Public consultation has begun for a seniors housing project in Blackfalds, with residents being asked to complete an online survey.

Last night, close to 60 attended a session held at the Blackfalds Community Centre. They heard a presentation from Mike Leathwood, CEO of the Bethany Group, a non-profit that has partnered with the town and the Lacombe Foundation on the project.

“There’s a lot of people in this community interested in seeing something happen and there’s not much here. There’s just a four-unit seniors subsidized apartment project in a community of 9,600. Yet the population of seniors is growing like everywhere else,” Leathwood says.

“So there are people that clearly would choose a housing option that would allow them to stay here and be close to family and friends, if it were built today.”

Leathwood pointed out that there are many different options for housing. That could include independent living to supportive living.

There are also government-subsidized units versus private ventures that charge market price.

As well, residents can rent, own, enter a “life lease,” or enter a housing cooperative.

The survey, he says, is about figuring out what Blackfalds seniors want.

He adds that it’s possible to balance all the differing preferences.

“You can do multiple levels of combining rent with ownership with life lease. You can figure out ways to almost accommodate most people’s needs,” Leathwood says.

“That’s one of the things that excites us. It’s a smaller community, how do you bring in multiple levels of service and multiple levels of renters and home ownership. Then you get creative.”

Survey results are due back in June and the design is scheduled to be complete by January 2019.

The Town of Blackfalds owns an acre of land at the corner of Broadway Avenue and South Street that it has set aside for the project.