Olds Community Reviews

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A strategy calling for a diverse range of housing, all the way down to tiny homes and even possibly homes built from shipping containers, was approved during the Town of Olds' July 14 council meeting. Council discussed the new housing strategy as well as a housing assessment created by a B.C. company during its committee of the whole meeting the week previous. “We want more diverse housing. We want more housing. And as simple as that is, it never existed before,” chief administrative officer Brent Williams told council. Williams said a focus will be on developing infill lots in places like Uptowne Olds and East Olds with a goal of creating 100 units over the next five years. He also noted that a 92-unit apartment building is slated to be built in Olds just south of the fire hall. Town officials expect to release more information about it this week. Information presented in the housing needs assessment backed up the housing strategy. Qualitative data analyst Lisa Moffat of B.C.-based Resilience Planning said their study indicated there’s a need to incentivize “diverse housing types” including apartment buildings with one, two or three bedrooms as well as tiny homes and secondary suites. Homes made out of shipping containers are also a possibility. A secondary suite is a self-contained living space. It can be located in a single-family home or duplex or be an entirely separate unit, located in the backyard or above a garage, for example. Moffat said the problem is especially acute for moderate to low-income people. “We see many people spending more than 50 per cent of their income on housing utilities,” she said.