Surplus land from National Defence could be used for housing at CFB Greenwood, official says

The Department of National Defence’s plan to expand Canadian Forces Base Greenwood has a local official in the community concerned about an already limited housing supply.

DND announced plans on Tuesday to station eight drones at CFB Greenwood. The first such aircraft will arrive on the base in 2028 — the remainder in 2033. Along with the aircraft, DND will station 55 Canadian Armed Forces and DND personnel in Greenwood to run the program.

The military housing in Greenwood is currently at capacity and the community — like most of the rest of the province — is struggling to provide enough housing for those who choose to live there.

One solution could be Clements Park, a vacant 57-hectare parcel of land within the boundaries of Greenwood where military housing once stood. Those buildings were torn down more than 20 years ago and Municipality of the Country of Kings has been waiting for DND to formally divest the land.

Waiting for divestiture

“We have been in correspondence with the Department of National Defence trying to convince them to divest of that property so that it can be used for housing,” said Coun. Martha Armstrong,  who chairs the Kings County planning advisory committee.

As soon as that divestiture happens — assuming it will — Armstrong says there are developers standing by “shovel ready” to begin construction within six months.

“We’re just looking for them to give it up,” she says.

In an email to the CBC a spokesperson for the Department of National Defence said, “The Clements Park land site is at the final stage of approval to be declared surplus. Upon the declaration of it being a surplus land, DND will begin the divestment process.”

However no timeline — or details on the divestiture — were provided.

Armstrong says she’s encouraged to hear DND officially confirm the eventual declaration of Clements Park as surplus land, but worries it may take a long time to complete.

 “The province and the federal government came to us and said, you know, ‘try and find some some land within your municipality that could be used for housing that possibly hasn’t been in the past.’

“So it was only a couple of years ago that we started to really rattle their chains and say, ‘You know, you want housing for the people that live at 14 Wing and this is an opportunity to do that.'”

Runway expansion

Along with the 55 added military personnel at CFB Greenwood, DND says runways on the base will need to be expanded to accommodate the new drones. Each is about the size of a fighter jet, but with a wider wingspan.

Hangars will have to be built along with fencing and more parking space.

All of that points to a spike in economic activity in the Greenwood area.

Developer Scott Peckford says the situation is positive and the need for more housing isn’t urgent, yet.

“There will be plenty of time,” he says. “I don’t think anybody’s going to move here with DND and not have a place to live.

“It’s good news for the community,” he said. “Really, it is a great way to end the year.” 

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