If there is something that Elmira has needed for a very long time, it is housing for seniors.
While there are quality assisted living centres and nursing homes within Elmira, there are very few options for seniors who no longer want the responsibility of caring for a home.
The few apartments that are available in town are quickly snatched up, and they aren’t good options for seniors who are finding it more and more difficult to climb stairs.
Leaving town becomes the best option for many — even though it often means leaving a community that has been home for decades.
With a proposal that came forward at last week’s committee-of-the-whole meeting, there is a chance that more seniors will get to stay in Elmira for the rest of their lives.
The plan calls for the redevelopment of property on Church Street West, to create a 20-unit apartment building that is fully accessible. It would be within walking distance of the downtown core, along the bus route, and near several services — including local pharmacies — that seniors need.
The development would need zone change approval from the township, one that would allow a higher density than normally permitted, and one that would waive some of the parking requirements for such a development.
These minor changes to the township’s zoning make sense, and should be approved.
After all, this development fits in with the township’s own policy of supporting seniors housing, to provide opportunities for our oldest citizens to remain in the community.
Similar policies that encourage intensification of urban areas also provide justification for the development, as do the hundreds of seniors who are currently waiting for someplace to live.
Given that the architect developing the property is Brian Shantz, we also know that the work will be done well, and enhance the overall beauty of the downtown core.
It could also provide the impetus for other developers to come forward and serve this segment of our community — a segment that has, in our humble opinion, been ignored for far too long.
We trust and hope that this apartment will be the sign of things to come, and that more seniors will be permitted to live out their golden years in the town they love.