SAULT STE. MARIE -- A new affordable housing project in the Sault will see the demolition and replacement of a long-standing church in the community.
Holy Trinity Anglican Church and Cara Community Corp. have partnered to build the 58-unit, seven-storey building, with a new church to be included on the ground floor.
"Churches are getting very hard to maintain and parish lists are shrinking, so it makes sense to say, hey, put the church where the people (are)," said Geoff Meakin, president of Cara Community Corp.
Trinity Tower, as the project is being called, is the fourth development that Cara will undertake and stems from a long-standing partnership with the church.
Meakin said members of the congregation formed Cara in 1979, paving the way for several projects ever since.
For this development, the land the church currently sits on is being donated to Cara, as a means to build a new development that it said is very much needed in the city.
"It's going to be focused on seniors, a safe place and affordable for them to come and be," Meakin said. "As for the church, we wanted a Christian presence to be continued on this corner and Cara Community is right next door, so it was a win-win for everyone involved."
Single bedrooms will start at $648, while two bedrooms will be priced at $718.
Meanwhile, Meakin said Cara will submit its rezoning application in the "coming days," but said he's confident it will be approved.
"We went to the city right at the start and talked to them and pretty well got their blessing to go ahead and get it all put together," he said.
If approved, Cara plans to begin construction sometime next year.
