BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1019 Report

Hudson town council on Monday took the first step towards establishing an affordable housing project in its village centre by approving a motion to proceed with the purchase of land on Main Road, next to the former Wyman Church. But not all elected officials are onboard.

The plan, as briefly outlined by Mayor Chloe Hutchison, would see the lot eventually transferred to a non-profit organization that would, in turn, oversee the construction and eventually manage the project.

“This would offer affordable housing in the core” of the town, Hutchison said during the public meeting.

No details about the size or the number of units the project would include were provided.

But not all councillors supported the move.

“I’m pro development of this kind,” said councillor Benoit Blais in an interview with The 1019 Report yesterday. “But I’ve never seen in my career a project of a few million (dollars) where you can’t see the legal documents.”

“The money,” Blais continued, “will it be repaid in a year, two years, three years?”

He reiterated that he is not against the idea of the town backing an affordable housing development project. But, he said, there are too many unanswered questions about this particular proposal at this time.

Hutchison, however, was adamant that the project will not cost Hudson taxpayers.

“There is no potential dollar loss on this project,” she said in response to questions about the proposal.

“There is zero cost to the town,” she later added.

According to the resolution adopted by the majority of councillors, the town will seek to negotiate the purchase of the lot, a 37,000-square-foot tract of land off Main Road, which had once been the planned site of the proposed Villa Wyman seniors’ residence, which was abandoned after its plans failed to get approval from the town.

Now, if the town buys the land, it would then transfer the lot to Toit d’Abord, a non-profit specializing in affordable housing in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

The non-profit would then seek a series of grants – from the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal and the provincial government’s Société d’habitation du Québec ­– which would then reimburse Hudson for its investment.

Toit d’Abord would be the eventual owners of the project and manage the property.

“They will run the place. They will handle its upkeep, all the leases and all the subsidies from the provincial government,” Hutchison said.

Councillor Douglas Smith was the other councillor who voted against the move.

“As stewards of our town, we shouldn’t be gambling with taxpayers’ money,” Smith said in an interview yesterday. “And I see this as a gamble. We haven’t seen enough proof that this is something we can’t lose on.”

Earlier this year, the board of directors of Villa Wyman had put the property up for sale, with an asking price of $650,000. In June, an offer to purchase the lot for an undisclosed sum was accepted. But that deal fell through. The purchase offer, however, put the possibility of the town acquiring the land on the council’s radar, as the municipality had registered a right of first refusal on the property.

In August 2023, Hudson council voted to formally register a right of first refusal on 22 lots within the town’s territory, including all the lots in the waterfront area surrounding Sandy Beach; all the churches in the town, along with the parking areas surrounding them; the Sikh temple on Main Road; the Como golf course; and the Manoir Cavagnal seniors’ residence. The move was made after the provincial government passed a law that allows municipalities to register a right of first refusal on properties that are put up for sale.

By filing the right with the land registry, the law gives municipalities the opportunity to match, or even increase offers, in order to purchase land and buildings that are up for sale once an offer on a registered property is accepted by the current owner.

It was while the town was considering its option on whether to avail itself of its option to purchase the Wyman lot, that the offer by a private owner was withdrawn.

“My intent is to go through an acceptability process with the neighbours” to integrate the project, Hutchison said, explaining that there is a growing demand for affordable housing in the region.

She said there is a need for approximately 2,500 units to meet the housing demand in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region, according to current estimates. This project would be a small contribution to filling that need with affordable residences in the area, she said.

Affordable housing is defined as housing that costs less than 30 per cent of a household’s pre-tax income. Applicants would have to meet criteria set by the provincial government to qualify to rent a unit in the project.

Last month, a proposed plan to build a three-storey, 18-unit affordable housing project in Vaudreuil-Dorion through Toit d’Abord was withdrawn after residents raised a series of objections. Criticisms included the fact the building would be built, in part, on land that currently is part of a park and is included in a newly identified flood zone, would obstructed the view of the Baie de Vaudreuil, and the city had not conducted public consultations before selecting the location.