City council Monday gave the green light to move forward on a new, imaginative approach to low-income housing for St. Thomas. Members approved retaining Thier Curran Architects to assist the city in exploring the possibility of converting the second floor of the transit building at 614 Talbot Street into as many as 16 micro-apartments. Mayor Joe Preston says it is all part of what he calls a housing first strategy.
Preston explains the project would involve more than just the provision of housing.
Each 350-square-foot self-contained micro-apartment would have its own washroom, a small kitchenette area and a bed/sitting area. As proposed, there would be common laundry facilities and a meeting room that could be used by support services visiting tenants who would be some of the most vulnerable and homeless in the community.
City manager Wendell Graves says what needs to be done now is a building code audit, looking at HVAC systems and plumbing to see where there might be any red flags that would need to be addressed.
