The Town is moving forward with plans to construct new housing in the Hillsview and Elgin Hill areas. At the moment, the Town is attempting to identify the needs of Drumheller.
Administration will work with real estate agencies in Drumheller in a needs analysis. It is hoped that the input from professional realtors will help decide what housing is needed most.
Mayor Terry Yemen has some ideas of what type of housing Drumheller needs.
“We want to set the direction for what we think is needed in the community,” said Mayor Yemen. “We’d like to bring in some real affordable housing that people can take ownership of.”
The plan, for Mayor Yemen, would to ideally have housing, especially in the Hillsview area, between $150,000 to $175,000. It’s hoped in that range that owners would take pride in their properties and look after them.
“It has to be affordable,” said Mayor Yemen. “We’re hoping that people who may be renting can qualify for the type of home we’re looking at.”
In the Elgin Hill area, previous discussions in Town Council meetings suggested that the area might be ideal for higher priced housing. The north side of Elgin Hill has a commanding view of the town centre.
However, it will be the needs analysis that determines if higher priced housing will be built. What may be more likely is having a mix of housing.
“Because this is the municipality doing something, it has to be done for the majority of people,” said Mayor Yemen. “We have to look at what’s best for the community at large.”
