Filling a need

Development at former Wellington Arena attracts federal funding

The Prince Edward County Affordable Housing Corporation (PECAHC) has secured $180,000 in seed funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) for the redevelopment of the former Wellington Arena site on Niles Street. The building was decommissioned and closed on December 10, 2010, and has been sitting vacant since that time.The seed funding from CMHC will assist with the costs associated with the due diligence and pre-development components for the project. PECAHC is transforming the site at 230 Niles Street in Wellington into a multi-unit affordable rental housing complex featuring one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. Charles Dowdall, Executive Director of PECAHC, said that in March 2020, the County declared the building a surplus asset, for disposal. The municipality transferred the property to PECAHC in June 2020 with the intent of transforming the site into affordable housing. Construction is planned to begin between December 2021 and January 2022 with occupancy expected to take place 12 to15 months after construction begins. “When the County declared it as surplus asset in March, they agreed to a purchase and sale agreement to sell the property to the housing corporation, for the sum of $2 for the purpose of converting that site into affordable rental housing. We are now in the process of completing our due diligence in the pre-development work and the intention for that property is converting the property into 36 units of affordable rental housing—28 one bedroom units and eight two-bedroom units,” explains Dowdall.

All of the units in the new development will meet the CMHC guidelines for affordability, with rents at least 20 per cent below the CMHC median market rent for the community. The finished site will serve all demographics. “The entire project will be 100 per cent affordable,” said Dowdall. “For example, if the median market rent is $1,000 for a two-bedroom, then the maximum rent that would be charged under the affordable housing, would be $800—it would be less than that quite frankly because we are trying to work towards 30 per cent below the median market rate.”

The design and architecture of the site will respect the surrounding community. The development will incorporate energy efficiency features with the goal of reducing the overall carbon footprint. The finished site will be fully accessible for persons with physical disabilities. “An architect is doing conceptual drawings of what the design of the conversion would like look on the exterior and what typical one- and two-bedroom units would look like on the interior of the building,” says Dowdall. He also explained that while he can’t speak for the board, in his opinion, it would be in its best interest to maintain a good part of the existing building. “Structurally it is a cement slab floor, typical ice arena, the walls are 12-inch cement blocks, you just don’t see buildings like that anymore with that kind of wall structure and that bodes well for insulation.”

Dowdall believes that the design does need to fit in with the village, and not look too industrial. “I want this to respect the community from an architectural standpoint, but I don’t want folks to say ‘oh it’s an arena building’ everytime they drive by. You don’t want it to look industrial. The residents need to feel that they live in a home not in an arena building and the expectation is by mid- to late-summer we will have the drawings and we will go to public consultation.”

Dowdall believes that the public consultation will be a large factor in the outcome of the project. PECAHC intends to hold public consultation on the project in late summer 2021. “I am very big on public consultation. I think everyone has to be involved, especially when you look at the demographic of the community. It has to be a project that the community can support and respects the architecture and the heritage of the community as well,” says Dowdall, who notes the building should not be shiny and fancy. “We also want communal space so that groups in the community are able to use that facility, whether it’s a senior group or whether it’s another non-profit,” he adds.

Dowdall acknowledges that there is a certain perception that comes along with affordable housing. “As soon as they hear corporation and that government funding may be involved, the reaction is ‘oh we’ve got welfare housing.’ For this development, the government’s funding is federal, capital funding—the actual funding to build the building and do the conversion,” he says. “We are not receiving government money for this and the residents aren’t receiving government money either. Although there is a small group of NIMBYs, my feeling is there is overarching support from the community to get this going.”

Wellington councillor Mike Harper was happy to see movement on the vacant property. “It’s been a long time coming, but thanks to Chuck Dowdall and PECAHC, we’re finally seeing some progress on the redevelopment of the old Duke- Dome property,” said Harper. “In my view, affordable rental units are the highest and best use of that property given a two-fold challenge in the County: the lack of rental accommodation and escalating real estate prices.” Mayor Steve Ferguson believes this a step in the right direction to keep residents in the County. “Access to affordable housing is key for the long-term health of our local economy and the vitality of our community,” says Ferguson. “With the support of CMHC and the municipality, PECAHC is unlocking the potential of this site to keep more people in Prince Edward County instead of them moving away in pursuit of rental rates that they can afford.”

PECAHC was formed as part of County Council’s strategic plan goal to build liveable communities with affordable housing. The independent nonprofit corporation works with the municipality, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, and many local and regional community partners to ensure its work is collaborative and reflects the needs of the community.