Photo of what the affordable housing project on part three of the old Queen Mary School site will look like / City of Belleville staff report.
Belleville Council has voted to compromise and add more green space to an affordable housing project, that will utilize the site of the old Queen Mary School on Octavia Street.
The City has owned the property for seven years. Work is underway to establish the site as a large affordable housing hub. The City has had considerable consultation with West Hill residents, who have stressed the need to keep the exiting green space.
Belleville Council was presented at their Tuesday meeting with a staff recommendation. The report highlighted options for the property, that has been divided up into three parts; the existing school building, old playground area, and grassy field.
Heading into the discussion, Council was looking at two housing projects on site. The first would be at the old school building area itself, with a plan to create up to 55-units. The second would be done in the part three, grassy field area. The Housing Accelerator Fund would be used to cover the cost to demolish the school.
Mayor Neil Ellis voted to amend the motion before Council. The team signed off on the Mayor’s pitch to demolish the school, but use the site for green space, rather than the up to 55-units.
Councillor Paul Carr, in favour of the motion, highlighted that there are 37,000 families in Hastings County on the waitlist for social housing. The wait time can be between seven to ten years. He stressed that the move balances the need for parkland and housing, while also being mindful that it is cheaper to build social housing on public land already available, rather than on private land.
Belleville Council also approved signing off on the agreement from All-Together Housing Inc. The company and City will move ahead with finalizing a price for purchasing part three – the grassy field, for the other affordable housing development, which would have 90-units. There would be 45 of the 90 units listed as affordable, which is 80 per cent of market value.
The value of part three of the overall property is coming in at $1.4 million, which includes taxes.
Outline of how the City of Belleville views the plans for the old Queen Mary School / City of Belleville.
