Another housing option for seniors in Temiskaming Shores

Another housing option for seniors The 68 unit building is expected to be complete by the end of the year with tenants able to move in early 2021.

TEMISKAMING SHORES — After about a year of construction, a new senior’s apartment complex is almost complete in Temiskaming Shores.

The $17M project started last October with a completion date tentatively schedule for Dec. 31 of this year.

"We've got lots of people who have already sold their houses and are looking to move in early in January," said Carmen Kidd the president of the Temiskaming Shores Senior's Housing Corporation.

"So hopefully it's going to be finished."

There are 68 units in total, half of which are one bedroom and the other half are two bedroom.

Units are all inclusive with rent ranging from $1500-$1700.

"Right now we've got 51 units that are leased out already," said Kidd.

"So we've only got about 16 or 17 more units to lease out and hopefully that will be filled very shortly."

He adds that during construction, they even took visitors into consideration.

"We've got one unit that we're going to keep just for a daily or a weekend use. So if people want to come visit their grandparents or parents they can rent this one unit for the weekend or for the night or whatever, and we'll utilize that."

There is also a large common area that is capable of handling up to 90 people, which can be rented out as well.

Kidd says this new option is expected to help fill a need in the area.

"This is what we found out about five years ago, a group of us decided that there was a real long waiting list in some of the other senior apartment buildings in the area," he said.

"We're looking at eight or 10 years for waiting lists. So we decided looking at this, we got the company CVG in Cochrane to do the design build for us and that's what started the whole project."

Overall, Sylvia Bellehumeur, the project superintendent, says that construction is going as planned.

"We have asphalt coming in next week and for the units inside, they’re for the most part, finished. There's just a few final touch ups left to do and should be ready to move in soon enough," said Bellehumeur.

"We all know there's a shortage of housing for seniors especially. It feels pretty good to be able to supply housing for seniors."

Officials say that on average about 30-60 crew members are on site daily, trying to get the project completed by the end of 2020, adding that it has helped created a lot of local jobs.

"CGV always tries to hire as much local contract as possible to keep the economy going in the area we're working at," said Bellehumeur.

Kidd adds, "almost all of the workers here are all local and a lot of the suppliers are all from this area as well. So it's been a great regional project."

He says that the city actually donated the land that it is being built on and gave them a tax break for the first five years, which is helpful for this big project.

"We're about 96% funded at this point," he said.

"We got about $12.5M in a first mortgage from CMHC so that's a great opportunity there. But there is some small grants, we got about $850 in grants from CMHC as well. Then we have a $2.3M dollar loan from Toronto Union Bank and then we're fundraising the rest."

Although the project is currently on schedule, Kidd says there should be confirmation within a week or two on if the building will be ready for move in by January.