Fall River residents rally for proposed housing development for seniors

Dozens of people attended a rally in Fall River, N.S., on Wednesday in support of a proposed housing development in the area for seniors.

“Most of us are either having to move to the city, further up the county, or we end up in the graveyard. That’s where we are,” said Sandra Carr, one of the event organizers.

There is a need for smaller, more affordable homes catering to seniors’ needs in the area, she expanded.

Carr said she has been advocating for more housing for seniors in the area for more than a decade, and the current push is for a group of four-storey buildings next to Fall River Road proposed by Glenn Clark of GFC Management Ltd.

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A prior version of the proposal was submitted the municipality in 2016 (PDF), according to Clark’s representative David Harrison.

The 400 units would only be for seniors, and there is no plan to change that in the future, he said in a phone call.

Carr said the municipal government is taking too long to move the proposal forward, which prompted the rally.

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“Sometimes it seems as though the wheels of government do turn very slow. This file has been active as long as I’ve been councillor here for the last two years, but I can tell you that we are making significant gains,” District 1 Coun. Steve Streatch said in an interview.

These types of proposals take time to process and potentially approve, and one of the first steps in this case was to install the central water system in the area, which is expected to be completed in the coming months, he said.

While there is support for the development, others are concerned about density and height.

“The application that is in for the development of this facility requires certain amendments that regional council has to consider and weigh the facts on either side, and my understanding is that progress is being made between the developer and staff,” Streatch said.

A public hearing the matter is expected to occur in the early fall, he said.

“I’m pretty sure council will see quite a few seniors there. If we have to get a bus, we’ll go let them know,” Carr said, adding that she might one day want to live in one of the buildings in question.