Just under a year after purchasing a 21-acre former farm property on Fairfield Road in Sackville, the Freshwinds Eco-village Housing Cooperative has put out a call for potential members interested in living in the planned development.
The call for interest is happening in light of big steps taken recently by the co-op executive to move their project forward: On September 15, they submitted a major funding application to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s new Co-op Housing Development Program. And they’ve started the process to upzone their property on Fairfield Road to R3, which would allow for a planned development of 63 units, including two 3-story apartment buildings and 12 town-home style buildings.
The development is planned for the back portion of the 21-acre property, with a strip of roadside properties carved off for sale to help cover the costs of the land purchase. The eco-village will be accessed by two driveways between those properties, and occupy a large piece of former farmland, with waterway and woods backing onto the Sackville Golf Course.
Co-op board co-chair Eric Tusz-King says buildings will be in semi-circular clusters, with parking behind. “We’re trying to keep much of the vehicles out of the way, but have access to the to the unit so people can bring in their groceries and things like that,” says Tusz-King. In future phases of the development, the co-op is planning some community buildings such as meeting halls or workshops.
Plans for affordability in long and short term
Freshwinds is a non-profit co-operative, meaning it is collectively owned by members who make the decisions about its operation. That also has an impact on affordability, at least in the long term. The co-operative’s properties can’t be sold for profit, which means they are not subject to the volatile real estate market and the rent hikes that go hand-in-hand with the buying and selling of properties.
Freshwinds is also planning to address affordability in the short term. The co-op says it will designate one quarter of its units for subsidized housing. Some tenant members will pay 30% of their income in rental fees, with the balance subsidized through Housing NB. The other 75% of the units will start at market level rents, still to be determined. But Tusz-King says they are based on the province’s Affordable Rental Housing Program median market rents calculations, which in May were set at $825 to $1,140, for one- and three-bedroom units.
Freshwinds also also has goals when it comes to physical accessibility. The plan is to make 30% of their units physically barrier-free. “We want to have people with various abilities and disabilities in our group,” says Tusz-King, “and we know that we’re going to be attracting people who are seniors.” He says the new co-op is collaborating with Sackville’s longstanding Marshwinds housing co-op, and may end up accommodating some of their older members in need of better physical access.
Putting the ‘eco’ in ‘eco-village’
As implied by the ‘eco-village’ name, environmental considerations are top of mind for the new co-op. The development will be built without disturbing the trees on the property, says Tusz-King, and the co-op will maintain trails and a buffer area around the waterway. And then there’s energy efficiency and energy production, which are also part of the long term financial strategy for the new co-op.
A geothermal system will keep heating costs down, says Tusz-King. “And then we’ll have solar panels on roofs or on on ground mounts,” he says. “So that keeps the electrical costs down as well.”
Sabine Dietz is the other co-chair on the Freshwinds board. She points out that the geothermal and solar production will mean considerable costs up front, but will be balanced out by reduced long term operating costs.
“We were able to actually make it a feasible project by being energy efficient,” says Dietz, “with renewable energy, with not just apartment buildings, but also townhouse style housing.” She says the combined esthetics, feeling, size, affordability. environmental considerations and energy efficiency will make this development “quite a showcase.”
“People always say, well, you can’t do it all,” says Dietz. “Well, yes, you can do a lot. Maybe not all, but a lot.”
Paying for it
The total cost to build the 63-unit eco-village is projected at about $30 million dollars, and if their funding is approved through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), about one third will be a forgivable loan, and one third will be a low interest loan. The other third stands yet to be determined, but could come from a variety of sources, says Eric Tusz-King, including other CMHC programs, NB Power efficiency programs, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and even community investors. “We currently have some investment in our co-operative from people outside of the co-operative,” says Tusz-King. “They think it’s a good project, and they’re still getting interest on their investment.”
The co-op will also be asking the municipality of Tantramar to help make up some of that funding, by in turn pursuing their own CMHC funding through the Housing Accelerator Fund. The HAF helps municipalities cover infrastructure costs, which are normally born up front by developers. Tantramar has yet to submit an application to the federal program, but it has been mentioned more than once at public council meetings.
‘We’ve got a really good shot’
After a whirlwind two months working to get their proposal submitted to the CMHC in time, Freshwinds in now waiting to hear back from the federal body.
This is the first CMHC funding directed specifically at cooperatives in decades, says Dietz. “It will be interesting to see where the money ends up,” she says. “I suspect there may not be that many in Atlantic Canada that made it in for this just because of the demands.” But in other parts of the country, larger co-ops were likely ready and waiting for the program. That said, she believes the CMHC will “spread the money.”
“I’m hopeful,” says Dietz. “I think we’ve got a really good shot at this.”
“Even if we’re not successful in this particular funding piece,” says Tusz-King, “there’s other pots that we can go after within CMHC.” There’s also a second round of the co-op program opening in 2025, he points out.
‘We’re both landlord and tenant’
Funding uncertainty is part of the reason that the new co-op has been holding off on a call for new members. Even now, as it builds a list of people interested, the board plans to wait until approvals are in before actually expanding membership.
“We did not want to build up a whole lot of expectation if we couldn’t do this,” says Tusz-King. “But as soon as we got to the funding application being submitted, then we were told really clearly, you need to document very carefully how many people would be potential members.”
Actually bringing on new members will come once funding is in place, says Dietz and Tusz-King, and once the co-op has a framework for how decision-making and membership procedures will work, something that is currently under development.
Dietz says people should consider a few things when thinking about joining a housing co-op.
“From my perspective, you have to be interested in the co-op model,” says Dietz. “You have to be interested in thinking about, okay, I will not physically own this building or this unit that I’m in, but I’m a co-owner of the entire thing.”
And that means, you also own “a decision making process” says Dietz, and are willing to contribute to that. But co-op life is not only for go-getters and extroverts.
“It doesn’t mean that you’re going to be always talking to people and friendly with people and doing things,” says Dietz. “We’re looking for people who are looking for privacy, but also for community, for fairness, accessibility, affordability in the long term… and who are willing to contribute to the overall success of this.”
Tusz-King says that most people aren’t familiar with the benefits and responsibilities of co-op life, including electing a board directors, and possibly serving on that board or on a committee. “You get to control your community, not just be a passive tenant in that community, where some landlord has oversight over everything,” says Tusz-King. “We’re both landlord and tenant.”
Next steps
As Freshwinds waits to hear on the success of their CMHC application, the co-op continues to develop its protocols, build a list of potential members, and seek the rezoning of their property to multi-unit residential. Tantramar council will host a public hearing about that application on November 25.
If everything falls in place, Dietz and Tusz-King say they could be breaking ground in the spring. The project is essentially “shovel ready” says Dietz. “I’m not saying constructing is not going to be a nightmare, but the reality is that front end lifting has been done.”
“There’s lots of hoops to go,” says Tusz-King, “but a big hurdle has been jumped.”
People interested in joining the Freshwinds waiting list or getting more information can email info@freshwindscooperative.ca
