Seniors housing in Sharbot Lake finds its "starting point"

Craig Bakay | Nov 18, 2019

Central Frontenac Council received and adopted a business case study for seniors housing on the site of the former Sharbot Lake Public School at its regular meeting Tuesday evening at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake.

Ken Foulds of SHS Consulting and Re/ Fact Consulting presented Council with a report that would pave the way for 10 units of seniors housing, all on a single floor with larger halls and doorways, that would come in at a capital cost of about $2.8 million with annual operating costs of about $89,000 per year.

The 10 units would be set up as two fiveunit pods to take advantage of regulations that require additional septic and/or well requirements for buildings of six units or more.

Each unit would contain one two-bedroom unit and four one-bedroom units. Foulds said that reflects the feedback of 118 online surveys received.

“The concept is viable,” he said. “The site is obviously larger than what would be needed for those two pods and there is existing septic and well that may be useable.”

He said half of the one-bedroom units would be at Acceptable Market Rate (AMR, currently $832/month) and half at 80 per cent of AMR (currently $665/month). Two bedroom units would be at the AMR of $1,144).

Several assumptions were made in the study such as a property value of $250,000 (after the existing school building is demolished), funding from the Ontario Investment in Affordable Housing program at $150,000 per unit for 50 per cent of the units, a waiver of municipal development fees ($27,800) and a County equity infusion of $330,000 plus $100,000 from the Township.

“Operations would be managed by an experienced local housing provider (Central Frontenac Housing Corporation, which manages the existing senior’s housing units on Clement Road),” he said.

He said the next steps include making the actual decision to move forward, confirming governance/oversight/management, determining usability of existing site services, securing initial funding commitments and beginning pre-development project planning activities.

“We have our starting point,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

Report on Thomson’s Cut

Multi-Use Cultural Centre Steering Committee Chair Gary Giller gave Council a presentation on the completion of Thomson Cut improvements completed this summer including a pedestrian walkway and nine streetlights.

“It’s an important greenbelt between Railway Heritage Park and Oso Beach,” Giller said.

Giller said it’s also important to maintain the greenbelt in the event that an actual railway station come to Sharbot Lake in the future.

“That’s a discussion for another day,” said Mayor Frances Smith.

Elizabeth Street Project

Council authorized staff to undertake a review of Elizabeth Street titles before the anticipated renovations planned for 2020.

“The immediate concern is understanding the extent/location of our road allowance and confirming we have clear title to those sections where we need to undertake rehabilitation,” Public Works Manager Tyson Myers said in his report. “Part of Elizabeth Street is shown in the 1894 village plan, however the northern section has not been surveyed.

“We are in the process of reviewing existing R-plans of neighbouring properties so that boundaries can be located on the ground.

“Furthermore, it would appear that Elizabeth Street has been realigned over the last century and it is unclear if legal titles were updated to reflect what is now on the ground.”

Myers said that while there will be some surveying done as part of the consultant work, it won’t be for legal title. Any title surveying won’t be part of the grant program and therefore the Township will be responsible for costs.

“And it needs to be done sooner rather than later,” he said.

Alton Road

‘Alton Road,’ as the road allowance between Concession 5 and 6 in Hinchinbrooke is commonly known, has had the common law right of of passage restricted on it due to a bridge on it needing repair.

It is not a road within the Township’s current road network and is not recognized in the Township Road Naming Bylaw, Public Works Manager Tyson Myers told Council.

Coun. Victor Heese asked if the bridge should be removed to reduce Township liability but Myers replied: “In the short term, we’ve put up ‘use at your own risk’ but if somebody wants to go back there, they’ll find a way, even if it’s putting up their own bridge.