City of Edmonton First Place Program

Public Meeting Announcement & Opportunity for selected residents to participate in a design process for new homes

Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Location: 5812 - 149 Ave (Steele Heights Baptist Church)

Time: 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.

Please join the City of Edmonton at this meeting to learn about new homes being developed in Casselman and the community’s opportunity to work with the builders to ensure new homes complement the community.

The City of Edmonton’s First Place Program helps young working families to own their first home. This innovative program collaborates with new home builders and local banks to construct new homes for first time home buyers on 20 vacant surplus school building sites. The program enables the City to use investments in existing infrastructure to achieve Council goals of attracting and retaining skilled workers to our growing economy.

The First Place Program allows eligible first-time buyers to defer land payments for five years and offers reduced CMHC mortgage insurance rates. These program features put purchasing a home within reach of eligible first-time home buyers.

The City of Edmonton is seeking 6-8 Casselman residents to participate in a series of design charettes to influence the development of First Place program homes located on vacant land south of 149th avenue and 53rd street. (see map on following page) If you are interested in participating in these design discussions, please email firstplace@edmonton.ca and include Casselman in the subject line by May 18th or call 780-496-6555 with your information.

Program Facts:

• The First Place program site in Casselman is located south of 149 avenue and 53 street.
• Two or three bedroom new homes will be built on the surplus school building envelope only. The site is expected to support 50 - 60 new townhomes. Planned open space and sports fields will be retained by the City of Edmonton.
• The First Place program is not an affordable or social housing program. The program helps employed individuals/families looking to buy their first home to qualify for mortgages by deferring land costs for five years. After the deferral period, the owners pay the deferred land cost to the City. • All homes must be owner-occupied for the period of the land deferral.

Please visit the City of Edmonton’s website: http://www.edmonton.ca/for_residents/programs/first-place.aspx. to learn more or call Tim McCargar at (780) 496-1543.