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City officials struggling with how to build affordable housing in more well-off neighbourhoods were expected Thursday to pitch a citywide target of 10 per cent.

Branch manager Walter Trocenko confirmed a rumour Wednesday that’s been circulating for weeks. A 10 per cent target of affordable housing for each neighbourhood wouldn’t necessarily stop or force approval for any project on the table, but would add a clear target any time city council wrestles with a contentious project.

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“Everyone agrees, universally, the best model is a decentralized model. It begins to fall apart when it’s in your backyard,” said Trocenko. “What this would force us to do is really think carefully about the way we invest in affordable housing. Are we advancing an outcome that aligns with that council target, yes or no?”

Edmonton has more than 6,000 families on a waiting list for subsidized housing. It has another 1,700 people living on the street. After a major lobby effort, the federal and provincial governments have promised cash to build subsidized homes. But that leaves city council struggling with where to put them.