A B.C. developer is hoping to provide some relief to Estevan's rental housing shortage.
Raj Sandhu, the president of West Fraser Developments, is proposing a new development that would be home to 59 apartment units. If approved by city council, the building would be located on Kensington Avenue on the open land across from the Co-op Gas Bar and behind the homes on Seregella Bay. An open house to provide further information on the project is scheduled for tonight at the Best Western Plus beginning at 7 o'clock.
Sandhu, who was also involved in the construction, and now operation, of the Best Western Plus, said the idea for a new apartment block sprung from speaking with guests at the hotel. He noted many of them were long-term guests, largely because they were unable to find rental accommodations in the city.
"Most of the people that I have spoke to there, they always complain that they can't bring their families because there is no place to live," Sandhu said. "They said if you had an apartment here, we would love to rent those apartments and bring our families here."
With that seed already planted, Sandhu spoke with City manager Jim Puffalt about what land might be available in Estevan and the various incentives offered by the City as well as the provincial government.
According to an advertisement in this week's edition of The Mercury, the four storey building would include underground parking for residents. Other features are a community garden, bicycle friendly design and connection to areas such as Trojan Park and Walmart to the east.
"With respect to the single family residential on the back, we tried to put some nice trees and some community gardens in between so people from the apartment can do some of their gardening if they want. There is a buffer between the apartment building parking and the residences backing to that side. We tried to build it up to give them privacy."
However, before any ground can be moved, the project will need approval from the City as the area is currently zoned for commercial developments.
Sandhu said the purpose of the open house is to get all information out to the public and allow them to air any objections or concerns about the location of the building.
"We want to see what is the feedback from the public if they like it or if they don't like an apartment there."
Puffalt said from a City perspective, they are happy about the possibility of more rental units in Estevan but also want the property owners in the area to be fully aware of the project and have their say.
"When we talked to (the developers), we said you need to talk to the community first because it is the neighborhood that is impacted the most. We need to talk to them and show them what the benefit is to the neighborhood of having that apartment building there."
Puffalt added he was pleased to learn the incentive package offered was a factor in Sandhu's decision to look at Estevan. Under a provincial program, developers receive a $5,000 per door incentive when building rental properties. The City CANDO package offers developers five years of no property taxes.
