A unique group of partners is creating 78 units of affordable housing here, with construction planned to start in 2027. The Best4Life King’s Landing project includes 36 affordable home ownership opportunities and 42 rental homes on an 18-acre waterfront site on the shore of Lake Kaminiskeg opposite St. Francis Memorial Hospital.
The project is being developed by Anhart Affordable Housing, a non-profit based in Vancouver, working closely with the local non-profit, Ottawa Valley Affordable Housing Inc. (OVAH), as well as with developer Mark Wilson, with help from Madawaska Valley Township.
“It’s a brilliant plan,” says OVAH’s chair, Ish Theilheimer. “Instead of relying on government grants, Anhart is using private capital to get the project going, and it’s using its years of experience and local production of modular components to keep the project affordable.”
Anhart is responsible for securing the early-stage impact capital needed to move the project forward. “Local investors are absolutely welcome, but we are not relying solely on that,” says Anhart’s president and co-founder Keith Weibe Gordon, who has been building affordable homes since the 1980s. “The early capital is what allows us to move from concept to momentum.” After that, needed capital will come from traditional sources – credit unions, banks, CMHC and community bonds.
Developer Mark Wilson takes active role
The project follows on the vision of developer Mark Wilson, who has developed many resort and community projects, including work alongside Intrawest on the Village at Blue Mountain, as well as independent projects like The Gables of PEI. Before the pandemic, he bought the property with plans to do private development there, but a series of setbacks, including the pandemic, thwarted him. Then, through Madawaska Valley Township CAO Suzanne Klatt, who was part of OVAH’s founding committee, he met Keith Gordon of Anhart, and together, they started making new plans.
“There is significant and growing demand for affordable housing, particularly within the 50+ demographic – something I’ve been focused on for quite some time,” says Mr. Wilson. “A large and often overlooked segment of this population comes from self-employed backgrounds or careers without traditional pension structures. In other cases, individuals who did rely on pensions have seen their security impacted by corporate failures or restructuring.
“At the same time, too many seniors today are living in substandard or uninspiring environments. There is a clear opportunity to provide something better – housing that supports dignity, independence, and overall quality of life. The need for affordable housing, both for this older group as well as for younger adults, will only continue to grow.”
Pricing of the homes and apartments is not confirmed yet, mostly on account of uncertainty whether the Province will fund needed water and sewage upgrades. Madawaska Valley Township has asked the Province for support without success to date. Anhart’s plan, in any case, is to keep rentals and home prices “affordable and attainable.”
Anhart’s successful experience
Keith Gordon and Anhart have had a lot of experience with affordable housing. He was part of launching the Community Builders Benevolence Group in Winnipeg in the 1980s. That work later continued in Vancouver and has grown to over 1,000 affordable and supportive homes in 16 buildings.
He and Anhart have worked in cities and in small communities such as Hope, Merritt, and Lytton, British Columbia. “They are communities,” Keith Gordon writes, “Where relationships matter, where conditions are different, and where projects require a more adaptive and locally grounded approach.”
Mark Wilson is impressed with Anhart. “They bring a capable, committed team with a clear mission in the affordable housing space. That confidence is a big part of why I’ve chosen to align myself with the group at this stage of my career – this is work that matters, and they have the structure and intent to make a real impact.” He is also impressed by “the strong level of engagement and commitment we’ve seen from the Township and broader community throughout the draft plan approval process.”
Keith Gordon is well aware of the potential for bureaucratic delay. “This is real. It will take time and there will be friction. What we are doing is structuring the project so multiple pieces can advance in parallel rather than waiting for a single linear approval path.”
Modular home plant planned in Pembroke
Another reality is rising construction costs. “This is one of the reasons we are exploring modular and other approaches,” he says. Anhart has been in discussion with the City of Pembroke about locating a modular home factory in the City’s industrial park. Setting up a non-profit supply chain will help keep costs down, he says.
Anhart and OVAH expect considerable interest in the new housing. “We hear of the lack of affordable housing constantly, from workers, employers, seniors, social service providers,” says Theilheimer. “This project will make a huge difference.”
“What we are seeing across the country is that demand is not the issue,” says Keith Gordon. “The issue is getting projects delivered. That is the gap we are trying to address.”
Ottawa Valley Affordable Homes Inc.(2026,Apr.17) Construction to start in 2027 on 78 affordable homes in Barry’s Bay [media release]
All photos and artists’ renderings submitted.