Melfort council and developers seeking options to increase residential builds
Melfort council is being tasked with creating ideas to ensure residential home development continues to stay ahead of provincial numbers.
Every spring, local administration staff, contractors, property owners, land developers, and realtors discuss the housing market and issues surrounding the industry. During a special council meeting on March 15, community development manager Brent Lutz brought a report from an April 2017 stakeholder meeting to council looking for suggestions from members to keep Melfort viable in both speculative home builds and custom housing construction. In 2006, 76 new homes were built in Melfort, in 2016 that number slouched to 12.
Lutz told northeastNOW a day after the meeting that finding a balance between speculative homes and custom construction is a tricky issue for council and administration. He said having a stock supply of those homes is good for the city.
“If you are coming to Melfort and you are in the market for a nice new house there is something about being able to walk into a home sitting there ready to go as opposed to buying someone else’s that you get possession of two months later and need to make repairs on,” Lutz said.