Tecumseh to offer insight on Housing Accelerator Fund

Tecumseh’s Deputy Mayor Joe Bachetti is thankful for the Housing Accelerator Fund, but wants to know how the money has to be spent and how the fourplex model is going to play out in the community.

He put a motion forward at Tuesday’s council meeting asking administration for a public meeting to hash out what is expected.

“Those technical questions in terms of where and what can happen I think is what the purpose of these public meetings will be so those issues and questions will be clarified,” Bachetti said.

A meeting is expected this spring.

“What we're basically hoping is that we give administration the proper time to prepare a report explain the whole situation,” said Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara. “I firmly believe there's been a lot of false misinformation put out there. We need to reinforce the fact that the process can’t be changed by another authority.”

Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk said 500 communities applied for the fund, in which 178 were invited, and 177 were signed, including Tecumseh.

According to Kusmierczyk, the communities that accepted have the rule over how the four by rite is executed during the three-year agreement.

“They have controls over setbacks, over lot sizes, lot coverage, [and] control over if there's enough infrastructure capacity in that particular neighbourhood,” Kusmierczyk said.

McNamara added that proper standards need to be met.

“It doesn’t mean we’re going to putting fourplexes all over. It still has to satisfy a whole host of things that are in the by-laws,” he said.

He added the three-year deal is a process that was always meant to be public. By agreeing to join the program, the Town of Tecumseh is guaranteed 30 per cent of the $4.4 million in funding in year one.

If after the public meeting town council votes to opt out of the program they won't be asked to return the initial investment of $1.3 million.

Kusmierczyk said to his knowledge Windsor is the only community invited to apply for funding to turn it down. If Tecumseh decides the program is not a fit, Kusmierczyk said the government will find a program that works.

“We've brought $200 million already in federal funding. That is a record. We're committed to absolutely bring more funding for Windsor and Tecumseh as well,” he said.