South Frontenac Looking for Input on the Senior’s Housing

Jeff Green | Nov 30, 2016

About 18 people showed to a public forum on November 16 to talk about the best option for a senior’s housing project in South Frontenac. A Committee made up of two representatives from Frontenac County Council (John McDougall and Tom Dewey), as well as Mayor Vandewal and South Frontenac Councilor Pat Barr are seeking proposals for a minimum 5 unit building that would be available for rent to senior’s.
The project is a county-wide initiative, with each township having $350,000 available to them to provide financial support for a public or private sector developer to build new housing. The township of Frontenac Islands was the first to take up the challenge, and the planning for a new 5 unit building on a lot that is located on the south edge of Marysville on Wolfe Islands is well under way. South Frontenac is the next to start working on it, and at the meeting on November 16 there were three groups represented who are thinking about putting a proposal forward. Of them, two are not-for profit corporations, Loughborough Housing and Southern Frontenac Community Services, and the third is Robert Morgan of RJM Classic Homes, a Sydenham based company.

“The meeting we held was very good, and with a number of ideas being floated it became clear afterwards that we needed to broaden the discussion before focusing on what kind of development we would like to support,” said John McDougall, who sits on both South Frontenac and Frontenac County Council.
To do that, the township has posted a 12 question survey on the Southfrontenac.net website. The survey asks residents if they think senior’s oriented housing is needed in the township, where that need is greatest, and what kind of project is best suited to the township. It also asks whether it should be a rental unit, unit sizes and amenities, what kinds of services should be in place, and what government support should be available to the developer.

Ken Foulds and Ed Starr from Re-Fact consulting of Ottawa are helping the committee select a project and they will also help with the business plan. Once a project is selected and arrangements made for financing, they will also help with a business plan. Eventually, it will be the group that is developing the project who will come to the fore. The consultants and the county committee will pull back and let the project proceed.
“That’s how it worked in Marysville,” said McDougall,” who added that one of the things that needs to be determined is what the $350,000 can be used for, particularly if the project goes to the private sector.
Location is one of the subjected being explored through the questionnaire. All three of the groups at the meeting on the 16th have property available in Sydenham, however, so there is some likelihood it would be built there.

South Frontenac Community Services has property available at the Grace Centre site. Robert Morgan has set aside some land in a subdivision he developed off of Rutlege Road, and Loughborough Housing has some space available on the same site as their two building are located, and has another piece of land available in Sydenham. A site in Sydenham that can be hooked up to water would fit with the township’s development plan for the village.

Another decision that needs to be made is whether the units should be available at market rent or as rent-geared to income properties. Market rent is what is being contemplated on Wolfe Island.
The Seniors Housing questionnaire will be available until the end of the year on the township website. Southfrontenac.net.