By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
Council for the Town of Essex officially endorsed the inclusion of an affordable housing target of 20% in the future Harrow High School Redevelopment Request for Proposal (RFP) during the meeting held Monday evening.
Last month, Essex Council supported in principle the inclusion of an affordable housing target of 20% in the soon-to-be-issued Request for Proposal (RFP) for the former Harrow High School redevelopment, with consideration to be discussed at a future meeting.
At the time, Mayor Sherry Bondy asked Council to think about approving that in principle, to provide time to collect public feedback. It also gave Town staff a chance to do some additional research and provide answers to any questions Council members may have had on the matter.
Last month, Council also approved $37,000 as a post-budget approval for costs incurred for the servicing studies that will be made available to proponents, which will be funded from the proceeds received from the final sale of the property.
In February, Council directed Town staff to prepare an RFP to seek proposals from interested developers to purchase and redevelop the former school footprint for future high-density residential, after Administration outlined the current condition of the facility, with potential budget costs and options for the property.
The current Official Plan (a document that needs to be reviewed every five-years that acts as a road map for planning), requires 20% of new housing to be affordable. In the OP, high-density residential means achieving a minimum density of 32 units per acre. With the Harrow High School footprint being around 3.4 acres, that would mean the minimum density for this site would be 109 units, Council learned last month.
With a 20% affordable housing unit rate, that would require this footprint to offer 22 affordable housing units.
The Town will require a shared access area to the subject site and surrounding municipal property. A maximum permitted building height for this site would be six-storeys.
In following up to Council as requested, Lori Chadwick, Director of Planning Services, noted the average, low, and moderate incomes specific to Harrow were provided to Council. At the previous meeting, she explained Under the Essex County and Town of Essex Official Plans, in addition to the Provincial Policy Statement, affordable housing is defined as the least expensive of the result of a purchase price in an annual accommodation cost/or rent that does not exceed 30% of gross annual household income; or the purchase price is at least 10% below the average purchase price of a resale unit or where rent is at or below the average market rent in the regional market area.
The mean annual household income in Harrow is $81,000, meaning the low income is around $40,500. That translates to $12,150 annually or $1012 or below per month. Moderate income in Harrow is considered to be $65,000 or below. That translates accommodation costs including utilities to be between $12,000 and $19,000 annually.
Previously, Councillors did ask what tools the municipality has to protect affordable housing units as time passes. Chadwick said there seems to be a few tools in the shed municipalities can use. That includes incorporating demolition and conversion control policies through the Official Plan to help address the preservation, replacement, or conversion of affordable housing units.
The County of Essex’s New OP, recently sent to the Ministry for review, does support these types of policies. They have also been drafted in the Essex OP document as well, which Essex Council just paused to complete more studies with growth concerns heard for the Colchester area.
Also through the OP, by-laws can be enacted to prohibit and regulate the demolition of residential rental properties and affordable housing units, and the conversion of such properties.
“This is something we would like to explore a little bit more,” Chadwick said, adding the Town could also look into a Community Improvement Program (CIP) for grants or loans, where an agreement between the municipality and a landowner would specify properties to be maintained as affordable housing, with the enforcement of payback if terms are not met.
Another option could be that municipalities remain the owner of the land and enter into a project agreement with a developer as the owner to have full control. As part of the RFP, municipalities can also require a developer to partner with a non-profit housing agency, which would then lease or purchase the units from the developer.
Lastly, Chadwick highlighted that where Development Charges (DC) have been waived, municipalities could monitor affordable housing by requiring submission of an annual statement, registering the agreement on title, enforcing payback through registered instruments when necessary.
She noted Town staff will continue to review other tools that may be available to assist.
In responding to Council’s question at the previous meeting regarding measures that can be put in place to ensure the site is developed in accordance with the preferred proposal, Chadwick said an agreement of purchase and sale can be made, or a timeframe can be laid out for the completion of the development.
In speaking to municipal services needed, Director of Infrastructure, Kevin Girard, noted the Harrow Lagoon Pump Station does require upgrades to accommodate the minimum density required for a residential development there. That would cost $290,000 and will be included in the 2025 Capital Budget. Funding could come from Development Charges and Wastewater Rate Reserves.
At the previous meeting, it was noted 45 people could be accommodated at the site. When the Pump Station is upgraded, 758 individuals can be accommodated. The upgrade, Girard said, would have a benefit to the existing rate base as it would be there to handle the additional capacity and improve wet weather flows. He added it has also been identified the need to improve water servicing for the area.
“We can’t determine exactly what that water servicing requirement is until we know what the proposal is,” Girard said. That information will not be available until a Detail Design has been created. This would be a direct developer negotiation. If the Town has to cost-share as there was benefit to the existing rate-base, the matter will be brought to Council’s attention.
Councillor Kim Verbeek thanked Town staff for the information Council requested at the previous meeting.
Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais does not want to see an agreement where the Town still owns the property, and would rather explore use of the other tools Chadwick highlighted.
In answering Mayor Bondy’s question on the timeframe for the project, CAO Doug Sweet noted the RFP will be finalized and go out in likely three or four months. Once proposals are received, a meeting with Council will be held to go over them and Council can provide further direction from that point.
“This won’t be a fast pace. We want to do it right,” Sweet said.
The Town purchased the former Harrow High School property from the GECDSB in late 2021 for $845,900, after it decided to close the school in 2015.
It has sat vacant since June of 2016.
In 2022, $60,000 was set aside to assess the facility to have a better understanding of the costs that would be required to transform the facility into a usable centre for public occupancy. It was estimated it would cost over $10M to convert the facility to a recreation centre.
Bondy noted previously the intention was to sell the Harrow High footprint, not the entirety of the property.
