Stalled Orléans development reaches deal after dispute that's left homeowners locked out
'I find it deplorable that these folks have been in this situation,' says local councillor
Elyse Skura · CBC News
Posted: Jul 10, 2024 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago
Homeowners who bought into Ashcroft Homes' Eastboro development in 2019 — and spent over a year looking at completed homes they couldn't live in — could soon see an end to their residential limbo.
Lawyers for the city and the developer reached a deal on Monday for how to split the cost of a new and expensive storm sewer system, prompting a last-minute meeting of the planning and housing committee.
Members approved an agreement to reimburse $30 million for construction, land and other costs, which Ashcroft will pay upfront. If all goes as planned, the full council will greenlight the deal on Wednesday.
Orléans South-Navan Coun. Catherine Kitts said she feels angry and handcuffed, after a process her colleagues called "terrible" and "dysfunctional."
"I have been advised by our legal counsel not to share my true thoughts on ... the experience of working with this developer," Kitts told the committee. "But I find it deplorable that these folks have been in this situation."
The construction would start this summer. If the developer can complete it within six months, the city has agreed, as an incentive, to pay additional interest.
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