Teck Resources has donated a parcel of land to the Elkford Housing Society at 214 Alpine Way to pave the way for the construction of senior’s housing.
Duncan McDonald, Chair of the Elkford Housing Society said the community is lacking in dedicated housing for its senior citizens.
“We’ve seen in the last census that a third of our population is over the age of 55,” said McDonald. “A lot of those people are in the home they’ve acquired through their working life here, and a lot of them are probably looking to downsize into apartments where they don’t have to cut lawns and do maintenance. It’s a lot easier for them.”
McDonald estimates the land, located beside the Elkford Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, to be around 1.75 acres. He says the donation of the property will give a head start to the planned construction.
“It’s a very generous donation from them to help us get started because it’s one less cost that we have to purchase property now,” McDonald said to MyEastKootenayNow.com. “We have this beautiful piece of property and it allows us to get a step up and get started.”
While the plans for construction have not yet been finalized, McDonald said that hopes are for 20 to 25 units to start. He added that the next step is grant applications.
“We’re hoping if all goes well and we see how the grants run and our funding works through, we would like to probably maybe get some shovels in the ground by this summer or a little later,” explained McDonald.
