Wellington County officially opened the doors to Webster Place, a 55-unit affordable housing complex for seniors on June 28.
The four-storey apartment building, located at 169 Gordon Street in Fergus, is designed for those aged 55 and up “who prefer small-town living close to a variety of amenities,” the county states in a press release.
The building is comprised of 55 smoke-free units, including 39 one-bedroom apartments, eight two-bedroom apartments, six accessible one-bedroom apartments, and two accessible two-bedroom apartments.
The building also includes an accessible elevator, laundry facilities on every floor, personal storage and scooter storage, a multi-functional common room and meeting room, and energy efficient lighting with occupancy sensors throughout the building.
Webster Place is the eighth project to be developed in the County of Wellington’s service area since the mid-2000s. Another project currently under construction in Palmerston is slated for occupancy in early 2018.
“Wellington County is dedicated to providing opportunities for individuals who live on lower or fixed incomes,” said councillor David Anderson, chair of the county’s social services committee.
“Every new affordable housing building that the county opens brings us one step closer to achieving the vision of our 10 Year Housing and Homelessness Plan – that everyone can find and maintain appropriate, safe, and affordable places to call home.”
Webster Place was designed by architect L. Alan Grinham and Associates and built by Ball Construction Ltd. The building, constructed using Green Legacy building standards, meets the Emerald Level of certification, the county’s highest building standard.
The project cost nearly $14 million, with the county contributing $5.9 million and the federal and provincial governments contributing $8.1 million from the Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) program.
“The opening of Webster Place is a wonderful example of what can happen when the community, the county and all levels of government come together to address the important needs of our communities,” states Warden Dennis Lever in the release.
“In our northern nation, decent housing is an absolute necessity,” said Wellington-Halton Hills MP Ted Arnott at the officially opening, “We know seniors have special needs, and we owe them the best care possible.”
Minto Mayor and past Warden George Bridge filled in at the opening for Lever, who was meeting with provincial officials on other matters.
“Wellington County is dedicated to providing opportunities for individuals on lower and fixed incomes … having these extra 55 units is going to go very far in that,” Bridge stated.
Centre Wellington Ward 5 councillor Stephen Kitras said, “Webster place will be a strong addition to our rapidly-growing community.
Kitras said the project “shows the commitment to including the more vulnerable in our commitment to the future.”
Rental units in demand
Architect Lloyd Grinham noted builders “don’t very often get to do something like this, while looking at something like Fergusson Place – so there’s an unusual opportunity here to learn from what we did there.”
Grinham pointed out that energy costs have virtually doubled since Fergusson Place was built seven years ago. Construction costs have increased to the point it cost 45 per cent more to build Webster Place than the previous facility.
“Market demand for rental housing is so intensive now that we’re actually seeing the business focus of lenders, the major banks … [shift] to building rental housing and this is completely unusual, completely unforeseen and it’s changing our world dramatically,” Grinham added.
Ball construction president Jason Ball said while the project provided many challenges, “all in all it’s been a great experience and it’s a beautiful project and we hope it’s enjoyed by the community for many, many years.”
“Projects on the scale of Webster Place and its partner property Fergusson Place don’t come together easily or randomly,” said county director of housing Ryan Pettipiere. “They’re the result of years of work, years of planning and a whole lot of vision.”
Residents were to start moving into the facility on July 4.
Individuals interested in applying for accommodations can contact the county’s Housing Services Division at 519-824-7822 ext. 4060 or visit www.wellington.ca.
