Landmark needs water and sewer to be part of Taché housing action plan

Landmark needs to add a way for water to get in and waste to get out before any new development can grow the town.

That was made clear at the Jan. 14 Taché council meeting where councillors heard about efforts to get a new forcemain in Landmark before being presented a housing action plan draft by planners from M Richard & Associates.

RM economic development officer (EDO) Martha Petrusevich explained how she is applying for the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund before its Mar. 31 deadline in the hopes of funding a water forcemain in Landmark. The goal of the fund is to create more housing.

Petrusevich said she needs to beat the recently posted deadline because future funds may end with a federal election on the horizon. She said the deadline was added after she started as EDO in December.

“Right now Landmark is at capacity. We cannot expand Landmark,” Petrusevich told council.

Deputy mayor George McGregor was chairing the meeting with Mayor Armand Poirier not in attendance. He did not like that the fund could not be used to upgrade existing infrastructure to benefit homes and businesses already in Landmark, but did encourage staff to get the application in.

“It took us 25 years to get the water system up, let’s not make it another 25 years to get (the forcemain),” said McGregor.

“We’re going to do our best to get a solid application in so that we’re a good contender for the funding, 100 percent,” responded CAO Ken Allen.

Taché is part of the Red-Seine-Rat Wastewater Co-operative that will bring wastewater to a regional plant near Niverville when built.

The housing action plan did have erasing barriers and building more infrastructure on its list of strategies.

“This obviously includes water/wastewater. However, it can include making sure that more businesses are located, that it’s welcoming, attractive,” said M Richard director of economic development Brody Osadick during his presentation.

When the backbone of infrastructure is in place, it is key to build different types of housing and not just relying on the single-family housing that limits who can afford to live in the community, and is the most expensive to maintain for the municipality because of the lack of density.

Osadick highlighted the often forgotten housing type in developments that falls in between apartments and single-family detached homes.

“There’s this missing middle piece that we also want to consider: the duplex, semi-detached, cottage ports, townhouses, that sort of thing,” said Osadick.

He said the RM could incentivize that missing middle type of housing by waiving development fees or giving a short-term break on property taxes. He did warn not to take that too far, suggesting it only be applied for specific housing in specific areas.

Several councillors said there is resistance from current residents whenever multi-family housing is proposed, especially if it is called affordable housing.

“The number one barrier is affordable housing and side-by-side duplexes, we get a lot of pushback from the public saying they don’t want it in their backyard. So that’s a tough sell for us,” said Coun. Marcel Manaigre, who added he liked the idea of affordable housing.

“We encounter that all the time. Maybe it’s trying to find a balance; maybe it’s not duplexes or side-by-sides, maybe it’s talking to the neighbours and asking ‘Hey, what are your thoughts on 40-foot lots?’ said Osadick.

He pointed to Niverville where he said they are trying to make single homes affordable with smaller lots.

Osadick added that community feedback on where more affordable homes should be built was key.

“I hate the word density, it scares people. So I say different types of housing or mixed housing,” he said.

Coun. Steven Stein said the definition of affordable has changed a lot since older generations bought their homes.

“There’s another phrase that scares people. Every time the phrase affordable housing goes out there, it just seems we get pushback and everyone says that’s low income, and it’s not. That’s two entirely different things,” said Stein.

“Most of us here were able to buy houses when they were affordable. It’s not so much anymore. Affordable isn’t half a million dollars. I can’t even understand what it would be like to pay a mortgage on that,” he added.

A final housing action plan report is forthcoming as the RM updates its development plan, including open houses on the future of downtown Lorette.