by Roy Wood
Subsidized housing lot switch OK’d
Osoyoos council has agreed to allow the developer of the so-called Richter Property portion of the Southeast Meadowlark subdivision to switch the “near market” designation from one lot to another.
But council ordered that any future such requests for switching the designation would see the town’s administrative costs passed on to the developer.
The property, behind the new firehall and west of Highway 97, will eventually include 26 new homes. Six single-family homes and one duplex are completed or under construction.
Under its contract with the town, Ellcar Construction agreed that four of the units would be sold at “near market” prices. “Near market” is a more recent term for affordable housing. In this case, the homes would sell at a 15-per-cent discount from market values.
Town financial services director Jim Zakall told council that two of the lots had been designated as “near market.” But Ellcar approached the town seeking to switch the designation from one lot to another because it has received an offer for one of them from a non-subsidized buyer.
Community grant short list gets council nod
Council has approved the $63, 391 in community grants short-listed by senior staff along with councillors Jim King and Mike Campol.
The town received more than $100,000 in grant requests this year. Campol lamented to council Monday that there wasn’t enough money available to approve them all.
The approved grants – listed on ODN last week – ranged from $1,200 to $6,500 and will be distributed among 21 local organizations.
Grants are for special events, facility rentals, tax requirements, special projects and insurance expenses. They are available only to non-profit organizations which provide a service to town residents.