Amherstburg seeks funding to service land

Plan to develop 1,400 lots can move ahead once area has water, sewer lines: official

If Amherstburg is approved for a special infrastructure grant, a 1,400-house development in the southeast part of town could be built 10 years faster than planned, says deputy mayor Chris Gibb.

The lands, on the corner of Fryer Street and Lowe's Side Road have been eyed for development for many years. An environmental assessment was completed in 2018.

Developers have been pressing the town to get water and sewer services brought to the 289 hectares of land.

While developers will pick up the costs of servicing the individual lots, the town must bring water, waste water and stormwater infrastructure to the area, a process that could take 10 years if the town had to pick up the entire bill of more than $5 million, said Gibb.

But in the province's quest to build 1.5 million homes by 2031, it is inviting municipalities to apply to the $825 million Housing Enabling Water Services Fund that could cover up to 73 per cent of the infrastructure development.

“We've already got a deal in place with the developers that would help access this and it's shovel ready,” said Gibb. “So we're we're very optimistic that we can get this started and really start chipping away at the housing crisis that we're all facing.”

Infrastructure projects that are eligible for funding must start before the end of September and be completed by March 31, 2027.

The town approved a funding application for the grant at its April 9 meeting, given it faced pending an application deadline of April 19.

A report will come back to town council when funding agreements for the remainder of the development cost are completed with developers.