Published on: February 14, 2020

GORE BAY – Council for the Town of Gore Bay has given its approval to amend a zoning by-law toward the development of a proposed 30-unit apartment-type structure in the town with conditions, in consideration of the many concerns raised by residents of Hall Street, at a meeting held this past Monday.

“I truly understand the concerns raised by residents here tonight,” stated Fern Dominelli, CAO of the MSDSB, who along with two OAHS representatives were in attendance at the meeting. He explained the DSB had been approached by the town in 2011 on the property when they had a group that wanted to put in 25 units. “The DSB is made up of 18 small municipalities and they can’t afford to borrow $5-10 million for a project like this.” He pointed out last spring two advertisements had been circulated for expressions of interest in the property, and while there was no interest initially, when the RFP was extended a further 30 days, the OAHS expressed interest. “They have completed similar projects in many other places in the province, and they are a good partner to create more housing.” He also noted there is a waiting list of 60 for housing in Gore Bay, with the very large majority wanting this type of development, not single-family dwellings.

Daneen Denomme, director of policy and programs for OAHS said, “there is a long process that has to be carried through. We know for instance the conservation area has to be protected, and we want to make sure this is the case. We can’t build without following all the laws and restrictions. There will also need to be a traffic study carried out; a lot of discussion needs to take place before anything is done. We hope this will be a partnership and that we can provide safe, affordable housing.”

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