Sometimes you don’t know what you are dealing with until you peel pack all the layers of the onion, so to speak.
The planned Habitat Village development to be constructed in place of the former Belleville Police Service at 93 Dundas Street East in Belleville has been experiencing minor delays during the demolition stage of the project.
Habitat PEH CEO Hazzem Koudsi shared that additional vermiculite (asbestos) was discovered within the walls during demolition. This potentially dangerous substance was found to be present within the north, west, and east original exterior walls and other stairwells in the building.
As a result, demolition has been delayed until late January, but the project continues and is still expected to be done by their originally estimated completion date in June of 2028.
That seems like a long time, but some things are well worth waiting for.
The Habitat Village development will consist of a five-storey condominium building with 66 affordable homeownership units. It is the largest single build project of its kind for Habitat for Humanity Canada in its history.
As we face a continuing home affordability crisis in the entire region, it’s also a huge step in the right direction, and very worthy of support as they launch a fundraising campaign for $8.3 million.
As my father would often say, a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. It also means you often have to step over a few cracks in the sidewalk along the way.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
