By Emily Keller

CITY COUNCIL

City looking for public input into Affordable Housing Strategy

Oct 29, 2019 | 5:30 AM

Grande Prairie City Council will meet next week for a Council Committee of the Whole meeting to discuss the Affordable Housing Plan draft that was introduced in early October.

The plan includes the potential for a city-run housing corporation and was met with opposition from private industry.

Reed Des Roches, a senior planner with the City, says they are inviting members of the community to register for public delegations for the meeting to gain more input for the draft.

“I think they’d really like to hear from people in the housing industry and in community support organizations and non-market housing providers, to hear if the structure laid out in this plan would allow them to work with us and get more done in the community, and if it’s the way they want to be collaborated with.”

The 2020-2030 draft of the Affordable Housing Strategy and the Grande Prairie Community Housing Company Business Plan were before city council on October 7, where it was decided they should go before a Council Committee of the Whole meeting.

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Des Roches says there is a reason why the City is holding a separate meeting for this.

“I think just because it has such a big scope, and the idea of creating a housing company is so new, that we need to take some extra steps to be cautious moving forward, and so council has called this extra meeting to do that.”

He adds that the recent provincial budget might already mean changes to the draft.

“And that affecting what sorts of supports we can effect from the province in terms of housing supports, but also infrastructure and other things that may influence the budget decisions, and that might influence the City’s decision on whether or not to move forward with a housing company, just because of the cost associated with that.”

The meeting goes at 9:00 a.m. on November 5.

Registration can be done by completing the Delegation Request Form at the City’s website. The draft of the strategy can also be accessed here.

The City is asking that the delegations be around seven minutes to present and to have time for a Q & A with council.

Anyone can attend the meeting even if they do not make a presentation.