Home Ā»
Fernie supports affordable multi-use space
By Erin Knutson
At the City of Fernie’s Tuesday meeting at the senior centre, most Fernie council members voted in favour of the Elk Valley Family Society (EVFS) Firehall conversion project fund request, granting $65,000 of the $66,000 ask and the total amount in the reserve funds specifically for these kinds of opportunities.
At the November 19 committee-of-the-whole meeting, Fernie council motioned to bring the request to the table on Tuesday (Nov.26).
“As we move forward with the transformative redevelopment of the former firehall site at 692 3rd Ave., we respectfully request funding support from the city’s Affordable Housing Reserve for $66,000 to help cover pre-development costs,” said EVFS Executive Director Katey Taylor in a letter to Mayor Nic Milligan and council.
The new affordable housing partnership between the city and EVFS was granted partially (50%) through money allocated by the city’s reserve fund, with the other half of the financing coming from organizations like BC Builds provided by BC Housing and CMHC support.
The reserve was designed to support projects like the one Taylor and her team proposed, which involves redeveloping the Firehall into a mixed-use space aligned with Fernie’s affordable housing objectives.
“Your contribution will be instrumental in advancing the redevelopment of the Firehall into a vibrant mixed-use space that will provide safe, affordable housing options for our community and additional commercial space in our downtown core,” said Taylor.
Mayor Milligan and the majority of council members in attendance agreed to Councillor Kyle Hamilton’s proposal to allocate $65,000 of the request, leaving an amount that would keep the reserve account open and build interest while contributing the majority of the ask to a desirable project for the community.
The vote was split three to two, with councillors Tracey Audia Kelly and Harsh Ramadass opposed compared to councillors Troy Nixon, Kyle Hamilton, and Ted Shoesmith.
Mayor Milligan fully supported the motion and the use of the funds, as suggested by Coun. Hamilton.
“I support this affordable housing project. It’s a good use of funds and an important project for the downtown community,” said Milligan.
e-KNOW file photo
e-KNOW
