Ontario Construction News staff writer
Welland City Council has approved an affordable and attainable housing development that will create 83 new rental homes on city-owned lands north of Broadway, on both sides of the unopened Crowther Avenue road allowance.
The project will move forward through a partnership between Bethlehem Housing and Support Services and the Community Land Trust of Niagara, delivering a mix of deeply affordable, affordable, and attainable rental units supported by on-site services and community amenities.
“This project responds directly to the growing need for safe, stable, and affordable rental housing in our community,” said Grant Munday, the City’s director of planning and development services. “These new homes will help individuals and families who are struggling to find suitable housing in today’s market, and they reflect the type of long-term community support that many residents need.”
Under a long-term land lease, Bethlehem Housing and Support Services will build 40 deeply affordable one- and two-bedroom units, along with a ground-floor community hub. On the west side of the site, the City will sell land to the Community Land Trust of Niagara for a nominal amount to construct 13 affordable and 30 attainable rental homes. An agreement ensures the lands remain dedicated to affordable and attainable housing over the long term. Bethlehem Housing and Support Services will also operate and manage the Community Land Trust building.
To advance the project, council approved $403,000 in incentives through the City’s Affordable Rental Housing Community Improvement Plan. The project partners will seek additional senior-government funding, with construction expected to begin in about one year.
City officials say the development aligns with Welland’s Housing Needs Assessment and the Affordable Rental Housing Community Improvement Plan, reinforcing the municipality’s commitment to expanding access to housing and improving residents’ quality of life.
