Benny Farm project on track for summer

City administrators working on the Benny Farm project in NDG say the first of several hundred new housing units will be ready for new residents this summer.

About 80 units should be ready this summer, and over the next few years about 500 new units should be renovated or built.

Ed Whittaker, who lives on the only part of Benny Farm that's now inhabited, said he's glad to be getting some new neighbours.

"It's just empty buildings when you pass by. It's just deserted, that's all it is," he said.

Some of the existing buildings will be bought by housing co-ops. They'll be available at below-market prices to people who qualify.

But one part of the project, a corner of the site reserved for a CLSC and a recreation centre, is still up in the air.

The city said it likes the idea of a recreation centre, but it doesn't have much money, so is looking for solutions.