“So no matter what we do, if we're planting trees, it would be great in 20 years, but we're not going to see an immediate benefit for it.”

Staff had originally recommended Option #2, which is largely the same as what had been proposed in May 2019 before council sent the matter back for further consultations.

As previously reported in the Mercury Tribune, much of that option is located on property owned by the Foundation for the Support of International Medical Training Inc., a foundation set up by the Marcolongo family.

Through the foundation, there are plans to sell 35 acres of that parcel to Options for Homes (OFH), a Toronto-based nonprofit developer.

The Marcolongo property is untouched by Option #1.

Daniel Ger, OFH’s chief development officer, told councillors that if they chose to go ahead with the staff recommendation, hundreds of units the developer is looking to build there would be put at risk.

“Our estimation is that less than half the site will remain developable based on the current recommendation,” he said of Option #2.

In May 2019, Heather Tremain, OFH’s CEO, told council that the developer was looking to build between 500 and 1,000 units on the property.

Under the Options for Home model, the developer gives a loan for the down payment of the cost of the home which does not need to be paid back until after the homeowner vacates the property.

Following a question from Mayor Cam Guthrie, Ger said the homes would be sold at market rate. This means the new builds would not meet the city’s official definition of affordable housing, which is 80 per cent or less of market rate.

This matter will come back to council at its March 30 meeting for a final debate and vote.