A group of area residents are excited to be working with renowned architects, Terry Frost and Kees Prins, who will be designing the townhouse homes for the Three Hills Housing Co-op initiative. Residents met recently in Three Hills to go over preliminary concept plans for the project, which is sponsored by the Town of Three Hills under their Affordable Housing proposal.
Mr. Frost has designed many award-winning projects such as the Boyle McCauley 107th A Avenue Vision Concept, 95th Street Artists Village, the Edmonton Turkish Society Mosque, and Grace Island Home. Kees Prins has designed the Frost Residence House, which received an award of merit from Canadian Architect Magazine and a Best in the West award from Western Living Magazine. He also designed the Prins Residence House and received a design award from the City of Edmonton and a design award from the Canadian Housing Council.
Three Hills Town Councillor, Susan Friesen, says that Three Hills residents have strongly requested the Town to provide more affordable housing for ordinary working people such as young couples, and those in the community whose incomes make it difficult for them to get into the housing market, or who cannot find suitable and affordable rental housing. At the same time, residents have expressed caution that the Town not use the local tax base to burden local residents with the cost of providing this housing.
In response to this need, the Town has agreed to donate land located adjacent to the new Child Care facility by the Three Hills School as the first step to reducing the cost of housing for this identified need. The Co-op project in the works will then enable local residents who qualify to apply for provincial affordable housing grants that will further offset construction costs. Peter Amerongen, who is Edmonton's foremost authority on energy efficient residential building and net-zero housing, has also agreed to work with the group to assist with the design to achieve Energuide 86 rating. This rating will qualify the units for a further $10,000.00 grant to offset costs of making the units highly energy efficient and greatly enhance their affordability on an ongoing basis.
More information about this project will be able available at Discovery Night September 8 and a public meeting will be announced.
