City, township reach water-sharing agreement  

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After months of discussion about whether the City of Brockville could provide water and wastewater services to the proposed housing development at Rows Corners Fairgrounds in Elizabethtown-Kitley Township, the two municipalities have come to an agreement. 

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In December, a $35-million workforce housing project was announced by Campus Habitations for the vacant fairgrounds just north of Brockville, which aims to create, in its first phase, 140 rental apartment units for local industry workers struggling to find a place to live. 

While it was praised by local leaders for its potential to help address the regional housing crisis, many people, including some residents and municipal councillors, were hesitant to proceed with the large-scale development if it could not be serviced by Brockville’s water and wastewater infrastructure.  

In a joint announcement Thursday, the two municipalities said they’ve agreed in principle to the idea, and that their councils will each table a motion at the next meeting to submit a joint application from the province under the new Housing Enabling Water Systems (HEWS) fund.  

“The application is to improve the city’s water and wastewater assets, along with the extension of water and wastewater infrastructure in the north-east corner of the city, and beyond, to the former fairgrounds,” the announcement said.  

When it was announced in December, the project’s proponent said it aims to address the area’s housing crisis, particularly local employers’ need to find workers who can afford to live in the area on an entry-level factory salary.

If there is enough demand after the first phase is done, there could be two additional phases which would include up to 320 apartments at “attainable” prices, township officials said. This means the rental price would not exceed 30 per cent of the average household income of industry workers. 

Mayor Brant Burrow previously said connecting with the city’s infrastructure was the developer’s preferred method of servicing the property. The other option would be to create a small well farm on the property, which raised concerns among some neighbours and councillors. 

At a February council meeting in Elizabethtown-Kitley, some councillors said their support of the project was contingent on connecting with the city’s infrastructure. 

Now, with a plan in place for that to happen, Burrow says he’s grateful for the “open-minded reception” he encountered when he approached Brockville council to begin the conversation around servicing the proposed development.

“Everyone is very familiar with the housing challenges our entire region is facing, and the industrial job vacancies which persist as a result of that lack of inventory,” Burrow said.  

“We all recognized the opportunity we were faced with to make a positive impact on that front.” 

Brockville Mayor Matt Wren said the Rows Corners workforce housing project “presents a perfect opportunity” for the two municipalities to collaborate for the greater good of both communities.  

“Our employers need workforce housing, and Elizabethtown-Kitley is in a position to accommodate that very close to our industrial park,” Wren said. 

“The proposed usage would fall within our current service agreement and, in working together, we can truly make a difference where our housing needs are concerned.” 

The mayors said while they are pleased they’ve come to an informal agreement, there are still “a few critical steps to get through before the pipes can go in the ground.” 

The first step is for each council to endorse the upcoming motion, something they said is not expected to be a problem. Then, the formal grant application will need to be written and submitted to the province by the Apr. 19 deadline. 

The HEWS fund was recently announced by the province, and it earmarks $825 million over three years to “help municipalities repair, rehabilitate and expand critical drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure.” It’s aimed specifically at projects that will help “unlock” more housing opportunities, according to the province. 

The Rows Corners proposal lines up with the intent of the HEWS fund, the mayors said, but it’s still unknown whether the grant application will be successful. 

“We are at the mercy of the province’s evaluation process,” they said in a joint statement.  

“The project appears to tick the boxes for the intent of the grant stream and with the province recently announcing a significant expansion of that funding, it doesn’t seem to be only a pipe dream to expect some success.” 

sbedford@postmedia.com 

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