The City of Kawartha Lakes will provide funds to support the construction of the second phase of Pinegrove Place the affordable housing complex near the arena in Minden.

The City of Kawartha Lakes is the social services provider for Haliburton County and during a Feb. 19 county council meeting councillors approved a request from the Kawartha Lakes Haliburton Housing Corporation to take out a $2.9-million debenture to support the construction of the estimated $4.5-million facility. The corporation will repay the city using rental revenues. The housing corporation itself will provide some $1.2 million from its reserves and Haliburton County will contribute $252000 to the project. The Township of Minden Hills will provide a series of in-kind contributions including the donation of land waiving of fees etc.

Phase two of the project is to consist of a three-storey 21-unit building that will include one- two- and three-bedroom units. The one-bedroom units are to be 600 square feet in size the two-bedroom units 810 square feet and the three-bedroom apartments 1100 square feet. Four apartments are to be fully accessible units and the building will also include a main floor common area laundry room and elevator. The units will be a mix of affordable and market rent with affordable rent defined as 80 per cent of market value.

The plan is for construction to get underway in the spring of this year and for the building to be open for occupancy in spring of 2020.

The project’s first phase a one-storey 12-unit facility opened to residents in the summer of 2017.

There are currently 81 subsidized units in Minden and some 300 households waiting for subsidized accommodations on the centralized waiting list. There are 71 households on the waiting list for market rate housing.

According to the City of Kawartha Lakes the county has seen a drop in rental supply during the past few years. The Township of Minden Hills has set a target of creating 250 seniors/affordable housing units during the next 20 years.