Huron County's Economic Development Department is forming a "housing consortium" to address the shortage of affordable housing in the area.
The economic development officer with Huron County, Chris Watson, explained the plan to Goderich council Monday night.
“We've got market developers that are producing homes that many Huron County residents can't afford," said Watson. "On the other side, we have employers who are having difficulty attracting and keeping employees because they're having difficulty finding any housing, let alone housing that they can afford.”
Watson said they're looking for development-ready lots for multi-unit residential housing. Many municipalities are already doing this for industrial properties -- sub-dividing the property, servicing it and getting shovel-ready for any industry that meets the town's requirements.
“What we're planning to do is create a tool that would help any municipality evaluate or not whether any piece of property would make financial sense for them,” said Watson.
The economic development department is giving a similar presentation to other councils in the county. Watson said Goderich was the first.
