taken on where we locate and what type of worker housing we develop and securing a deal with Trans Canada Energy to transfer ownership of that. It would be like an Olympic Village concept. In other words, it serves the purpose, but then it is transferred into a current benefit.” In the meantime, housing development is already well underway. “We have a lot of houses under construction right now, and we have easily 2000 houses in our queue,” he details. With an abundant clean water supply and increasing sewage capacity, the town is well positioned to support residential growth. “We have 800 houses within our existing headroom still to come.” Affordability remains a challenge, but there are options. “Any house in Meaford with four walls and a roof is half a million dollars. That’s a fact that we can’t fight,” Kentner acknowledges. “But there are brand new houses being sold in the four hundreds. There are others which will be net zero, which means the savings on a house that heats and cools at no cost are tremendous.” SkyDev is one developer currently active in the area, with homes under construction in several 167 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 08 MEAFORD, ON
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