Affordable housing proposal looks to council for support

Mac Olsen
South Peace News

A Grand Prairie-based property development firm is proposing affordable, low-income housing for High Prairie, and is seeking the town council’s support. Harrington Homes wants to construct a four-story building with 31 modular two- and three-bedroom units on a 1.5-acre lot east of High Prairie Elementary. Five to 10 per cent of the units would accommodate people with disabilities, and all units should have strata titles for maximum flexibility of occupancy. “Our sense is that the lack of good, affordable housing is one the economic barriers to growth in High Prairie right now,” Dale Williams says in an interview. He is a co-owner with Karen Schoepp in Harrington Developments. During the council meeting on Aug. 22, Williams suggested that the Town of High Prairie could partner with his company in the project. He also suggested that the council make a funding application to the provincial government for a grant for affordable housing. He added that a provincial grant could reduce the construction and rental costs by 15 to 25 per cent. Williams has experience with this process, working with the City of Grand Prairie and local community organizations to build low-income housing there in 2005. He hopes High Prairie Town Council will look favourably on his proposal. “It seems to be a pretty good opportunity for us to provide more housing in High Prairie. But it will be council’s decision as to what they would like to do,” he says. Mayor Rick Dumont says this is something that the council has not seen before, and he feels that Williams’ company could help to address the low-income housing need in High Prairie. “We had never seen anything like that before. It’s something that we need to read up on,” he says in an interview. The mayor does not believe that Williams’ proposal competes with other residential developments, actual or proposed, and he adds that the company has built duplex units in the Pleasantview area of town. Mayor Dumont has directed the municipal administration to look into the application process. That information could be available by the time of the next council meeting on Sept. 12.

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