Building community

Co-op housing could be coming to the County

Barry Davidson is a busy man. You’ve likely seen him spearheading many projects in the community. Projects such as the Wellington Community Garden, the Rotary Gala to benefit the hospital, the Millennium Trail upgrade project and the Twelve Trees Development to name a few. Davidson is adding one more project to his extensive list, and it comes in the form of co-op housing. He and the Twelve Trees Development Corporation are in the process of putting together a feasibility study on the viability and the necessity for co-op housing in the County. Davidson recently put out a survey in the community with some questions regarding affordable housing in the area and the response that came back was overwhelmingly in support of the ideas presented. Davidson is no stranger to rallying support behind items of importance in the County, and this one is no different. The knowledge he has gained breaking ground with the Twelve Trees Project in Wellington has given him a wealth of knowledge of the process and what needs to happen to get a project like a co-op through to the finish line in the County.

“We are in the very beginning stages here, and we’re currently in the process of looking for land that is appropriate for a concept like this. Finding the right land and building the right team of investors will be key to its success,” says Davidson.

The preliminary design of the coop would feature 28 units in a three-story building, with units varying in size from a bachelor to a three-bedroom apartment. The location of the co-op will be important and Davidson maintains that any land being considered is in the village of Wellington and within a 15-minute walk from downtown. What drove him to look for alternative options for affordable housing stems from the recent wave of Airbnbs and weekly rentals currently in the village and the fact that thoses places seem to be detracting from the village’s sense of community.

For those unaware of the idea of co-op housing, it is the embodiment of community. It started in the 1800s as a part of the co-operative movement, but really gained traction in the 1960s as a method of providing affordable housing for families. Several pilot projects were initially funded by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in 1969, and since then thousands of co-op homes have been created through various federal and provincial programs.

When a co-op is created, it is owned by its membership. Individual members do not own equity on their housing, and if a member moves out, then it is up to the co-op to find a suitable replacement. It is in their best interests to find someone to move in with similar views on how their co-op should be run. After all, everyone in the co-op gets an equal share, and an equal vote in the running of the building. One of biggest differences between co-op housing and other forms of not-for-profit housing is the management of the property. There is no building manager or front of house staff, but rather a group of members who choose to live, work and help shape the direction of the collective.

Each co-op is run by a Board of Directors, and runs on its own set of bylaws created when the co-op is formed. Many co-ops also have committees apart from their boards that are responsible for finances, capital projects and safety among other things. Quite a few coops require a minimum amount of participation to make sure that everyone is on board with doing their part. The best examples of coops are the ones that have a clear vision from the start of how they want to run their co-op and how they will contribute to the community.

For Davidson, his next move will be to complete this feasibility study and perhaps in the process, attract both investors and people interested in joining the co-op. His goal is to make the building as energy efficient and accessible as possible, so as to attract rebates or subsidies from the government.

When asked the question of why he is embarking on this project, Davidson’s answer is simple. “Because the community needs it.” A co-op housing situation would also eliminate any possibility of those units being converted into rental properties. It goes against the very principles of joining a co-op. With more and more services and establishments opening daily in the County to meet the needs of the growing population, it is essential to keep the working-class families in our community. They are the heartbeat of those establishments and without offering them options on affordable housing, the County runs the risk of becoming a vacation wasteland.