A proposed affordable housing project in Armstrong will be the subject of a public hearing in the new year.
The development would consist of two apartment buildings located at 3455 Adair Street, next to Nor-Val Arena and Memorial Park. Each building would be four storeys or 14 metres in height (which ever is shorter), adding a maximum of 80 affordable units.
On Monday city officials passed first and second reading of a rezoning bylaw that would make way for the development.
The next step will be to open the process to public input. Armstrong Mayor Chris Pieper said the project is still in the early goings, but a public hearing is expected to take place in mid-January. While COVID-19 protocols have made public input slightly more challenging, Pieper said residents are welcome to send any concerns to the city planner or email them to the City of Armstrong
“We’re all trying to understand what we’re getting into and how it’ll be good for Armstrong and good for the people that will be able to benefit from it in the long run,” Pieper said Thursday, adding future council sessions will aim to delve further into the details of the proposal.
“There’s a lot of rumours out there right now of what it isn’t,” Pieper said Thursday. “It’s affordable housing, it’s not subsidized housing, so there’s a big difference there.”
Armstrong is in need of more affordable housing, according to a recent housing needs assessment by the city which showed a need for 205 affordable units for renters.
Mayor Pieper said council has been working on an affordable housing strategy for “a long time,” and has viewed a number of presentations from the development community.
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