• On Oct. 15, Council will consider a member motion from Mayor Iain Lovatt regarding the possible redevelopment of 6240 Main Street.
  • The property currently houses the 55+ Club and Saturday’s Stouffville Market.
  • The motion looks to explore opportunities for affordable housing alongside expanded seniors and community facilities.
  • If approved, Staff would conduct a Request for Interest process to identify potential partners and development proposals.
  • Lovatt explained that there would be no service disruptions for 55+ Club members, should redevelopment proceed.
  • Staff would also investigate the use of Housing Accelerator Fund dollars to support the initiative.

 

Council will vote on a motion next week from Mayor Iain Lovatt directing Staff to consider redevelopment options for the municipally-owned property at 6240 Main Street. The site is currently home to the Town’s 55+ Club and the Stouffville Market.

If approved, Staff would examine how the property could be utilized to deliver new housing options while expanding seniors’ services and other community features.

A Request for Interest (RFI) process would be launched to attract potential private-sector partners and gather concepts for the land. The RFI would outline submission and evaluation criteria and invite “qualified proponents to submit innovative proposals that advance affordable housing…support Provincial and municipal planning priorities, and ensure the continued provision and enhancement of the 55+ Club and other community-serving facilities.”

In an interview with Bullet Point News, Lovatt said his ideal proposal would include a larger, enhanced seniors’ centre able to accommodate the growing town. That vision would also include air rights above for affordable housing in the Downtown.

The 55+ Club is a designated Seniors Active Living Centre, and the Mayor is calling for Staff to explore how its programming and space could grow through redevelopment. Lovatt said a public-private partnership could expand the facility’s capacity at little to no cost to the Town, ensuring it continues to meet the needs of Stouffville’s growing senior demographic.

The Mayor also assured that the 55+ Club’s programs and services would not be interrupted during any resulting construction period, saying that continuation of service would be non-negotiable.

“Whether it’s a temporary facility that a proponent builds, or whether there’s leased space somewhere else, that service would continue,” Lovatt said. “This whole concept started with a conversation about how we can support our seniors. They would have to have someplace that they could go to in the interim, and whatever we end up with would have to be bigger and better than what exists today.”

The motion, set for consideration during Council’s Oct. 15 meeting, also argues that the Town should take a proactive approach with the municipal property to help meet both Provincial housing targets and local affordability goals. The Main Street site, Lovatt noted, represents “a strategic opportunity to deliver much-needed affordable housing…and respond to growing housing pressures across all demographics.”

The 6240 Main Street site falls within the Stouffville GO Major Transit Station Area (MTSA), identified in the Town’s newly adopted Official Plan as a key location for higher-density, mixed-use development. Under provincial guidelines, the Town has indicated it can meet intensification goals for Main Street MTSA lands with maximum building heights of up to six storeys.

Staff would also be directed to assess whether Federal Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) dollars could support the project, including the potential for direct capital contributions to the construction process.

“The combination of HAF money and municipal land would help bring the overall costs to build down to where affordability, whether it be rental or ownership, could be within reach,” Lovatt said. “Personally, I would prefer a rental product that is multi-generational, with a strong focus on seniors.”

In this context, the definition of affordable falls in line with the Town’s Official Plan and York Region definitions: ownership housing where annual accommodation costs do not exceed 30 percent of gross household income, or rental housing priced at or below 125 percent of average market rent in the regional market area.

Stouffville will also need to consult with the Toronto Region Conservation Authority regarding any development restrictions or opportunities. While 6240 Main Street appears to end at the northern parking lot, the property extends deep into mostly naturalized lands to the north.

“That’s a TRCA-regulated area, so there is going to be some extensive coordination needed with them,” Lovatt said.

The Mayor also confirmed that the project would not impact the Stouffville Market’s ability to utilize the site in the future, saying any proposal would need to demonstrate an ability to maintain adequate public realm for community programming.

“We’re also moving forward with a new urban park, which will be located in front of 6240 next to the new Stouffville mural,” he said. “That will always be a space to activate the Downtown, not just for the Stouffville Market but the Town’s Holiday Market, as well.”