St. Marys video series highlights creative community housing solutions

Dave and Sandy MacPherson with the family dog, Marla, at their St. Marys home.

By Alex Hunt

St. Marys is opening the door to new housing ideas through a video series that shares the real stories behind local development projects.

The Town of St. Marys has launched a video series featuring residents, builders and developers who share their experiences on attainable housing solutions and how the movement will impact the future of the town’s housing infrastructure.

The series focuses on key concepts of the Opening Doors program, part of the town’s Attainable Housing Action Plan aimed at increasing and diversifying the local housing supply.

“Opening Doors is the foundation for what the council wanted to see, a focus on how we can do things more locally,” said Grant Brouwer, director of building and planning for the Town of St. Marys. “We sat down and crafted what we wanted the series to represent, looking at what the town wants to look like as we move through this process.”

Local couple Dave and Sandy MacPherson were approached by the town last year to be featured in the series after selling their house to their son and his family, then converting their garage into a livable home.

“The space is much easier to clean and I really love it,” said Sandy MacPherson. “Everything is on one floor, which makes the space more convenient. We were excited when the town approached us to be part of the video series. It was a great experience.”

Dave MacPherson, with the help of family and friends, began to demolish parts of the garage at the end of 2020. Construction extended through 2021, and the couple was ready to move in for 2022.

“We talked about making this place a home quite often,” said Dave MacPherson. “It was always at the back of my mind, but I had to check with the town to make sure it was doable.”

Dave and Sandy MacPherson’s home includes a furnished main floor, a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom with an upstairs recreational attic area.

To watch the Town of St. Marys Community Video Series Highlighting Attainable Housing Solutions, visit townofstmarys.com.