Cornwall City Council has approved a new, and more expensive, design for the Massey Commons project, which will feature fully enclosed housing units.
This decision follows months of community feedback and redesign efforts. The approval was finalized at the Council meeting October 15 means that each unit will now include a private kitchen and bathroom, addressing concerns raised by residents about the original micro-unit design.
The shift from a Class C to Class A estimate, and delays, have increased the overall project cost by $1.2 million. Option B, fully enclosed units, adds an extra $382,000. “In all of my time kicking around here, I have yet to see a project come in at the original estimate and not go up. It’s never happened… Typically, the more precise you get, the more the number goes up,” said Councillor Dean Hollingsworth.
According to a human services department report, 22 fully enclosed units will cost $9,167,500 while 24 micro-units would have cost $8,784,900.
“I am very hopeful that by enclosing these units, we are finding that kind of middle ground where we’re satisfying our original intent while still providing very dignified housing for people who need it,” said Councillor Sarah Good.
Several other councillors also praised the redesign for addressing concerns from the community. Councillor Elaine MacDonald commented, “The nature of the project just changed because I think administration and council were very attuned to the neighborhood, to what people — even people who don’t live in the neighbourhood — feared might happen with micro-units, thinking that maybe they’d be more like a shelter situation than an actual residential setup. $382,000 is a small price to pay, considering the value that we’re getting. I think it’s a wonderful development in this project.”
Hollingsworth added, “What’s nice to see is we’ve changed the nature of the project. I think the people in the neighborhood feel better about it. In reality, we lost two units — it’s not like we lost 50 units or completely reconfigured everything. Every unit is important, but when we can do something that allows the local community to feel better and still meet 95% of our goals, we can generally feel that it’s a reasonable compromise, which is what I think the essence of good government should be.”
However, not all councillors were in agreement. Councillor Fred Ngoundjo voiced concerns about the additional cost for the redesign, stating, “Unfortunately, it’s our residents’ money that we’re spending because we didn’t start the project properly. Now, we’re facing additional costs.”
Changes to the number of units impact the project assumptions including the loss of ongoing rent revenue (from fewer units) and increases in annual municipal subsidy due to the loss of that rental revenue, the department notes.
Massey Commons is a community housing project that will be home to individuals, couples and families, staying up to four years. All units will be within the existing building at 1520 Cumberland St., which will be renovated to meet community housing needs and blend within the surrounding neighbourhood, the city says.
Massey Commons will be run by the Cornwall Housing Services Division.
