Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 9

116 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 So Port Stanley and Belmont have really grown with a lot of people from the GTA.” The population has grown so much that they are adding 24 to 30 new residential units every month in larger development projects that include more than 300 new homes. A great example: Domus Developments is building a 30- acre subdivision in Port Stanley with 40 semi- detached, 44 single family, 52 bungalow condos, 34 townhomes, 68 rental apartments, and excess land sold to Extendicare to bring more long-term care beds to the community. Domus representatives acknowledge, “The council and staff have been great to partner with on the project, as they need development and growth in town and worked with us to bring a variety of housing options to the community at different price points.” Like many municipalities, Central Elgin’s affordable housing stock isn’t where it needs to be. According to Lloyd, “Up to about three years ago, our typical new development was single family residential. Since that time we have a broad mixture of developments ranging from single family residential, to street towns, to condos, to apartments. Through our planning office we’ve been encouraging that because we need more affordable housing for people.” The downtown districts in Port Stanley and Sparta both have very rich histories with most buildings dating back to the 1800s. The municipality offers a storefront incentive which is helping business owners restore their buildings and improve the look of both downtowns. Both are bustling tourist destinations with boutique shops, unique restaurants, and lots to do and see. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the municipality offered restaurants in Port Stanley patio space on municipal land and most took them up on the offer. On the sustainability front, the municipality