An affordable housing proposal with a unique design has come to High River council.

Sitefinders is looking at building a 20 unit complex called The Grain Elevators, for their peculiar shape.

Consultant Rob Roycroft approached the town asking to work with the developers and Canada Mortgage and Housing by waiving property taxes for ten years.

CMHC needs a buy-in from the town for the project to qualify for a loan under its rules.

The town would be waiving just over $216,000 in property taxes if they agree to go ahead.

Roycroft said waiving property taxes would leave no risk or cost to the town, a comment that councillor Bruce Masterman questioned.

"Very few, if any, affordable housing projects move forward without some kind of support," Roycroft says. "Many municipalities provide a parcel of land at no cost through a long-range lease arrangement to enable the project to proceed. But even then there's still a requirement for affordable financing. When I said no cost I meant no out of pocket cost, no direct payments, no loss of land, no subsidies and no risk means that the situation is not going to change, in a few years you're not going to find yourself being forced to ante up anything at all."

Roycroft says Westwinds Communities can't take part because under legislation it has to own the land the building is on.

The issue's due to come back at a future council meeting.

 

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