The Base 31 project will be built on the former site of CFB Picton, a Second World War airbase used to train pilots.
About two hours east of Toronto, developers are building a town that will include concert venues, creative workspaces, shops, community gardens, sports courts, parks and walking trails alongside about 7,500 homes.
On the outskirts of Picton, the project, when completed, will more than double the current population of 4,700 residents. Construction workers will be among the town’s first inhabitants and developers will be the boss.
“We have become a pretty significant employer in the area,” said Alexandra DeGasperis, vice-president of DECO Communities, which has partnered with Tercot Communities, PEC Placemaking and Rockport Group on a project known as Base 31. One of the group’s first priorities is to create worker housing for the labourers who will be building the town.
“We’re really hoping that by next summer, we can have that up and running … so we’re not taking away worker housing from other employers.”
As the housing crisis has led to a worker shortage, some developers and employers are reinventing the concept of the company town, setting up living spaces — temporary and permanent — to house the local workforce. But unlike the Canadian company towns of the early 1900s that sprouted around pulp and paper mills and aluminum refineries, today’s employers are filling a need to attract and house retail, service and skilled trades workers.
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