I was excited to hear about the new affordable housing project on John-Dale Road in Shawville [see story pg. 22]. As a single mom with a modest income who searched for housing last summer, I know how difficult it is to find something affordable. For people
like me, this project is great news.
Following the first public consultation on Feb. 3, I was disappointed by the community feedback. Some residents oppose the project because they dislike the look of other units built by the developer, Les Maisons PAJ. “They’re ugly!” they say. Others complain that
the buildings will house too many people, with six units each.
But isn’t that a good thing? The four two-story buildings will have two three-bedroom units on the second floor and four one-bedroom units on the ground level, designed for families and seniors. Eight families will be adequately housed, finally having a bedroom for each
of their children, and you’re mad because the housing “isn’t pretty”?
These homes are built with affordability in mind, not beauty. Beautiful architecture and high-end materials cost money.
Things could be much worse. What if instead of $900 – $1,600 rental units, the developer was building modern, luxury $700,000 townhomes? Townhomes incorporating all kinds of funky geometry and obnoxious colours, in the middle of your quaint, little town.
Or, what if this was truly a social housing project? Imagine Sovietesque apartment blocks constructed from cement or brick. Brutalist architecture at its finest.
The reality is, affordable housing is desperately needed. Families are struggling to find places they can afford. Seniors need accessible, comfortable spaces to live in as they age. These buildings will provide both. Rejecting this project based on aesthetics is absurd.
The answer to your plight is simple: if you don’t like these homes, don’t look at them.
If they aren’t your style, don’t live there. But don’t rob families and seniors of an affordable place to live because it “isn’t pretty.” Instead of complaining, focus on how you can beautify the town yourself. Improve your own home. Plant a flower garden. Take advantage of greening grants to create green spaces. Start a community garden. Organize a cleanup event. If aesthetics matter so much to you, be part of the solution rather than standing in the way of much-needed housing.
Lastly, it takes more than brick and mortar to make a home beautiful. True beauty comes from the life built inside—the meals shared around the table, the cookies baked, the Christmas trees. First steps and birthday
celebrations. The love and intentional homemaking that fills a space. That’s what
determines a home’s beauty, not the vinyl siding on the outside.
