1,153 households. If this degree of growth continues, Chatham-Kent could be at an unprecedented 1,300 households on the CWL by the end of 2024.

To provide greater detail on Chatham’s Centralized Waiting List (CWL) of households:

• 21% (149) are seniors (adults over the age of 65) needing one-bedroom units
• 44% (304) are adults under the age of 65 needing one-bedroom units
• 17% (116) are adults under the age of 65 needing two-bedroom units
• 18% (125) are family households in need of three and four-bedroom units

The community has experienced an increasing need for multi-bedroom family units and Figure 1 further illustrates the demand for community housing in Chatham by unit type.

A pre-design, feasibility and costing process has already been completed for a five-unit development on Redwood Crescent, Chatham and a six-unit development on an approximately 0.42 acre or 0.17 hectare portion of underutilized land in Jaycette Park on Eugenie Street, Chatham.

The Administration identified that 24 & 28 Redwood Crescent in Chatham are vacant lots owned by the Municipality and combined are approximately 0.44 acres or 0.18 hectares. They abut “single-family dwelling” neighbourhoods and are zoned OS1 with zoning description Open Space. As the owner of the property, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent intends to develop a family five-unit two-storey Community Housing building containing three three-bedroom and two four-bedroom units. Below are 3D-rendered conceptual drawings of the Redwood Crescent development.

Administration recommends constructing a family six-unit two-storey Community Housing building containing four three-bedroom and two four-bedroom units at the Eugenie Street location. Both Redwood Crescent and Eugenie Street builds offer 1:1.5 parking spaces/unit and are close to community transportation, schools, and a community park. Below are 3D conceptual drawings of the Eugenie Street development.

As housing need spans the entire rental housing continuum in Chatham, Chatham-Kent Housing Services intends to offer three units designated as “Attainable Market Rentals” charging Average Market Rent (AMR), four units designated as “Affordable Rentals” charging 80% of AMR and four units designated as “Deeply Affordable units” with rents priced at the “maximum shelter allowance” rate provided under the Ontario Works Act and its Regulations. These Affordable Housing developments construction will be funded through a combination of the use of Chatham-Kent’s 2024-2025 Canada Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI) & Ontario Priority Housing Initiative (OPHI) Year 6 allocations, potential successful grant applications, municipal reserves and affordable housing base budget funds.

Across the street from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent-owned Westcourt Villa Housing property, there is a vacant piece of Municipality of Chatham-Kent-owned land that would be an ideal location for a large affordable/market rent mixed housing development.

CKHS recommends developing a 50-60 unit affordable/market rent mixed housing development.

This concept has the advantage of allowing older families and baby boomers to age in place as unit size needs change when children leave and adults move into a senior cohort. This also provides a wide range of social and health benefits through intergenerational interaction and assistance. This development allows Chatham-Kent to develop a project that will be a benefit for all cohorts on the Centralized Waitlist.

Housing Services and Parks, Recreation and Cemeteries are working on this project together and are looking for your feedback on how the 1.77 hectares site should be utilized to provide 50 housing units and for how the balance of the land could be used to provide other amenities to the community.