53 Bridgewater Rd, Actinolite ON
53 Bridgewater Rd, Actinolite ON
Unfortunately, on April 1, 2020, an accidental fire was started at the Bridgewater building by a tenant which unfortunately resulted in 11 families losing their affordable homes. One resident had their home there for 32 years and another for 17 years so this was devastating for all but even more so for these long term residents.
As a direct result of the fire, the ownership of the company changed, and now is solely the venture of Janet McGhee. Janet believes that in order for anyone to be successful, it must start with a basic need for quality affordable housing. How can you be gainfully employed if you don’t have somewhere to sleep, shower, or to make yourself a healthy meal. Waitlists are getting longer, average rents are dramatically increasing, affordable housing stock is decreasing, and there doesn’t seem to be a permanent solution.
She found that the residents of each building owned by Rural Roots Property Development has a unique community. As an example, she was chatting with a tenant who had returned from vacation. The first thing he did was go to the butcher, and the store. Not just for himself but for another tenant who no longer has access to a vehicle. At both locations there were tenants who didn’t drive. But others helped them with shopping, drives to appointments, etc. So she’s learned that even those who don’t have access to a car can enjoy living in a country setting.
the rural roots missionThe availability of affordable housing is essential for any community and has become a growing concern in rural areas. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the ways many people work and live with the option many now have of tele-commuting which has resulted in employees trading in life in a big city for small-town living or living on acreages. The challenge then is, when population and demand grow, so do local housing prices from an ownership and rental standpoint.
As rural areas continue to draw new population growth, they must take steps to ensure they meet new demand while also protecting housing affordability for existing residents and maintaining their unique small-town character and appeal.
Residents who have living in small towns on in acreages often want to enjoy this style of living throughout their lives. One technical challenge is the provision of sewage systems. It did take a substantial amount of time, but with our engineering partner Greer Galloway we identified that Waterloo Biofilter had a system that could be utilized on our property as a communal sewage system. We believe that this system can be utilized to allow other developments similar to our concept to provide great opportunities for future multi-unit developments like 53 Bridgewater Rd.
