Joe Wills of Barry's Bay Tiny Homes speaks with Minden Hills councillor and Minden Hills Housing Task Force member Pam Sayne during the drop-in event Community Consultation: Housing for the Missing Middle from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Minden Hills council chambers on Saturday May 19. The task force invited public feedback for direction on meeting housing needs in the community. The small footprint home idea (up to 450 square-feet) is one of four ideas (garden suite a downtown revitalization plan and made-in-Minden senior campus) being suggested to meet the needs of the ” missing=” middle”=” –=” a=” housing=” density=” term.=” darren=” lum=” staff”=
This past Saturday was the beginning of an ongoing effort to learn what the public wants when it comes to meeting housing needs in Minden.
The Minden Hills Housing Task Force invited the public to its drop-in event Community Consultation: Housing for the Missing Middle at the Minden Hills council chambers. They made themselves available to answer questions and provide information about the four types of housing options that could meet the needs of the “missing middle.”
The ideas include a garden suite built on a rural property (for a senior; or single adult with a small child; or a couple) which could be for a family member or a renter; a cluster of tiny homes (up to 450 square feet); downtown revitalization including the redevelopment of under-utilized retail space to include housing; and a made-in-Minden senior campus. The senior campus would require partners in construction and operation and could be based on a facility in Penetanguishine which has long-term care beds and a retirement complex as well as subsidized rental units market-rent units and life-lease units.
Task force chairperson Fay Martin said the tiny home concept was the most popular among people who came to the drop-in. It has some overlap with garden suites (a garden suite could be a tiny home if tiny homes were permitted size wise).
“The bigger projects are a bit scary because people think it may take the rest of their lives but as those get a few champions and the shape of them is beginning to be evident and the timeline I expect we’ll get more takers” she wrote in an email.
Martin said this event won’t be the last.
Deciding an idea is the first step followed by planning and implementation she said.
Implementation could be for one or all of them but the process requires public input.
This event coincided with the Haliburton County Farmers’ Market which started its season with Minden’s farmers’ market located just steps away from the Minden Hills chamber offices.
For more information and to give input contact Fay Martin: fay.martin@fayandassociates.com
