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3 · Friday, July 30, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Houses to be wrecked to pave way for redevelopment Continued from page 1 It came about when the Region, and Ward 5 Town and regional Councillor Jeff Knoll -- who is also president of the Halton Community Housing Corporation -- called for money to be spent so some of the vacant homes could be used as temporary transitional housing for families or individuals in crisis. At the time, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton voiced concerns that any use of the existing buildings, no matter how temporary, could have interfered with the redevelopment of the area. During a public meeting, some area residents expressed concerns that using the military homes as temporary transitional housing could lower their property values. Others at that meeting, however, pointed to the desperate need for transitional housing in Halton -- the Region's waiting list in 2008 was sitting at approximately 1,800. In the end, the idea was abandoned when it was discovered the Region would have to pay $50,000 per year to maintain the complex's communal water system. With the military housing about to fall, there is much speculation as to what will replace it. In a presentation displayed to residents during a June 29 public meeting, Canada Lands stated it was `commencing a planning process to transform the site into a high-quality, sustainable residential subdivision compatible with the existing neighbourhood character.' This document also states Canada Lands will achieve this redevelopment through the creation of a `consultation-based' master plan by which to guide all future development, infrastructure and investment on the site. "The next step in the process is we're going to be having a public planning session for this," said Ward 2 Councillor Cathy Duddeck. "The Town of Oakville and Canada Lands will be hosting it and they will be working with the community with regard to what they want to see on the site given the current designation under Livable Oakville's Official Plan." This meeting has been scheduled for early fall. Knoll said he will continue his efforts to bring additional affordable housing to Halton. "The land is owned by the federal government, it's paid for by tax dollars and I think the federal government has a responsibility to use its assets to leverage the best possible outcomes for its citizens. One of those outcomes would be providing opportunities for affordable housing," said Knoll. "This could mean ensuring that some form of affordable housing is developed on the land or leveraging the sale of that property to provide opportunities for affordable housing elsewhere." The latter could involve putting some of the funds made from the sale of the land towards affordable housing or trading a developer the DND lands for land somewhere else in Halton to be used for affordable housing, Knoll said. Knoll went on to say that either way, the government should not simply pocket the huge amount of money it is going to make by selling that land to a developer. Knoll said there is a colossal shortage of affordable housing in Oakville currently with homes for single non-seniors, families and transitional housing in the greatest demand. PHOTOS BY KAREN NEWMAN / OAKVILLE BEAVER SLATED FOR DESTRUCTION: The now uninhabited Ortona Barracks, located at Dorval Drive and Rebecca Street, are to be torn down despite some local attempts that would have allowed the homes to be used as temporary transitional housing. It appears they are starting the demolition at the north end of the property which makes it difficult to be seen from Rebecca Street. LIGHTING FROM · CORBETT · TROY · HUDSON VALLEY He said opportunities are also lacking for first-time homebuyers and people who just don't make the average income in Oakville. "There's a whole swath of folks who we need to provide opportunities for and I'm not going to pick one over the other because the need for all of them is so great," said Knoll. "If you have $400,000 in your pocket or at least the credit line to borrow $400,000 or up you don't really have a problem in Oakville, but if you have under that number, there's nothing here for you." Duddeck called it premature for anyone to speculate on what should be placed on that site until such time as members of the public have an opportunity to comment. "It sort of defeats the whole purpose of public consultation if you already come to the table with an agenda in terms of what you want to see on the property," she said. "There's been a lot of concern within the immediate area regarding the fact they want to have it very compatible with the existing homes around them." · STONEGATE DESIGN · FINE ART AND MUCH MORE CONCEPT LIGHTING GALLERIES FEATURING OAKVILLE'S FINEST LIGHTING STORE 243 Speers Road · Beween Kerr & Dorval ·Oakvill, ON 905.849.LITE (5483) ELEGANT www.conceptlighting.ca DISTINCTIVE