The Freshwinds Eco-Village Housing Co-operative didn’t get through the first round of federal funding aimed at co-op housing this year, but co-chair Eric Tusz-King says that’s okay, because the project stands an excellent chance in the next round, and could still get started in 2025.
“This is what we anticipated,” says Tusz-King of the initial delay in federal funding. “Not hoped for, but anticipated.”
Freshwinds proposes to build a 62-unit village-style housing development on Fairfield Road, with one quarter of units to be subsidized by the province, and all units owned and operated by co-op members.
Tusz-King spoke to CHMA in late November after a public hearing on the co-op’s proposed rezoning of its 21 acre property on Fairfield Road.
Freshwinds had applied in September to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) program, asking for a forgivable loan and a low interest loan to fund about two thirds of the estimated $30 million dollar project.
“Our reception was very positive from a whole variety perspectives,” said Tusz-King, “and all the values that we hold dearly in this,” such as diverse sizes of units, income levels of residents, and environmental sustainability. “Our energy use is going to be very low. It may reach net zero, which is very high standard,” says Tusz-King. “And there’s going to be 25% of the people who are low income.”
Tusz-King says the initial rejection is based on resolvable issues, including a need for a higher detail level in the project cost estimate, and a commitment from New Brunswick housing on their willingness to subsidize 15-16 of the 62 proposed units.
“Once we get those things in, and once they they open up another application window, probably in 2025, then we’ll be putting it in for that,” says Tusz-King. “And our hope is that’s approved, we go to contractors, and we’re starting to work in spring or early summer of 2025.”
As the co-op board works on their CMHC proposal, they are also working at the municipal level to help make sure the co-op can be built.
On December 10, the rezoning of the Freshwinds property to allow for more dense residential development will come before council for the first of three readings. Tusz-King said he was not surprised to hear no concerns raised about the project at a public hearing on November 25. The group has already spread the word about their plans to their neighbours on Fairfield Road.
“We didn’t anticipate there’d be any questions,” said Tusz-King, “because nobody has any issues with it. This project is good for the community, and pretty well everybody knows that.”
In a report presented before the public hearing, PLAN 360 planner Sam Gerrand told council the project met with municipal plan objectives, and recommended in favour of approving the zoning change. But Gerrand also told council that he heard from the municipality about some of the infrastructure requirements for the project to proceed.
Gerrand’s report says that the sanitary sewer lift station on Fairfield would likely need to be replaced to accommodate the development, and the sidewalk along Fairfield road would have to be extended. Tusz-King says that’s where he is hoping the municipality will step forward to seek its own federal or provincial funding for those infrastructure pieces.
“We continue to encourage the municipality to go look for that, because for a project of, say, $100,000, they can get $75,000 paid for by the federal and provincial governments,” says Tusz-King. “So why not go for it?”
The municipality missed out on the first iteration of the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund in 2023, but there are also provincial programs available. New Brunswick’s Regional Development Corporation runs a Preconstruction and Infrastructure Fund to Support Housing, announced in 2023, which offers up to $22.5 million per year towards creating “the conditions to increase the number of housing developments in the province and create more safe and affordable housing for New Brunswickers.”
And although Tantramar council passed its 2025 budget without specific mention of any infrastructure projects related to the Fairfield Road co-op, there was a discussion around the council table before it passed, with treasurer Michael Beal assuring council that the municipality could find its share of the funding if higher levels of government come through.
The rezoning of the Freshwinds land on Fairfield road is expected to come to Tantramar council for first reading at its regular council meeting on December 10.
