Elmira needs a better range of housing options

To the Editor, THANK YOU TO JUDY Hiller for her letter a few weeks ago (Observer, Sept. 28/17) regarding housing or lack thereof in Elmira. She hit the nail right on the head.

We sold our home in four days back in March and it became very quickly apparent to us that we’d have to leave Elmira. As much as we wanted to stay, there was nothing available for us. We didn’t want to buy another home, so we’re now very happy and content in Kitchener, with no plans of returning to Elmira.

I’ve heard that the empty property across from Gale Presbyterian Church at the corner of Barnswallow Drive and Church Street West will at some point soon become the home of yet another strip mall (which, may I add, is the last thing Elmira needs another of). It’s a real shame that more affordable and accessible housing for any budget is not available. Instead, we have big homes on tiny lots that cost anywhere from $200,000$600,000, which some people simply can’t afford or have no interest in buying.

There are so many properties in town not being used that have so much potential for apartments or small homes. The old Foodland building downtown, the former Riverside Public School (apparently the board’s refusing to sell it and is currently using it for storage). Why not sell it and use some of the money to buy the new school new playground equipment instead of making the school’s parent council raise money for it? I can’t imagine that the equipment is cheap and apparently the equipment at the old school no longer meets safety standards.

There’s also the old apple orchard on Union Street, or corner of Union and Arthur streets kitty-corner to Crossroads Restaurant, just to name a few.

It would be so nice if somebody took the bull by the horns and made some new and decent places for people to live.

JOCELYN SCHAEFER | KITCHENER