A study is underway to give a major boost to housing availability in Eastern Ontario.
A report to Hastings County Council on Thursday indicated the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus is looking at a plan that would provide 7,000 new housing units in the eastern Ontario region.
The presentation was on the Regional Housing Plan getting underway.
CAO Jim Pine made a presentation showing this would cost $3.1 billion, at $45,000 a unit.
Pine said it would fill a need for housing and at the same time drive the regional economy.
He expects this would mean 1,854 units allotted to Hastings, Lennox and Addington, and Prince Edward County.
Pine pointed out there are 3,076 households on the waiting list for housing in Hastings County right now.
That number has grown by 831 households since 2020.
The study is looking at the need for 1.5 million houses across Eastern Ontario, 7,000 in the immediate area from Peterborough through to the east, not including Ottawa.
Pine said a consultant has been hired to build a case to be presented to the federal and provincial governments and private investors.
He pointed out that servicing the housing is an issue in Eastern Ontario.
A pilot project is expected to get underway this fall to pick a zone for construction.
The idea is to design and build over a seven year period.
