City-Owned Vacant Land for Affordable Housing

City Council will discuss the potential use of city-owned vacant land for affordable housing during its Committee of the Whole (COTW) meeting today.

The Decision Note identifies multiple parcels of City-owned land:

• 80-90 Empire Avenue

• 22–32 Eric Street

• 231-243 Forest Road

• 245 Freshwater Road (at Terra Nova Road)

• 375 Waterford Bridge Road

The City’s Housing Division is seeking approval to develop a public engagement plan to inform and engage with residents, businesses, and other stakeholder groups surrounding the identified parcels of land, and to seek funding to complete work on these parcels in advance of planned projects (i.e., environmental assessment, geotechnical analysis).

It is important to note that the public engagement process for the parcel of City land on Eric Street is currently underway: engagestjohns.ca/eric-street.