TIMMINS - Provincial cash is helping a subdivision development move ahead.
The City of Timmins is getting $9 million from the Ontario Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund. It will allow the city to work on the Melrose Heights subdivision expansion, which is targeted for a parcel of land north of J.V. Bonhomme Boulevard roughly between Kaleidoscope Co-Operative Housing and Don Bosco school at the end of Lonergan Boulevard.
The municipality currently owns the land that could house 341 residential lots. The first step to prepping it for development is installing over 2,100 metres of the necessary infrastructure.
"The province’s funding will be directed towards the engineering, design, and construction of essential water mains, storm, and sanitary sewers,” said Scott Tam, growth and infrastructure director, in a news release. “Critical infrastructure like water supply and sewage systems are essential services that a subdivision needs to function effectively."
The city is experiencing housing pressures on all levels, said Mayor Michelle Boileau. Last year, the city created a housing action plan.
“By increasing the housing supply, we can support business development, improve and diversify the local economy, and plan for future growth. One of the plan’s key recommendations was to advocate for funding from upper levels of government to move subdivision development forward," she said.