ARICHAT - Repeatedly stated as a key issue during this fall's municipal elections in Richmond County, affordable housing may soon resurface as a development option for the county's newly-elected municipal council.

Council has authorized Richmond municipal staff to examine the potential cost of a water and sewer extension to an Arichat property, following a request from a local property owner identified by two members of council as a potential developer of affordable housing units. 

Addressing the request at the most recent regular meeting of Richmond Municipal Council, Deputy Warden Michael Diggdon was enthusiastic to see the possibility of a new affordable housing strategy arising so early in the new council term.

Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Richmond Warden Amanda Mombourquette echoed Diggdon's sentiments. 

"Affordable housing is definitely something we heard about from knocking on doors [during the campaign], and from working with the Strait-Richmond Housing Matters Coalition," Mombourquette recalled. 

"There's no question, there's a huge need for it. I think we're all dealing with constituent issues right now where their housing is at risk, for a variety of reasons - they've lost employment, there's some renovations or whatever else may be going on during this time. It's very much needed in rural communities, so it's very exciting to see a project like this hit our agenda so early on in our mandate."

The last effort at affordable housing development in Richmond County fell by the wayside in mid-2017, when developer Thai Leung applied for the rezoning of his Arichat property to support a 24-unit affordable housing development but had his application rejected by a 3-2 vote, with then-Warden Brian Marchand casting the deciding vote against the rezoning.

The vote followed a petition campaign and several complaints from nearby residents that such a development would hamper their property values and their general well-being.