The Town of Hay River is moving to the next stage of developing homes in two areas of the community, councillors were told this week.
At Fraser Place, where a stretch of riverside forest has been cleared for development, work on underground utilities is expected to be complete in October.
Senior administrator Glenn Smith told council on Tuesday that some Fraser Place lots are likely to be made available for sale later this year.
The town currently has only six residential zoned lots in its inventory, he said.
Fraser Place is one of three areas of Hay River identified for long-term development. The town’s community plan envisages having to accommodate 5,000 to 6,000 people in the medium to long term, though the population hasn’t strayed far from 3,500 in decades.
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Sundog and Aspen Heights are the other two areas being developed.
Sundog is a longer-term proposition with a decade-long timeline attached. It’ll hold both residential and commercial lots. The NWT government is hoping to construct a long-term care facility there, with a possible start date of 2027 for that build.
Aspen Heights is a residential area proposed for land northwest of the existing 553 neighbourhood, which contains the likes of Cranberry Crescent and Fir Crescent.
Smith told councillors the aim is to provide affordable, flood-resistant, mixed-density housing at Aspen Heights. The town will soon start trying to find a developer through a request for expressions of interest, which is likely to be issued next month with a deadline of January 2025 for responses.
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“We’re optimistic,” said Smith, adding “there’s no risk” to testing the market for developer interest in the first of Aspen Heights’ four parcels, referred to as phases.
Hay River recently received $2 million in federal housing cash that can’t be directly spent on construction but can be assigned to things like incentives to attract developers.
Smith said staff will bring a proposal to council next month that would use the $2 million to create a grant that subsidizes housing development in the town.
The hope is that subsidies could help bring in a developer to move forward a project like Aspen Heights.
