The Municipality of the County of Richmond wants to sell land for affordable housing.
At last night’s regular monthly meeting in Arichat, Richmond Municipal Council agreed to schedule a public meeting to proceed with the sale of land along Basin Road in Whiteside to Brela Homes.
CAO Troy MacCulloch said the location of the land being sold, the amount of Brela’s bid, and the appraised value of the land will be disclosed at the public meeting.
The municipal Evaluation Sub-Committee determined that Brela met all criteria, except that their bid was lower than the current appraisal of the lands.
The committee said Brela has provided all requested information, the proposal is beneficial to the community because it increases housing inventory, that affordable housing helps seniors and young people entering the workforce, Brela has successfully completed similar projects, the plan makes great use of the current infrastructure and is close to Strait-Richmond Hospital, and the development will produce increased tax revenue.
Calling the news “confidence building,” Deputy Warden Amanda Mombourquette took issue with the process, noting council does not have all the necessary information about the bid, and the elected body was not given the opportunity to decide if it wants to proceed with the sale.
District 3 Councillor Brian Marchand replied that the motion started the process of holding a public meeting and all relevant information will be shared at that time.