Key Habitat for Humanity and Places for People (P4P) figureheads say it will likely be years, rather than months, before a planned 35-unit affordable housing co-build is complete on Peninsula Road in Haliburton.
The two entities held an information session at the Haliburton Legion Sept. 18, confirming the non-profits will partner on the condo development. It will bring much-needed affordable housing to the community, with 20 units earmarked for Habitat’s home ownership model and 15 to become P4P rentals. There will also be a commercial component.
Habitat for Humanity Peterborough and Kawartha Region CEO, Susan Zambonin, said this will be her organization’s first venture into Haliburton County.
For the past couple of years, she’s been actively searching for an appropriate location to stage a build. Discussions have taken place with Algonquin Highlands township over land on Hwy. 118, but the opportunity in Haliburton village came about because of Habitat’s recently established relationship with P4P.
The land on Peninsula Road, fronting County Road 21, was long owned by County-based developer Paul Wilson. Through his company Harburn Holdings, he had hoped to bring multiple condo developments to the site, which was split into four lots. When the project was before Dysart et al council in 2022, he agreed to donate one lot to P4P to stage a future affordable housing build.
Zambonin confirmed last week that Habitat paid $1.2 million for the lot, with Wilson donating $500,000 of that to P4P. Because the developer, following an Ontario Land Tribunal hearing, agreed to ditch plans to bring more condos to the land overlooking Grass Lake, in favour of three single-family homes, he told The Highlander he could no longer afford to give his one condo-ready lot away.
So, Habitat stepped in. Zambonin said her organization will cover the full cost of construction and then sell 15 lots to P4P. Fay Martin, P4P vice president, said this will almost double the group’s existing inventory of 20 rental units.
While she was unsure how much this will cost Habitat, Zambonin said the units will all be one and two-bedroom and will “likely” be priced under $400,000. Ideally, she’d like to break ground at the site next year, though warned it could be years before the project is complete.
“I hope we would be able to start sometime in 2026 – we need certain studies, consultants to prepare reports. Stormwater management is always a big one,” Zambonin said. “It’s the kind of stuff that can’t be done at the same time, it has to be done consecutively, so it takes time.”
She confirmed the property will be on a private well, though will tap into the municipal sewage system.
How Habitat works
Zambonin confirmed the units would be made available to County residents and are designed as a “way in” to home ownership.
“These will be entry-level because we really want them to be affordable,” she said.
Affordable, however, does not mean giving away – Zambonin estimates people will need a household income of around $90,000 per year to qualify.
The process begins with an expression of interest. If it looks like the candidate can afford a unit, they are invited to fill out a thorough application. Zambonin said people have to secure a mortgage through an eligible credit union and then Habitat helps out with a second mortgage.
Through Habitat’s model, people never pay more than 30 per cent of their income towards housing costs – which includes insurance, condo fees and property taxes.
“We’ll be hosting homeowner workshops in the future to go over how everything works, but people can start thinking about this, planning for this now, that way they’re really prepared,” Zambonin said.
Anyone who becomes a Habitat homeowner is required to complete 500 volunteer hours with approved partners in the community – something Martin said will give many struggling non-profits a boost.
Habitat recently completed a 41-unit development in Peterborough, which Zambonin says was built at 66 per cent of market cost – largely due to construction firms and other companies offering help and materials at a reduced rate. She hopes to tap into County-based companies to assist with this build. Thus far, Emmerson Lumber and Haliburton Timber Mart have committed support.
“We know how to build this because we’ve done it, but we’ve done it in Peterborough using Peterborough people. We don’t want that here. We want Haliburton County people, but we don’t know all of them. So, you guys need to tell us if you’re interested and who we need to talk to,” Zambonin said.
The Haliburton County Development Corporation (HCDC) is lending a hand, connecting different stakeholders and will be kicking in funds down the road.
“We’ve been working with Habitat for several years trying to get them to come to Haliburton. We’re here to help in any way we can,” said HCDC executive director Patti Tallman.
Speaking at last week’s session, Tallman said the lack of available affordable housing has long hindered the County economy and led to labour shortages in the skilled trades, healthcare and municipal government.
Wilson follows through
After claiming several years ago that he wanted to see affordable housing built on the Peninsula Road property, Wilson said he was happy to work with Habitat and P4P to bring that goal to fruition.
“The whole idea, from day one, was to support affordable housing. I made the initial commitment to P4P… and Habitat is counting on P4P to pay for its share, so I’m happy to make this contribution. I think this is a project that will greatly benefit our community,” Wilson said
He further claimed that, without his donation, the project likely would not have gone ahead. Zambonin confirmed Habitat “couldn’t do it on our own” and was grateful for Wilson’s support.
The money will be used to help P4P purchase the 15 units once the project is wrapped, with Martin saying the nonprofit will fundraise for the remaining sum – likely millions of dollars. She said this could be the perfect opportunity to bring back the community bond model the organization utilized in 2023, raising $850,000 to pay off several loans.
“There’s not a month goes by without someone asking us about community bonds, so I’d say we’ve got to do them again,” Martin said.
